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Solutions have been found that will help finance key road projects in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro State. A combination of road concession packages and PPP agreements are expected to deliver the US$2.16 billion required to carry out the 142 projects needed for key infrastructure work in Rio de Janeiro State. Some of the infrastructure projects are for utilities or waste handling, but around 80% of the works needed for Rio de Janeiro’s southern region will be for road maintenance or upgrades. Key highways in need

Financing worth US$70 million is being provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB) for a key road project in Nigeria. The 198km road project will help improve transport in Ebonyi State, as well as between Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon. The project is expected to cost close to $168 million. The route of the Ebonyi Ring Road intersects with the new highway being built to link Enugu in Nigeria with Bamenda in Cameroon at two interchanges. This new ring road will provide better transport flow for the k

Two major road projects are being planned for Russia’s first and second cities, Moscow and St Petersburg. Bidding is opening for the project to build a stretch of Moscow’s North-East Expressway. The work is expected to cost around US$780.6 million and includes building five viaducts and three bridges, as well as rebuilding the existing Novosavinovsky Bridge. Meanwhile in St Petersburg, construction work for the Eastern High-Speed Diameter (VSD) is now being held back until 2022 at the earliest. The work i

Financing is being secured for an important road connection in Rwanda. A grant of US$42 million is being provided by China, following and agreement with the Rwanda Government. The funding will help to pay for a 10km stretch of road that links Kigali with Masaka, lying to the east of the city. The work will also improve connections to Eastern Rwanda, while helping to boost the country’s economic development.

Ethiopia is now benefiting from a new tolled route, improving transport between Dire Dawa and Dewele.

JCB has set a new speed record, with a tractor. The firm modified one of its own Fastrac models for the record attempt, carried out at Elvington Airfield in the UK. Motorcycle racer Guy Martin took to the wheel of the heavily modified tractor, which was able to clock a speed of 165.76km/h (103.6mph). Aerodynamic improvements to the machine had been added by Williams Advanced Engineering. JCB previously set a World Land Speed record in 2006 with its DieselMax Streamliner. Twin diesel engines powered the veh

The European Commission said it will investigate the public financing for the Fehmarn Belt link to see if it in line with state aid rules. The announcement follows the European Union General Court's annulment of a previous Commission decision approving the support. "Today's opening of such an investigation is an invitation for all stakeholders to provide their input, which will allow the Commission to adopt a new, well-informed final decision,” said Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Commissioner.

Raising the motorway speed limit in Norway to 120kph could mean four deaths annually, according to research by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen). It could also cost up to €504 million to build or upgrade 460km of motorways to withstand the wear and tear caused by having a 120kph limit. State Secretary Tommy Skjervold said that the government will analyse the research before making a final decision about raising or not the speed limit on some motorways. Norway has some of

There is concern at the ongoing road safety problems for Germany, with preliminary data showing worsening casualty statistics. During 2018, 3,270 people were killed in road crashes in Germany. A further 68,000 people suffered serious injuries in road crashes in Germany during 2018, with 328,000 having minor injuries. This data was compiled by Germany’s official statistics body, Destatis. The results from Destatis reveal a notable drop in road safety in Germany when compared with the previous year. In 20