Skip to main content

Odebrecht wins Brazilian highway concession

Odebrecht has been awarded a concession for Brazil’s important BR-163 federal highway route. The 851km section of highway runs through Mato Grosso state and the deal is worth some US$2 billion, according to a report by Business News Americas. As part of its contract, Odebrecht will have to widen a 454km stretch of the route within five years and is also required to build nine new toll booths.
November 29, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
RSSEthiopia is set to benefit economically from investment in a number of new key road links totalling over US$1 billion.

The east African nation’s 218km Modjo-Hassan highway is expected to cost US$720 million to construct. The highway will be constructed in two stages. The first section of the route will stretch 93km from Modjo to Zeway and is expected to cost $350 million to complete. The second section of the highway will be 125km long and link Zeway with Hewassa and this stretch is estimated to cost $370 million to build. However, funding for the highway project has yet to be finalised. The Ethiopia Roads Authority (ERA) is looking to obtain a portion of the project’s funding from the China Exim Bank and the 2332 World Bank, as well as a $350 million tranche from the South Korean Government and the 1586 African Development Bank.

Two Chinese firms are building another new road connection. The 133km road will run from Mille to Kombolcha, through Bati. Shandong Highway is working on a 73km stretch of the route from Milla to Burka, while Zhongmei Engineering has the Deal for the 60km stretch of road from Burka to Kombolcha. The project is being carried out for the Ethiopian Government and is being handled by the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA). Indian firm International Consultants & Technocrats (ICT) has a US$1.38 million consultancy contract to oversee the project through a joint venture with local firm Civil Works Consulting Engineers.

A third key road link will benefit transport links in and around Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The city authorities are planning work on the road connecting the Inter-city bus terminal with the Lideta Church, and the road between St George Church and 18 Mazoria. The work was due to begin this month and will take a year to complete. The authorities say they will require a budget of some US$397 million to build up to 113km of roads with asphalt surfaces in the 2013/2014 period.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Improvements to China's first desert expressway
    April 4, 2013
    The latest asphalt paving technology is now available and being utilised in novel ways to build and improve roads, often in challenging applications. Tough working environments, strict project deadlines and precise quality requirements are all posing engineering challenges for road construction projects around the world. For a number of asphalt paving applications, novel approaches and new technology are being employed to deliver projects on time and within specifications. In China, improvements to the coun
  • Safety barriers offer positive workzone protection
    February 10, 2012
    A road project in Utah has benefited from the use of effective barrier protection during construction. *Paul Grant reports An upgraded section of road from 3500 South in West Valley City, Utah, is now open to traffic. The link was completely rebuilt by Utah DoT (UDOT) from the Bangerter Highway to 2700 West, and the road carries traffic from West Valley toward downtown Salt Lake City and the University of Utah. The work added two centre lanes, which are now the first dedicated Bus Rapid Transit lanes in Uta
  • Financing package to help build Nigerian road project
    June 24, 2019
    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
  • US$17 billion Iraq-Europe road connection mega project delayed
    February 26, 2024
    The US$17 billion Iraq-Europe road connection mega project is now delayed.