Features

Two technologies combined to give a heavily used bridge a new surface that should last for years The Avonmouth Bridge carries the M5 motorway over the River Avon, and is a vital part of the road infrastructure in south-west England, linking the counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to the rest of the country. Completed in 1973, it carries commuters to the city of Bristol, and to South Wales, along with holidaymakers. The 1.4km long steel box girder bridge comprising a 16,000m2 steel decked central span a

For 2009, the Intermat exhibition will prove a major event on the off-highway equipment calendar This year's Intermat construction equipment exhibition in Paris promises a great deal for the visitor. The show will feature a total surface area of 180,000m² including 30,000m² of outside demonstration areas and this represents 7% more space than for the previous exhibition in 2006. Some 1,320 companies are exhibiting and come from 43 countries, with 64% of exhibitors coming from outside France. Around 209,032

Anticipating new trends, the IRF organised a high level panel discussion on the promising and fast-growing market of carbon trading in the margins of the 2nd International Roads and Environment Conference hosted in Geneva, Switzerland on 10-11 November, 2008. Now is the time for the road builders to add trading to their armoury of carbon-reducing measures. Carbon trading has moved from the margins to centre stage. World economic growth may be stalling or going into reverse, but the search for post-Kyoto cl

The IRF's 2nd conference on roads and the environment addressed key transport targets, Mike Woof reports Reducing the impact of the road transport sector as a whole was the focus of the IRF's 2nd Roads & Environment Conference. Opening the event, Jean Beauverd, chairman of the IRF in Geneva said, "Evidence of global warming is now unequivocal. Even if we were to stabilise the effects of CO2 emissions, the effects would continue for decades. Eco-friendly processes have not yet reached the full acceptance tha

UK road users receive a mere £4 billion in capital investment, and congestion increases. Road pricing could provide the roads needed and reduce taxes, says a new report UK motorists receive a "paltry" £4 billion (€5 billion) investment in road capacity in return for the €57.5 billion a year they contribute in road user taxes, according to the 2008/9 Road File, published by the UK Road Users Alliance (RUA). Over the last decade, this infrastructure spend has led to a minimal 1% increase in the road network t

How will the deep cuts hitting France's national budget affect French roads and highways? Gordon Feller discusses France has one of the most modern transport systems in Europe, the result of decades of public spending on the sector as well as other infrastructure. The government historically has awarded contracts to build infrastructure to French construction and engineering companies, some of which are now among the world's largest contractors. Among other achievements, France's infrastructure programme re

Mike Woof reviews the latest compaction market developments In the run-up to the upcoming World of Asphalt event in Orlando, Florida in March, the leading compaction equipment firms are rolling out upgraded and improved machines. With market conditions tough worldwide, customers are also likely to be encouraged with competitive deals on purchasing new machines and replacing ageing fleets.

With new roads to be built and existing ones to be maintained, one company is predicting a big increase in asphalt production Asphalt plant manufacturer Ammann says that four factors in particular will shape the future of the asphalt industry. The company, which has sold its first JustBlack asphalt mixing plant to Costa Rica through its Spanish distribution partner, EMSA, says that many more roads have yet to be built in the world. "Building the global road network will provide work for many generations to

Hyper-mobility is constantly demanded by customers who favour continuous plants, especially in France. However, compromises must always be sought in the high output equipment range, says Ermont (part of the FAYAT Group), and major progress has been made in the parallel flow field with the 500tonne/hr and 600tonne/hr TSM plants, whereas the Rétroflux type of the counterflow plants have lagged somewhat behind. This gap has now been closed with the development of the hyper-mobile RF 400, capable of producing 4