Features

Every year 186,300 children die from road traffic crashes around the world. That is more than 500 children every day. Road traffic injury ranks among the top four causes of death for all children over the age of five years. According to data reported by the Moroccan Comité national de prévention des accidents de la circulation (CNPAC), young people below the age of 14 represent 15% of all the deaths on Moroccan roads and the majority of these are pedestrians. Many of these fatalities are amongst children

Specialised swale construction featured in Northern England recently UK contractor Balfour Beatty examined different methods for building swales along the Norwich Northern Distributor Road near the English city of Norwich. Balfour decided to trial specialised road-widening machines, specially configured excavator buckets and modified compaction equipment. Excavators and dump trucks prepared the area for placement of sub-base material. The swale areas were constructed using both conventional methods as wel

New credentials offer pathway to international opportunities according to IRF Global For more than 60 years, an integral part of IRF’s mission has been the organisation and delivery of executive education services that provide continuing professional development for individuals and contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and expertise throughout the world. Two global credentials have now been added to IRF’s portfolio of executive education services offering road professionals worldwide a new pathway

An asphalt plant supplied by Ammann is now playing an important role in the UAE’s road construction sector The plant is producing material for major new road projects in the UAE. “We need to produce quality asphalt, and high volumes of it,” said Adnan Elmasri, operations manager for Top Link Contracting & General Transportation, based in Dubai. Top Link, a major contractor in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is providing mix for a new highway that will help to reduce the current traffic congestion issues occurring

Advances in drive technology are being seen from several key firms as new generation, compact electric systems begin entering the market - Mike Woof writes Major innovations in machine systems are being seen in the construction equipment sector. Several manufacturers are hedging their bets with regard to drive technology and introducing electric drive machines, which will suit use in urban ultra-low emission zones. Wacker Neuson has developed an array of electric machines in recent years including a numbe

Intelligent compaction and infrared scanning technologies have been used to improve construction quality The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) carried out a year-long project throughout 2017 to demonstrate the use of intelligent compaction (IC), infrared scanning (IR), and Veta software to improve pavement construction operations. “We were looking for ways to assess quality in asphalt projects,” said Bill Stone, research administrator at MoDOT. “We are working towards better pavements that l

The Svilaj Bridge connecting Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is nearly 40% complete, according to the contractors and the Croatian Motorways Directorate. Locally, the Svilaj Bridge – financially a 50-50 project between the two countries - is part of a motorway running from Beli Manastir to Osijek and on tyo Svilaj. But the route is also part of the motorway Budapest-Osijek-Sarajevo-Plocˇ which is the Pan European Corridor Vc (Corridor 5, branch c) connecting Budapest with the Adriatic.

Aggregates Industries recently lightened the load for the 73m-long bow string truss Acton Swing Bridge in England. When opened in 1933, it was the first floating swing bridge in the UK – floating on a pontoon. The 84-year-old bridge, which is cared for by the Canal & River Trust charity, carries the busy A49 road over the River Weaver Navigation, in the county of Cheshire. A recent €1.7 million complete refurbishment included strengthening works to the underside of the bridge as well as improvements to its

Recycling of materials has been carried out at Cologne/Bonn Airport in a move to boost efficiency Using the Wirtgen KMA 220 mobile cold recycling mixing plant allows road construction materials to be recycled or upgraded onsite and avoids the need for numerous transport trips. The system is also economical, as became clear from a job at Cologne/Bonn airport at the end of 2017. There the plant, located immediately next to the job site, produced around 11,000tonnes of materials for a hydraulically bound ba