Features

The IRF has helped educate the next generation of leaders since 1949 Sixty-five years after its founding, the IRF Fellowship Program for graduate students of engineering and transportation policy remains a cornerstone of the IRF’s work. Since 1949, IRF members and donors have helped fund the education of more than 1,346 transportation professionals from 118 countries. The Fellowship Program identifies international students with outstanding potential and helps nurture them as they take their place as the ne

The European Union Road Federation (ERF) was in Athens, Greece on May 8-9 2014 to take part in in the Informal EU Transport Ministers Council meeting and the European Commission organised 6th European Road Safety Day event. The European Road Safety Day event held at the Zappeio Megaro on 9 May 2014 under the heading ‘Safe and Smart Infrastructure’ was organised in cooperation with the Greek Presidency to coincide with the informal Council of Transport Ministers, also held at Zappeio Megaro the day before.

Kevin Vine reports on the use of non-destructive testing for structural analysis of bridges Seven years ago, the overpass collapse in Laval, Québec that led to the death of five people brought to light severe issues with the state of the country’s bridges and transportation infrastructure. More recently, a crack in the Champlain Bridge to Montreal that forced over 160,000 commuters to find alternate routes to work reaffirmed a need for greater emphasis on early detection before a crisis occurs.

A vital and novel highway drainage project in Mexico could provide the key to reducing the nation’s water scarcity, as Guy Woodford reports. A rare highway drainage project in downtown Monterrey, Mexico has created a sustainable blueprint for rainwater re-use that could help to tackle the country’s water scarcity problems.

The trial of a novel compound at a site in Chile has shown how structural improvements can be achieved for dirt road applications Although the Barrick Gold Pascua Lama operation is a surface mining site, the experience with this technology is equally applicable for use on haul roads in large quarries or for dirt roads expected to carry heavy loads. This is of particular importance for transport in remote areas where large loads such as pre-cast bridge sections or girders for example may have to be carrie

A series of innovations in machine control or automation technologies are helping transform the construction industry - Mike Woof writes Equipment manufacturer have made huge advances in machine performance, delivering new models that offer increased capabilities and productivity, while using less fuel. Reliability and uptime too have been improved, with the development of equipment that can forestall unplanned downtime by telling the user when it will require service attention. Meanwhile new engines delive

Ian Hayes, RMD Kwikform’s divisional operations director, gives an overview of the current global formwork and shoring market Over the recent past, the formwork and shoring market has been changing as the global economic recovery begins to take shape and different countries again begin to invest in key infrastructure projects. Notably there has been a shift in the Middle East, as countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman embark on major airport and the road infrastructure projects to support developme