Features

Leading highway work zone safety solution manufacturers have developed innovative new systems offering greater utility and efficiency for work crews involved in vital highways’ projects. Guy Woodford reports Mobile Barriers is now offering its MBT-1 barrier with cranes, scissor lifts, camera-communication towers and other options to enhance the system’s utility and efficiency. “This has been largely client driven and an outgrowth of our ongoing development for the transportation and security/defence s

The innovative DURABROADS project will help deliver a sustained reduction of fatalities in the long term, writes the ERF’s José Diez In 2012, Europe recorded the lowest number of fatalities since the first data were collected. All in all, fatalities were down by 9% in 2012, which means that 3,000 lives were saved that year. Should the current pace continue, we can be confident that the ambitious objective of reducing fatalities by 50% by 2020, compared to 2010, will be reached. To achieve the goals of

An eye-catching state-of-the-art asphalt plant is making a big impact in South East Asia, while other new and proven asphalt plant technology remains in demand in Europe and other continents. Guy Woodford reports Marini China has ventured out of its traditional Chinese market to deliver to a Singaporean customer what is claimed to be Asia’s largest asphalt plant. An impressive 45m tall and capable of producing 360tonnes/hour, the plant model was in response to Ley Choon Group’s request for a new plant ahead

Part of an iconic US bridge has been given a new lease of life, as Mike Woof reports The western section of the historic Oakland Bay Bridge in the US state of California has recently benefited from a series of improvements to strengthen its structural integrity and also upgrade the running surface. Contractor OC Jones & Sons of Berkeley CA, paved large portions of the bridge, taking on two different projects as part of the work. First was placement of the specialised epoxy on the self-anchored suspension (S

The Silk Route is one of the oldest trading links between Europe and Asia and is being upgraded with some of the newest equipment. The nation of Georgia is located on what is known as the ‘crossroads’ between Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It lies to the east of the Black Sea and is on one of the shortest routes between western China and Europe. Since the Middle Ages this strategically important country has played host to one of the network of roads collectively known as the Silk Route. For much of the 20

Paolo Fellin, vice president of Caterpillar’s Global Construction & Infrastructure Division, has touched on the importance of the new dominance of booming African and other Emergent nation construction markets. Guy Woodford reports For Paolo Fellin, the last 10 years have seen the birth of a new order in world construction equipment sales.

Two factories in Russia’s greater Moscow region are using SDLG wheeled loaders to help distribute sand and gravel for use in new roads being built across the region With Russia one of the world’s fastest growing market economies, its need for infrastructure expansion has meant more roads and, as a result, a massive increased need for sand and gravel production. Two sand and gravel factories near Moscow are said to be helping produce the new roads, sidewalks, and also, buildings.

Indonesian infrastructure investment is seeing major highway expansion - Simon Gould writes Over the next 12 years, Indonesia has planned some massive infrastructure investments, under a master plan aimed at bringing it up to developed country status by 2025. Its Government’s Masterplan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia's Economic Development (MP3EI) envisages infrastructure spending of US$400 billion between 2011 and 2025 to help achieve this (see sidebar for more on MP3EI). With limited funds of

A huge investment in road building will expand Moscow’s network – Eugene Gerden reports The government of Moscow plans to invest more than RUB 640 billion (US$20 billion) during the period of 2014-2015 .in a massive investment of road building in the city. This is expected to be part of Moscow city’s Master Plan, which is designed until 2025. Building of new roads is crucial for Moscow and should help the city to solve the problem of traffic jams. Despite all the efforts made by the city’s authorities in re