Features

UK-based Macleod Simmonds Ltd (MSL) has launched a GPR (Ground Probing Radar) consultancy providing both a survey service and software package which, the firm says, takes the output from multi-antenna surveys to a “whole new dimension”. The firm says it can now provide survey capability for almost any type of terrain, application or location that end users might require. For the existing roadway or smooth surface terrain survey location, MSL has a Carriageway System based on a multi-antenna set up from Ital

An urgent need to improve and extend its road network means that Brazil is open to innovation and new ideas - the timing looks good for Kraton and its highly modified asphalt. Kristina Smith reports On 15th August Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff announced a US$66 billion (BRL 133 billion) investment package for the country’s road and rail networks. Of that, $21 billion (BRL 42 billion) is earmarked for the upgrade or construction of 7,500km of highways through a series of concessions. “We’re starting an

One of the interesting developments at the recent Hillhead quarry show in the UK, was of a rather more compact machine than usually seen at the exhibition. A UK equipment rental firm, CLS Selfdrive, revealed a US-manufactured compact grader equipped with machine control equipment. This is of note seeing that such machine control technologies are usually fitted to much larger machines. The increasing proliferation of the systems and the reduction in costs in real terms however means that this technology is n

The rapid increase in information availability is transforming the construction sector. Conventional methods used for sourcing geographic data based on maps and localised sampling meant that there was often a lack of accurate information relating to ground conditions at specific areas where work was planned, often resulting in unwelcome surprises for construction companies along with additional costs for projects.

A major expansion programme is underway at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The work started in the third quarter of 2006 and is due for completion in 2015, with the construction activity being carried out in three main stages. Once the work is complete the airport will be able to handle up to 80 million passengers/ year, compared with 13 million/year before construction commenced. The project also includes three new terminal buildings and a high-speed rail link, as well as airf

Terex says that its latest Bid-Well 6500 Automatic Roller Paver delivers high performance concrete paving for slabs up to 610mm thick. The machine benefits from a heavy-duty frame design and an 8.9tonne operating weight in standard form. The frame can be configured to meet paving widths from 7.3-18.3m wide, suiting applications in a range of duties including airport runways, taxiways and aprons. Capable of width changes in a matter of hours, the roller paver offers an alternative to slipform pavers for thes

Interview with Dr Essam Radwan, chairman of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida and vice-chair of the 17th IRF World Meeting Scientific & Technical Committee The economic impacts of road transport are undeniable, yet notoriously hard to quantify. The central theme of the IRF World Meeting “Delivering Global Prosperity” has key resonance as Dr Radwan explained, “Today’s world is a mesh of tightly integrated economies, so it’s no surprise that the

Not enough road agencies and highway engineers understand the questions to ask regarding site-specific conditions, design performance criteria and reusability requirements of crash cushions when making purchasing decisions. To address these questions, IRF held a webinar attended by over 170 highway and safety professionals in 18 countries. The webinar reviewed crash cushion applications, described current performance-based standards (NCHRP 350/MASH/EN1317) and presented the recommendations to allow road aut

The Finnish contractor Lemminkäinen is currently working on a paving contract for Finavia, the company which maintains Finland's airports. The contract includes paving milling, as well as paving work for runway 3 and taxiways at Helsinki- Vantaa airport. Lemminkäinen began its operations on the €20 million paving contract in April 2012 and the work is expected to end in the autumn of 2014. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is an important traffic hub for Finland, as well as for the region, with around 15 million pass

A contractor in Canada, Dufferin Construction, is using three items of new equipment bought from Guntert & Zimmerman to pave the country’s longest runway. The project is extensive, featuring a new runway measuring 4.3km long by 60m wide, an apron area measuring 145,000m2 and two taxiways, each 3.8km long by 25m wide. In all, the work requires 1.5 million tonnes of base aggregate, and 200,000m2 of cement-stabilised base. Dufferin Construction Company, a division of Holcim (Canada) already owns two other G&Z