Features

The FEHRL Infrastructure Research Meeting 2013 (FIRM 2013) raised key issues in transport innovation The key theme for FIRM 13 was advanced and innovative construction and maintenance, highlighting the importance of efficient asset management. Infravation, or infrastructure innovation, was another focus area for the event. Joris Al, FEHRL president said, “We aim to bring interested parties together. We’ve decided to build on existing knowledge rather than starting with front edge technologies and working

New software development will help ease deliver more efficient operations to the highway sector - Adrian Greeman reports Traffic modelling and simulation tools are being used for real-time analysis on a large scale traffic control system in Italy. A new traffic control system for the huge Piedmont region in northern Italy begins trial operations this summer after an eighteen month development and installation process. It will be the largest ever installed by German traffic engineering company PTV, via

Cartagena, Colombia’s coastal city attracts large numbers of visitors, generating heavy traffic through the Rafael Nuñez International Airport. However the surface of the runway had suffered from heavy wear, r esulting in bumpy landings and this was in need of repair. In addition, engineers wanted to create a graded, ramped approach to aid with both take-offs and landings. However, the volume of air traffic using the airport meant that construction work had to take place in a tight timeframe, between mi

Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in the south-east of Poland is now benefiting from a new taxiway constructed over a 50-month period and costing some €22.5 million. The work was required as the airport needs to increase capacity to cope with growing passenger traffic. The main portion of the project was for the construction of a 3km long taxiway, which lies parallel to the airport’s main runway. This taxiway now allows aircraft to manoeuvre away from the single runway and free up capacity for take-offs and land

Canada’s vast tar sands operation is providing a major financial boost to the country and this industry has relied heavily on Fort McMurray airport. Situated in Alberta, Fort McMurray is a remote town that has seen a huge expansion following the upturn in activity in the tar sands operations nearby. Although the massive resource has been worked for decades, only in the last 15 years or so have new extraction methods made the operation truly economic. Since 2010 Fort McMurray’s population has increas

A three-year modernisation programme at Bamako-Sénou international airport will improve the facility and allow larger aircraft and greater passenger numbers. The Malian Government has been undertaking a vast extension of the airport with the aim of being able to accommodate over a million passengers/year and all sizes of passenger aircraft. The project is being handled by MCA-Mali, a consortium led by RAZEL-BEC and also including the Vinci Group, which is active in Mali. Guillaume Derousseau, constructio

Varna Airport in north-east Bulgaria provides an important international link for the country, with a runway rebuild helping improve capacity. The airport is of particular importance for Bulgaria’s tourist trade as it provides a major connection for visitors to the Black Sea coast. And the reconstruction work at Varna Airport’s only runway will ensure the facility is able to handle the area’s increasing visitor numbers. The project had to be carried out quickly and efficiently to prevent delays to f

A new airport has been constructed in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea that will help with communications and logistics for the development of a natural gas project in the area. Built at Komo, the airport is sufficiently large to be able to handle the massive Russian Antonov AH-124-100 transport aircraft. Construction of the airport however proved challenging as the climate in this mountainous area is known for its changeable weather and heavy seasonal rainfall. However the airport was need

With an increasing number of aircraft using Jeddah International Airport in Saudi Arabia, the authorities realised there was a need to upgrade the facilities. King Abdulaziz International Airport opened in 1982 and serves over 15 million passengers/year, with a high percentage travelling on the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, some 80km away. The city has the largest port on the Red Sea and is named after Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud, the former king and founding father of Saudi Arabia, and is one of the kin

With nearly 400 participants from 21 countries and tribal nations, the recent 2013 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) held in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, was a resounding success – writes Leonard Sielecki The five-day conference ran from June 23rd-27th 2013, and attracted transportation planners, engineers, environmentalists, and academics from national and state agencies, universities, and non-government organisations. It was organised and co-sponsored by the Center for Trans

A new survey carried out in the UK reveals that male drivers are more likely to risk lives by overtaking blind and speeding on rural roads. As a result male drivers are being urged to be more careful. The survey was carried out jointly by safety body Brake and insurance firm Direct Line. The data reveals that 24% of drivers risk catastrophic head-on crashes by overtaking blind, while 44% admit speeding at over the national speed limit of 96km/h (60mph) on rural roads. Men are much more likely to take these

The recent Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL) Infrastructure Research Meeting 2013 in Brussels (FIRM 2013) attracted a large number of attendees, from Europe as well as further overseas. The event included a number of presentations on key road infrastructure topics, with major input also from other associations such as the European Asphalt Paving Association (EAPA). The plenary session drew high-level speakers from a number of National Road Administrations and European institut