Features

*Ana Maria de la Parra introduces the new external road operation supervisors and fatal accident appraisers who could make a vital contribution to improving the efficiency and safety of highways in middle-income countries like Mexico. Sometimes it is difficult to pin down the perception of a country like Mexico in the popular international mindset. Visitors travelling to Mexico City for the first time are often amazed by its size. They are also frequently taken aback by how unexpectedly advanced it is in te

The State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil administers a wide network of highways and is faced with a significant maintenance management challenge of how to best make improvements having a perdurable impact. The maintenance management for the project needed to be done at a reasonable cost and needed to be able to withstand a heavy traffic flow. To meet such challenges, the Rio de Janeiro selected project RJ122 to undertake a new type of maintenance strategy. The RJ122 highway is a unique paving project in the rece

ERF organises successful event on Roadside Safety in cooperation with Transport Research Board. On 11 April, more than 90 participants from different parts of the world gathered in Brussels to attend the 2nd European Workshop of the TRB’s AFB 20 (2) Subcommittee on Roadside Safety. Coordinated by the European Union Road Federation and held at the CEN premises, the event proved a huge success. According to Konstandinos Diamandouros, ERF Head of Office and coordinator of the event, the feedback received from

Paving machines vary considerably in North America compared with those units used elsewhere. On a worldwide basis, pavers with tamper bar screeds are popular having been developed in Europe and also favoured by Japanese and Chinese firms. But in the US the length of highways to be constructed resulted in a focus on high production pavers, which still continues today. North America and Latin America are key markets for these machines, with Australia being one of the few territories to employ both European an

Major manufacturers continue to develop new soil compactor models - Mike Woof reports. Innovations in machine design are being seen in the soil compaction sector from a number of major firms. As in other equipment sectors, new engine emissions legislation has played a huge role in driving the latest design changes. Europe, the US and Japan are rolling in the new Tier 4 Final/Stage IV legislation on noise and exhaust emissions which will be phased in across power output classes from the start of January 2014

The use of recycling and stabilisation equipment has played a key role in adding new lanes to a congested Italian highway. Running from Bologna to Taranto, the A14 Autostrade has seen a major increase in traffic volumes for several years. Data shows that traffic has increased around 4% year on year with some 110,000 vehicles using the highway/day. The traffic growth trend looks set to continue and this resulted in the Italian Government opting to upgrade and widen the route.

Kosovo’s Route 7 Motorway is an 84km dual carriage motorway that will span Kosovo from the southwest border with Albania to the capital city of Pristina, tying the heart of Kosovo to the Albanian port city of Durres. This motorway is part of the pan-European motorway network for Southeast Europe and provides a key trade corridor. In November 2011, Bechtel-Enka General Partnership (BEGP) successfully delivered 38km to the people of Kosovo, only 19 months after the contract award. The second main achievement