Features

With the launch of its innovative D7E diesel-electric bulldozer, Caterpillar has shaken up this traditionally conservative market Only rarely do product innovations come to market that can truly be described as groundbreaking, but Caterpillar's D7E fits that bill. To understand the giant leap that the D7E represents, it is important to recognise Caterpillar's long history in the bulldozer market, which is unmatched by any of its rivals. Caterpillar pioneered the crawler track with founder, Ben Holt, havin

An overcrowded Indian flyover was removed in record time using specialist demolition equipment, as Patrick Smith reports Demolition of the landmark Lalbaug flyover south of central Mumbai has been completed and work on a new bigger bridge has started in India's largest city. Although the 38-year-old Sant Dnyaneshwar (Lalbaug flyover) two-lane, one-way traffic artery was serviceable and used by to 15,000 vehicles/hour, there were daily traffic jams and environmental consequences. Despite the complex and dema

IRF's Washington Programme Centre provides an update on some latest developments in the 2010 Budget plan There has been further recent action from both Congress and the White House on budget plans that will guide the Transportation Reauthorization Bill for the next six years. On 7 May, President Obama proposed large increases for rail and highways in his 2010 Budget plan, including the largest amount of funding that any President has sought for Amtrak, or for the development of high-speed rail in the United

Concrete barriers offer a highway safety solution - Mike Woof writes. Concrete safety barriers are being installed on many of Europe's major highways, particularly for use as centre lane dividers. The strength and durability of concrete barriers can help reduce the risk of cross over accidents, one of several topics raised at a conference in Brussels on concrete highway barriers organised by the European Concrete Paving Association, EUPAVE. The conference was opened by Yves Deceoene of the IRF's Belgian ex

IRF BPC calls for more effective implementation of Noise Reduction Maps According to the European Union Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (END), the Member States of the European Union have committed to abide by a strict timetable of milestones and deliverables, all aimed at reducing current levels of noise and improving the life of Europe's citizens. As part of this overall strategy, European leaders were required to submit national noise action plans by

IRF supports international conference to raise awareness on key safety issues affecting countries worldwide The Argentine Road Association will hold its 15th Argentine Congress on Safety and Transportation from 14-18 September, 2009 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. This congress will provide a forum for international speakers and participants to exchange ideas and experiences from their respective countries on pertinent road safety and transportation issues of the day. The five-day congress, which will be condu

Carlos Jofré, technical director of the Spanish Institute of Cement and its Applications (IECA), introduces, on behalf of EUPAVE*, a sustainable technique to rehabilitate fatigued pavements Recycling of pavements is a technique whereby an existing degraded pavement is modified and transformed into a homogeneous structure that can support the traffic requirements. More specifically, it involves reusing the materials from the existing pavement for the construction of a new layer, including the pulverisation o

Borum Industri's BM350-2 and BM500-2 road marking machines, introduced more than three years ago, represented a major improvement in function and reliability for customers, says the company. While feedback from customers and Borum's own service and after sales department shows the machines have performed very well, suggestions from customers offered ideas for further improvements.

Delegates from around the world discussed the future of global transport at the 2009 International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany In the face of the global economic downturn, transport will play a key role in supporting economic growth and in the creation of new confidence in the world's economic future, the delegates of the 2009 International Transport Forum (ITF) agreed. As almost all global threats have strong, central links and impacts, the transport sector will remain at the forefront of most glob

High speed, high quality concrete paving can be achieved in the demanding airport environment using the latest equipment. Minnich Manufacturing has developed a novel dowel pin drilling machine and has successfully tested this equipment at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida. The A-5SCW is a self-propelled, cantilevered machine that features a wireless remote control and is designed to install five dowel pins simultaneously. The control system has been developed by Wisconsin Kar-Tech and uses prov