Features

Crucial piling work for the elevated approach to a bridge at Haiphong in Vietnam has been carried out by a Liebherr rig Highly productive and reliable, the Liebherr LB36-410 rig has been used to complete piles for the new bridge link. The machine has had success drilling through waterlogged ground and has helped to keep the project on schedule. Vietnamese ground engineering and foundations specialist contractor, Dua Fat Foundation Joint Stock Company has been using the Liebherr LB 36-410 rotary drillin

Stud placement just got a lot safer for road operatives in continental Europe thanks to a collaboration between the UK’s WJ Group and Belgium’s ACB. UK-based WJ Group and ACB formed their joint venture company, ACBWJ around 2006 to share product knowledge, marketing and research into thermoplastics and road markings. ACBWJ will officially launch WJ’s Guardian stud placement vehicle into the European market at the Intertraffic exhibition in Amsterdam from March 20-23.

By this spring, Bomag’s new BM 2200/75 cold planer will have removed all the old pavement from a 2.6km section of Germany’s federal highway B-85. Work on the section between Amberg and Pittersberg started at the end of 2016 after the Ministry of Transport classified the road as being in “urgent need” of upgrading as part of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan. Actual roadworks began in mid-June 2017 after essential forestry work had been carried out, such as the removal of tree roots on both sides

Finland’s main international airport, serving the capital Helsinki, is now benefiting from a runway resurfacing project. The rehabilitation work has been needed for one of the airport’s three runways due to a number of age-related defects. Helsinki Airport processes some 17 million passengers/year and due to a combination of the often severe winter weather and the heavy aircraft traffic, the runway condition was not of the standard required. Resurfacing work was scheduled by FINAVIA, with a budget of some

UK Contractor Elm Surfacing recently carried out a milling and repaving job in Brixton in London. The job was carried out on Brixton Water Lane, with the firm using Wirtgen milling machines to remove the top layers of asphalt from the road surface. Repaving was then carried out using a Vögele asphalt paver, with a large twin drum roller then being used to compact the surface. Asphalt paving was carried out in two layers, replacing the binder course and wearing course, although the original base course was l

More collaboration is needed to reduce the impact of highways on the environment, particularly air quality. The technology already exists, argue Bram Miller* and Martin Broderick* The European Environment Agency produced a report showing that a slow improvement in air quality has been observed across Europe. However, 9% of urban Europeans were exposed to nitrogen dioxide emissions in excess of the EU’s annual maximum limit in 2015. Meanwhile, associations between highways and the environment tend to be n

Key developments are being seen in the concrete paving and slipforming market - Mike Woof writes. Key changes are taking place in the concrete paving and slipforming sector, with two of the well-known names in the market recently having changed hands. Both Miller Formless and Power Curbers/Power Pavers have recently been acquired from the families that set up these firms. In both instances the owners of the companies decided to retire and opted to sell these specialised businesses to suitable parties.

Two major manufacturers, Caterpillar and Wirtgen, are introducing new milling machines. Both firms say that these new, high-production units will offer increased output compared with earlier generation equipment. From Caterpillar come the new PM820, PM822 and PM825 machines, which are half-lane milling machines able to handle full-depth removal of asphalt and concrete pavements in a single pass. The firm claims that these units are highly productive and highly manoeuvrable. In operation the machines weig

A fleet of SDLG wheeled loaders is helping to optimise production at a quarry in Qatar. The three SDLG wheeled loaders are operating long hours and are being used to feed crushing and screening equipment at the site in Qatar. The three SDLG LG958L wheeled loaders have managed to clock 2,000 operating hours in four months at the quarry. The site is owned by Doha-based contracting company Al Maram International, which uses crushing and screening equipment to reduce and sort limestone, primarily for asphalt

Road safety education is an important ingredient in improving road safety, reducing accidents, and fatalities from these accidents. IRF India had been focusing on promoting road safety education in India. As part of its efforts, IRF India has focused on road safety education for both adults and children. For adults, IRF India has produced a series of eight films to promote safe behaviour. These films cover cover topics such as the need to use seat belts, drinking and driving, use of mobile phones while

Ethiopia’s cement industry has enjoyed substantial growth in the past decade. However, challenges linked to the government’s investment policy could erode these gains, as Shem Oirere reports With nearly 16.5 million tonnes of cement capacity and 10% average growth in annual consumption, Ethiopia is among the top cement producers in sub-Saharan Africa. Only Nigeria and South Africa rival it.