Finance & Funding

Financing worth US$238 million has been secured for planned road upgrades and improvements in Nicaragua. The funding comes in the shape of a loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). The upgrade works will be carried out to just over 194km of roads across the country. These works form part of the Nicaraguan Government’s VII Road Improvement and Renovation Programme. Meanwhile a further funding package worth $1.4 million from CABEI will help pay for various studies for Phase I of

Trinity Industries is setting out plans to spin-off its infrastructure-related businesses to Trinity stockholders. Scott Beasley, the currently the group chief financial officer (CFO) of Trinity’s Construction, Energy, Marine and Components businesses, will be the future CFO of the new infrastructure company upon completion of the spin-off. James E Perry, Trinity’s senior vice president and CFO, will remain in his current role with Trinity following completion of the planned spin-off. Perry joined Trinity

Tajikistan has plans to build 18 new highway bridges in its Gorno-Badakhshan region. This forms part of its strategy, ‘Strengthening of Critical Infrastructure for Protection from Natural Hazards’. Funding worth US$50 million for the programme is being provided by the International Development Association. The timeline calls for the bridge construction work to be complete by 2023.

The Central Expressway project in Sri Lanka is receiving funding from Japan, with a package worth US$940.7 million from the Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank of Japan. The contract meanwhile has been awarded to Japanese construction firm M/S Taisei Corporation. The firm will build a 32.5km section of the Central Expressway running from Pothuhera to Ramukkana and then to Galagedera.

The project to build the new highway link from Kenya’s capital Nairobi to the city’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is now expected to cost US$579 million. This represents an increase of around $206 million from the pricetag originally expected for the link. This cost increase comes despite a substantial change in the design, with the route now featuring a series of flyover sections and underpasses, instead of being elevated along its 43.5km length as originally proposed. This redesign will

Projects to improve historic tunnel and bridge links are now progressing in Germany after some delays. These are for the refurbishment of the old Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg and a bridge upgrade in Cologne. Stretching some 426m, the Old Elbe Tunnel runs from the St Pauli area on the north of the River Elbe to the port area in the south. Opened in 1911 the twin tube tunnel is of historic value, even though its importance for vehicle traffic is now comparatively minor following the opening of a new road tunnel in

Laos is seeking funding assistance from sources in Thailand to help pay for a 1.35km bridge project spanning the Mekong River to connect the two countries.

Colombia's future 4G road programme now includes a new project, to provide a new link from Popayan to Santander de Quilichao. The three month consultation process has been completed and the steps needed for an environmental license to be awarded are now underway. Should all continue to go to plan, construction of the 77km link should commence in August 2018, although a target for the completion date has yet to be announced.

Topcon Corporation has acquired all the outstanding shares of ClearEdge3D for an undisclosed sum. This deal adds a technology leader in the engineering and construction software industry to Topcon’s portfolio. ClearEdge3D’s EdgeWise software is intended to speed as-built modeling workflows by utilising automated feature extraction algorithms and other patented technologies. Its Verity construction verification software compares laser scan point cloud data of recently completed construction work against