Finance & Funding

A legal battle is underway in Japan regarding allegations of rigged tendering for road rebuilding projects. The allegations related to a series of road projects carried out to repair routes damaged by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that occurred in March 2011. A series of road building firms had their offices raided by the Japan Fair Trade Commission and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, which were looking for evidence of any wrongdoing. Three firms in particular are alleged to have been ins

The Indian Government has announced plans for major road projects in Bihar, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu. A 222km road upgrade project will expand the National Highway 2 in Bihar and Jharkhand. The work is expected to cost around US$725.5 million and involves widening the route to six lanes, with three in either direction. The stretch of the NH – 2 planned for this upgrade will run from the Aurangabad Bihar/Jharkhand Border - Barwa Adda. Nine roads in the state of Tamil Nadu will be upgraded, with the work expe

Mexico is on track to complete works on 20 new motorways and 26 additional roads by the end of 2016. The Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) has further plans to develop 52 new motorways and 90 roads under its infrastructure programme during the current administration, which concludes in 2018. These infrastructure projects are intended to turn Mexico into a global logistics hub. The Mexico-Toluca, Mexico-Cuernavaca and Mexico-Puebla motorways are amongst the projects due to see major progress

Plans are being drawn up for a major programme of road paving work in Brazil’s mato Grosso State. The plans are being made the by the state authorities and involve paving around 10,000km of roads by 2018. The work is expected to cost in the region of US$2.48 billion. Because of the scale of the work, this exceeds state funds. Some 530km of roads in the state were paved in 2015, with a plan to pave 930km in 2016. The financing sources for the paving works have yet to be finalised. In addition a number of o

The Peruvian investment promotion agency ProInversion says that it will not award contracts for all of the projects programmed for 2016. These are worth a total of US$1.29 billion and focus on transport and communications. Peru’s Association for the Promotion of National Infrastructure (AFIN) says that a reason for the delay to the works may be attributed to the impending end of term for Peru’s present administration. An incoming government may then opt to launch tenders for projects on the list for 2016 as

The Czech Republic is looking to cut construction costs for a 32km stretch of the D4 Pribram-Pisek highway between Milin and Mirotice. As a result the route will be constructed under public-private partnership (PPP) model. The total investment in the project is some €919.92 million. The construction work is expected to commence in the second half of 2016. The 32km stretch will take five years to complete. The road will be built under a concession model with the concession lasting for 25 years. The Czech Tra

In China, construction has started on the US$4.55 billion renovation and expansion of the Jinan-Qingdao Expressway in the coastal province of Shandong.

Chinese investors are reported to be negotiating a contract to work on a section of federal highway BR-153 that goes from Anapolis in the Brazilian state of Goias to Palmas,n in Tocantins. The road is part of the Transbrasiliana Highway. The section was originally awarded to Brazilian construction firm Galvao Engenharia in September 2014, but the company never started expansion works.

Malaysian construction group Bina Puri has submitted bids for contracts worth US$768.73 million for work on eight infrastructure projects, including the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway and the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway. The 31.8km Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway will reduce traffic along the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 from Ampang to Bandar Tasik Selatan. There will be three toll plazas in Alam Damai, Taman Bukit Teratai and Ampang Indah. The Damansara–Shah Alam E