Finance & Funding

Germany’s audit office is calling for increased spending on roads maintenance. The audit office has criticised the road and autobahn budget set by Germany’s Ministry of Transport for the 2016 to 2030 period. The German Government has set its €3.8 billion annual spending for the 2011 to 2025 period based on the conditions of roads in 2010. However the audit office says that the future costs will be much higher.

In the US state of Maryland, a joint venture of Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT) and Parsons Brinckerhoff has won a contract to replace the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge. The Maryland Transportation Authority awarded the $1 billion contract to replace the bridge, also known as the Potomac River Bridge and which was opened in 1940. The tolled 2.7km two-lane continuous truss bridge on US 301 spans the Potomac River between Newburg in Maryland and Dahlgren in the state of Virginia. Construction of the

Rebuilding of one of the oldest motorways in Germany is testing out the possibilities for public-private project road construction reports Adrian Greeman A freshly renovated section of the A8 Autobahn in southern Germany will be watched with some interest this summer as traffic begins driving along its rebuilt carriageway and additional third lanes. That is not because of any special road features, other than a distinctive reddish colour to its concrete surface, but because it is a first fullscale public

The Hungarian government has announced that it will restart work on a new section of the M4 dual carriageway between Albertirsa and Ullo in 2016. Hungarian media reported that the government will invest around €192 million and no funding will come from the European Union, of which the country is a member. The two towns are around 25.5km apart, with Albertirsa closest to the capital Budapest at around 60km. The project should be finished some time in 2019, according to Hungarian media. The announcem

Mexico’s massive infrastructure programme is broadly on track for completion. The country’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) has confirmed that 80% of the projects included in the national infrastructure plan (PNI) between 2014 and 2018 are already under development. There are 52 major road infrastructure projects within the PNI. Of these, 17 of the new highways have been completed. A total of 17,000km of new roads have been built in Mexico since 2012. The PNI programme also includes improv

Washington State in the US is considering plans to develop infrastructure in the city of Spokane. The spending however hinges on whether the state will opt to increase local fuel taxes, which could raise the funds necessary. If the increased taxes are voted for, the extra funds could pay for transit and road projects worth over US$1 billion in the Spokane area. Around $879 million would be used for the completion of the North Spokane Corridor. Between Spangle and Colfax, while there would be upgrades to US

Malaysia’s West Coast Expressway company has reported that it will inject nearly US$425 million into its West Coast Expressway project. Total cost of the West Coast Expressway, which will stretch 233km between Banting in Selangor state and Taiping in Perak state on the Malaysian peninsula, is expected to be around $1.56 billion. The highway will be built over five years as a build-operate-transfer project with a concession of 50 years, The Star newspaper reported in February 2014.

Estructura Plural SAC 4G has been awarded the motorway concession Autopista Mar 1 in Colombia. The 176km road between Fernando Gomez Martinez Tunnel will run across San Jeronimo and Santafe, reaching Canasgordas. The project will cost US$565.12 million and have 41 bridges and 17 tunnels. The existing road will be improved and a second lane added between Medellin and Santa Fe. Meanwhile, Colombian construction firm Construcciones El Condor and the national infrastructure agency ANI have signed a pu