News

The Government in Aruba in the Caribbean is giving its approval for its second PPP transport infrastructure project, the Watty Vos Boulevard. The start of the tender process for the project is planned for the first quarter of 2014. PwC is the transaction advisor for the Contracting Authority, while the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and local legal firm Sjiem Fat & Co are also part of the team. The project will cost some US$120 million and involves the construction of a new arterial road 2x2 around Oranje

Odebrecht has been awarded a concession for Brazil’s important BR-163 federal highway route. The 851km section of highway runs through Mato Grosso state and the deal is worth some US$2 billion, according to a report by Business News Americas. As part of its contract, Odebrecht will have to widen a 454km stretch of the route within five years and is also required to build nine new toll booths.

Colombia's national transport infrastructure agency ANI will auction 13 road projects with a combined value of more than US$7.87 billion (COP 15 trillion) in H1 2014, out of 40 planned. Nine of the scheduled auction projects have gone through the pre-qualification stage and will be definitely awarded in the first quarter of next year. In total, all 40 projects will involve investments of COP 47tn. The plan is to improve 8,000km of roads in the country. Four projects will be put through pre-qualification s

A series of major transport projects worth a combined value of over US$28 billion are set to significantly enhance connectivity between various parts of Russia. These include the Moscow-St Petersburg highway, work to the transport system in the Rostov region and two new bridges: one over the Belaya river in Ufa, the other over the Kama river in Izhevsk. The tender process for the $4.46 billion contract to build, maintain, repair, and operate a section of the Moscow- St Petersburg highway has been announc

Preliminary data from Germany's Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, reveals an improving road safety situation in the country. The latest figures show that the number of people killed in road traffic crashes in Germany decreased by 283 or 10.3% to 2,466 in the first three quarters of 2013 compared to the same period in the previous year. The number of people injured in road crashes in the first three quarters of 2013 period fell by 5.3% to around 279,100. Meanwhile the overall number of crashes registered

A consortium comprising Vinci-Bouyges has a contract worth some US$1.63 billion for construction of a new coastal road in La Réunion. However the French firm Eiffage TP is contesting the deal and claims that the project cannot be carried by two major firms that have joined together to carry out the work. According to Eiffage TP, a consortium must be justified for either economic or technical reasons. The project is going ahead despite opposition from the National Council for the Protection of Nature (CNPN).

A new agreement on funding has been struck between Ethiopia and the European Union. The deal will see the EU providing some US$ 287 million in the form of a development grant, to be used for an array of projects in the country. In all $66.56 million of the funding will be used for road construction, with the rest of the grant being aimed at improving health and protecting the country from drought.

Turkish construction equipment manufacturer Hidromek is looking to expand its product range with the acquisition of the Mitsubishi line-up. The deal was signed between Hidromek and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). The signing ceremony took place in Ankara. This is the latest in a series of moves by Hidromek in its bid to expand its product range and increase its international presence as an equipment manufacturer. In addition to the benefits the new grader range will bring, the firm says that this acquisi