News

Canadian contractor Stantec is to lead design work for a 16km upgrade and widening of State Road 91 in the US state of Florida. Work will turn the section of road through Lake County into price-managed lanes for improved travel reliability, according to the company which will be working for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, part of the Florida Department of Transportation. Turnpike Enterprise operates a 740km-system of limited access toll highways Stantec’s design for the project, with a construction cos

Bunting Magnetics celebrated 60 years in business by supplying a one of the largest quarries in the US state of Georgia with a Bunting PCB1206-EL Permanent Crossbelt Separator.

Charity organisation iRap (International Road Assessment Programme) is celebrating reaching 100 countries including Brazil, Iceland and China. The charity works with its partners to save lives and prevent serious injuries on the world’s roads.

The Albanian parliament has approved a public-private partnership (PPP) deal worth nearly €214 million for a 17km section of motorway between Milot and Balldre.

Slovakia is to invest around €2.9 billion to improve roads in the economically depressed coal-mining region Upper Nitra. Work will include upgrades and repairs to 150km of dual carriageways and motorways in order to attract businesses other than those associated with mining which is being gradually closed. The improved road infrastructure will connect existing and planned business and commercial parks and zones, according to local media. Towns near the R2 dual carriageway, including Handlova, Novaky a

Completion of Prague’s outer ring-road connecting the D1 motorway with Běchovice town to the north should be in 2024, a year earlier than planned. Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš made the announcement, saying the 2025 date set by the Czech Highway Authority was too far off, according to local media. The national Czech News Agency reported that the 12.5km section will cost around €365 million. Transport minister Vladimíra Kremlík said that the state will have to acquire land from up to 500 land ow

Brazil has set out plans for a massive programme of transport infrastructure development. This will see extensive works being handled until 2022. In all 16,000km of road works will be carried out, as well as a number of rail improvements and upgrades. External investment is being sought for many of the major projects.

A new sea crossing is planned for Saudi Arabia. The 3.3km link will connect with a new commercial and residential development project located at Shurayrah.. The crossing will feature two causeways connected by a section of bridge and will connect with a hub island featuring new properties. The designers say that the sea crossing is being so as not to impede water flow and also so as to minimise impact to sea live in the area.

New loans will help pay for road building in India’s Kerala State. The World Bank is providing a package of loans worth US$216 million. This will be used to upgrade and widen 363km of roads in Kerala State. The work forms part of the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), specifically for the second phase of the State Highway corridor programme.

A major long term financing package has been secured for highway projects in India. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will benefit from a credit package worth nearly US$ 3.4 billion. This is being provided by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). The deal involves bonds issued for a 30-year period. India has also announced plans to continue with its massive road development programme. By 2024/25, the $10.8 billion road development programme will have extended the country’s network b

The UK’s driving test has been made far tougher in recent times, in a bid to boost safety. Some people take up to 21 attempts to pass their practical test, according to data from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The information covers every year between 2009 and 2018. In 2016, one driver passed at the 21st attempt in one year. Another driver took 19 attempts to pass in 2018. Meanwhile one learner failed 19 tests in 2009, 2015 and 2017. The car driving test pass rate was 45.8% for the 2018/