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Calls have been made for the route of Thailand's third western ring road to be changed. Locals in Ayutthaya, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Nonthaburi provinces are petitioning for the project to be diverted. The ring road will be largely elevated and stretch 98km in all. An analysis of the route and the possibility for changes is to be carried out. When complete, the new link will connect Rama II and Ayutthaya.

The tendering process for the Juan Pablo II motorway project in Nicaragua’s capital Managua is opening shortly. Construction work is then expected commence in late 2019, once the deal has been awarded to suitable contractor. The motorway will stretch nearly 10km and the work is expected to cost US$270 million. Nicaragua itself will pay $28.6 million for the project with $136 million coming from the Central American Bank for Economic Intergration (CABEI) and another $136 million the European Investment Ban

A new expressway link in the Philippines is now under construction. The US$241.6 million South Luzon Tollway (SLTC) project will feature six separate sections. Work is due for completion in 18 months. The new route will cut journey times on the route between Santo Thomas and Barangay Mayao from three hours at present to just 45 minutes.

have increased since the second half of 2017. In particular, in Germany and France the main constraint is a shortage of labour, while in Spain or the United Kingdom the main brake is demand. Sustained dynamics for investments in Central Eastern Europe, with the exception of the construction market in Turkey, going decidedly against the trend compared to 2017. Overall, however, the implementation of EU funds during the 2014-2020 programming cycle has supported construction, particularly civil engineering.

Tendering is opening in Paraguay for the country’s Transchaco road project. The construction start date has not yet been revealed but the work is expected to take two years to complete once building gets underway. Building the new Carlos Antonio Lopez route is expected to cost US$670 million, with the 559km road connecting Cerrito and Mariscal Estigarribia. Funding worth $400 million is being supplied by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) while $160 million is being supplied by the Inter-American D

Construction work is underway on Vietnam’s North-South highway project. A 654km stretch of the route is being built at present, with this work costing US$5.1 billion. Clearance work for other sections of the North-South highway is due co commence. In mid-2019, construction work is due to start on three sections, while tendering will open for eight PPP projects that will for stretches of the North-South highway.

Construction of New Zealand’s Otaki to Peka Peka expressway is delayed. The route was due to open in 2020 but will not now be complete until 2021. The 13km link will feature four lanes and form part of the Kapiti expressway. The construction of this expressway section is costing US$212.5 million (NZ$330 million).

Construction work for a new tunnel stretch for the A44 route in Germany is now starting. The Boyneburg Tunnel section will measure 1.7km and forms part of the new A44 Autobahn, connecting the city of Kassel in central Germany with Herleshausen, where it links with the existing A4 route. The new tunnel section lies close to Wichsmannhausen while building the 70km stretch of the A44 is costing €1.7 billion.

A new programme of transport safety measures has been drawn up for Europe, with funding having been secured. Called the Safer Transport Platform, this programme is being managed jointly by the European Investment Bank and European Commission. The plans call for a series of investments in transport safety, with a special focus on roads New financing measures form part of the Safer Transport Platform, a joint EC and EIB initiative. This will address investment needs in transport safety in Europe. At the TE

A new bridge is planned for Russia, which will span the Sheksna River in Cherepovets. The bridge will measure 1.13km in length and the project also involves building 7km of connecting roads. The bridge will be built in Russia’s Vologda Region and the work has a pricetag of nearly US$248 million. Because of the river traffic, the bridge will have to be built high enough to allow a clear passage for vessels underneath. Construction work will commence during 2019 and is expected to take until to 2025 to comple

A new bridge project is planned for Paraguay by the country’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC). The bridge will span the Paraguay River and connect Asuncion with Chacoí and the project is now expected to cost US$296 million. The bridge was originally expected to be somewhat less costly to construct. But the work is being carried out under the turnkey model, which is causing some controversy as it is thought to be a key factor in increasing the final pricetag. The new bridge will improve tr