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Italy’s highway operator Autostrade intends to invest in developing the country’s highway network. A budget of €7.7 billion has been set for improvements in the network for the 2019-2020 period. Of this budget, €6 billion would be for work planned to commence during 2019 and with the remaining €1.7 billion for projects expected to start in 2020.

The tender process for the second section of Paraguay’s bi-oceanic highway project is commencing in mid-2019. This 573km stretch of highway is being offered in two sections, with financing likely to come from international banks. The consortium Consorcio Corredor Vial Bioceanico is handling the first section of the project, which is costing around US$443.4 million. The second section of the route is expected to cost $800 million. The third stretch of the route will be complex as it includes a new bridge spa

The contract for the US$200 million Vientiane Expressway No 1 project in Laos has been awarded. The 15km road will connect the Thatluang Marsh Specific Economic Zone on the outskirts of capital Vientane with Dongmakkhai, which lies to the north of the city. The build-operate-transfer road concession was awarded to Vientiane Expressway Number 1 Sole Company of Laos and is for a 50 year period. The deal comes with the option of an extension to the period. The new expressway is intended to improve journey time

A new bridge is to be built in Malaysia’s Sarawak State at a cost of US$112.5 million. The work will be carried out by a joint venture comprising the Chinese contractor China Communications Construction and local firm PPES Works, itself part owned by Cahya Mata Sarawak. The new bridge will measure 1,048m-long and will be a cable-stayed structure, carrying two lanes of traffic in either direction. In addition to the Bintulu Jepak bridge, work will also be carried out on a flyover across the Jalan Tun Razak

A major road development project for Mongolia will be carried out on the AH-3 route.

The bridge spanning the Bijaypur River in Nepal has been closed to traffic due to serious structural problems. The bridge forms part of the Prithvi Highway and connects Bijaypur with Chauthe. Major cracks have been detected in structural members of the 74m-long steel girder bridge, which was erected in 2011. The bridge carries around 6,000 vehicles/day and repairs to the link are expected to take at least one month to complete. The local Road Division office is erecting a temporary structure upstream of the

Ammann is 150 years old this year and the Swiss manufacturing group is celebrating in style with a special edition of its company magazine and an impressive stand at bauma 2019 in Munich. Please click on this link to find out exactly what is happening:http://digital.ropl.com/2019/AmmannGroup/home.html The Ammann story began in 1869 when founder Jakob Ammann set up his first workshop in Madiswil in Switzerland and it wasn't long before his brother Ulrich refocused the business from traditional millwork i

Financing from the US now looks to have been secured for a major road project in Argentina. The US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) intends to provide US$400 million for Argentina’s National Route 7 project. OPIC agreed a package worth $800 million for infrastructure projects in Argentina at the end of 2018. The 700km National Route 7 project will involve building new sections of highway as well as upgrading existing stretches of road.

Major new highway projects are now progressing in Russia, with more detailed plans being drawn up. Two key projects are for the new Black Sea Coast Highway and the M-4 Don Transport Corridor. The Black Sea Coast Highway has seen some changes to the original proposals, with the high cost of the initial design having been a major factor in the revisions to the plans. The length of the new route will be 80.5km under the new proposals, with the work now costing around US$15 billion, some 2/3rds of the original

Funding has been secured for two motorway widening projects in Morocco.

Contractors and utilities companies in the UK could be guaranteeing roads to be pothole-free for five years, according to new proposals. At the moment, the guarantee is two years but the Department for Transport is conducting an eight-week public consultation on the subject. Street Works UK, which represents the utilities sector, argues that the an increase is not needed. The department is also seeking more innovation into how to better repair potholes, such as using asphalt with a higher bitumen c