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The budget for Bangladesh’s Padma Bridge project may have to be increased. A further US$168.7 million has been requested for the project by the Ministry of Road Transport & Bridges. This additional funding would help pay for additional land on which dredged materials could be tipped. However, Bangladesh’s Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Division is opposing the call for extra funds.

LiuGong and ZF have agreed a partnership to develop a new generation of transmissions for use in wheeled loaders and graders. The new system will be developed from existing ZF designs but will be aimed at the needs of the Chinese market.

Rebuilding a stretch of the A20 Autobahn in Germany is now costing more than originally expected. The work to upgrade the A20 in the North East of the country had a budget of €100 million when planned. However the cost of the work has increased considerably.

The recent collapse of the Chirajara Bridge in Colombia has been attributed to design flaws. The Colombian Government has said that it will not pay for rebuilding the structure. Instead, the Colombian Government expects road company Coviandes and its insurance cover to pay for the rebuilding work. The remains of the collapsed structure have yet to be demolished completely. A number of contractors have expressed an interest in building the new bridge, with the work expected to take around 18-24 months to car

The Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites – Icomos- has objected to plans by Highways England for a road tunnel bedside the ancient monument Stonehenge. Icomos, which advises the United Nations on protection of world heritage sites, has written to Highways England urging a rethink of the planned tunnel that would be just under 3kmk long. It argues that the tunnel and the dualling of the A303 carriageways either side would damage the landscape and destroy archaeological evidence

Indonesia’s major cities are suffering chronic congestion due to growing vehicle numbers in the country. Capital Jakarta has long been noted for its heavy traffic congestion but studies now show Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta to be suffering in this respect also. There are now around 125 million vehicles on Indonesia’s roads according to the latest data, an increase of some 300% from the 30 million registered vehicles in 2004. Of the personal vehicles used and owned by Indonesians, some 85-90% a

A change in road risk has been seen in the Netherlands, with more cyclists than drivers being killed on the country’s roads in 2017. The data came from the Dutch statistics bureau, CBS. The research suggests that there are two key factors in this change. Firstly, motor vehicles are generally safer now than in the past, with better crash protection and other safety technologies. Meanwhile an increase in the numbers and performance of electric bicycles and their use by a greater number of older riders is

Funding has been secured to pay for the Gympie bypass project in Queensland, Australia. The 26km project is expected to cost US$ 767.4 million (A$1 billion) in all. The Australian Government will provide 80% of the funding required, with the remaining 20% being provide by Queensland State’s budget. This section of road will extend the Bruce Highway and is intended to cut congestion in the area.

Funding has been secured to pay for rebuilding work on the Transchaco road in Paraguay. A series of loans worth a total of US$560 million is paying for the rebuilding work. The Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) is providing the bulk of the funding in the shape of a loan worth $400 million. Meanwhile the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) is providing a loan of $160 million for the work.

A US$452 million highway upgrade project will be carried out in India by the contractor, Ashoka Mallasandra Karadi Road. This firm is a subsidiary of Indian company Dilip Buildcon. The work involves upgrading a section of the existing NH206 route and widening it so that it features two lanes in either direction. The highway stretch being worked on is from Shivamogga to Tumkur. The contract was awarded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Robert W Poole, director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation is publishing a new book, Rethinking America’s Highways, suggesting a new strategy for the sector. The book provides “A 21st-Century Vision for Better Infrastructure,” according to Poole, offering solutions for dealing with the country’s poor highway condition. His suggestion is for “a new model that treats highways like public utilities”, with drivers paying for their use. The books argues for highway spending to be directed by economic