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Guatemala is planning to build a new bridge that will cost an estimated US$150 million. The plans call for the new Belice Bridge to be constructed alongside the existing structure. A portion of the funding would be provided in the form of a loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). A design study could be carried out towards the end of 2018. Repairs are required to the existing BeliCe Bridge however and little interest has been received so far in the tender process for this work.

The tender process is being planned for a new highway project in Argentina. The country’s Federal Government is preparing the bidding process for section one of the Route 33 highway, between Rufino and the San Eduardo access road. The construction work is expected to require two years to complete while the project’s estimated budget is US$231.6 million. The bidding process is opening for tenders on 6th July 2017.

Poland will have to spend around €7.12 billion to complete its section of the trans-European Via Carpathia. Work on the north-south transport corridor could be completed by 2025, the government said during a recent European Economic Congress held in the Polish city of Katowice. The route is planned to run nearly 1,600km from the Lithuanian Baltic Sea port city of Klaipeda to the Greek city of Thessaloniki on the Aegean Sea. It passes through Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. It will cross cor

Austrian firm Geiger International now looks set to commence work on Zimbabwe’s massive highway project. The new highway will run from its border with Zambia in the north of the country to its border with South Africa in the south of Zimbabwe. The Austrian contractor has received funding worth US$998 million from the Zimbabwe Government for the project. The work calls for the construction of twin lanes in either direction from Chirundu in Zambia to Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, as well as from Harare to Beitbr

A section of road in the US state of Georgia is to be used as a trial section for advanced smart highway technology.

A major highway project in Cameroon faces funding issues as China has suspended its financing for the Yaoundé - Douala link. The highway has an estimated cost of US$473.3 million and the project includes a 68km link between the country’s capital and its second city, as well as an additional 23km of link roads. The link is being built by China First Highway Engineering (Cfhec) with funding by Eximbank. However a disagreement between Cameroon and the Chinese has resulted in the funding being halted for a peri

Financing worth €100 million has been secured for a major highway project in Bosnia. The finance package comes in the shape of a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). This will help pay for work on the 6km Tunel Kvanj-Buna highway. With financing in place, final discussions will be carried out and then construction will be able to commence shortly.

A new head has been appointed for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) Board of Trustees. The chairman of ARTBA-TDF will now be HNTB executive vice president Paul Yarossi. Yarossi has been a volunteer ARTBA leader for nearly two decades, serving as 2011 chairman and as ARTBA-TDF vice chair since June 2014. His other ARTBA posts have included: senior vice chairman, first vice chairman, vice-chairman-at-large, chairman of the Transportation

A new highway project in Laos will see the rebuilding of a 165km section of highway. The project is expected to cost US$165 million to carry out. The work will be carried out by a consortium, headed by the Singapore subsidiary of Indian firm Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Service Transportation's (IL&FS). The project will include the construction of 33 bridges in all. The Laos Government will pay a 60% chunk of the project costs during the 42 months it is expected to take to finish the building of the l

An Italian contractor is to carry out work on Kuwait’s Abdaly Highway. The project is worth nearly US$300 million and will link Kuwait City with Abdaly. The work will be carried out by Itinera, a subsidiary of Gavio. The project calls for upgrading and widening of the highway, which has three lanes in either direction at present. Following the rebuilding work the highway will feature five lanes in either direction, as well as emergency lanes.

Plans for massive highway construction projects have been unveiled in China. A 451km highway has been announced that will connect the cities of Yibin an Panzhihua. This is expected to cost as much as US$12 billion, with two firms carrying out the project under the build-operate-transfer model. Construction is due to commence later this year and is expected to take five years to complete. Meanwhile in Yunnan Province, the authorities are planning two highway projects worth a total of $3.75 billion. A new 50k

Chile’s highway development programme is crucial to the country’s future economic growth. That is the finding of a study by the OECD. According to the report, a 27% increase in highway development is required around Chile’s around cities and ports by 2030. This is because Chile's economy relies heavily on exports. However, a possible hold-up could come from delays facing key highway projects at present. In particular, delays due to environmental assessments are holding back progress with three transport lin