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Tendering is commencing for the final portion of works to complete Colombia’s La Linea tunnel project. Around 12% of the work on the tunnel still has to be completed, with the work expected to cost US$68.5 million. The tender is being carried out by Colombia's National Road Institute (Invias). The tunnel project has been delayed for a series of reasons. Colombian contractor Constructora Carlos Collins was constructing the tunnel but did not meet the necessary deadline. As a result, Invias opted to open the

A new highway project in Nepal will benefit from a loan provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The loan is worth nearly US$187 million. It will be used to help upgrade the country’s East-West Highway. In addition, the loan will will also be used to improve other key sections of Nepal’s road network. Key stretches of the 45km Bhairahawa-Taulihawa road as well as the 115km Narayanghat-Butwal road will be upgraded. Separate funding from the ADB will pay for technical assistance to Nepal’s Department of

Vietnam’s road safety statistics are improving, a major development for the country. Between December the 16th 2015 and November the 15th 2016, there were 19,429 crashes in Vietnam, a drop of 1,426 than from the same period in the previous year. Meanwhile injuries due to road crashes dropped by 1,990 to 17,184 for the period compared with the previous year. Road deaths during this time reached 7,907. Various road safety measures have been introduced by the Vietnam Government in a bid to cut the casualty rat

Alcohol use is linked to an increasing number of road deaths in Costa Rica. A study compiled by Costa Rica’s Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (IAFA) reveals that 30% of the country’s reported road deaths have been caused by alcohol. This is of major concern as the report shows how road deaths caused by alcohol use have increased. Studies carried out in 2004 showed that 26% of road deaths were caused by alcohol. The majority of people killed in road crashes in Costa Rica are aged 20-49. A high num

A new road and viaduct project is planned for Bizerte in Tunisia. The project will be paid for through a loan worth €123 million agreed with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The project includes building a 9.5km road section and a 2km viaduct that will span the entrance to Lake Bizerte. Once the link is in place it will help reduce congestion as well as exhaust pollution close to Bizerte. The existing bridge is no longer able to meet traffic demands but the new structure will feature two lanes in either

A loan from the China Exim Bank will help pay for a new road project in Kenya. The loan is being offered to Kenya’s Government and is worth US$227.2 million, around 46% of the sum required for the whole 472km road project. The project is being handled in three phases, with this loan being sufficient for the first 192km stretch that will connect Kibwezi with Kitui, running through Mutomo. This first section will be constructed by Chinese contractor Sinohydro. The second stretch of the project will measure 16

Surveying and design work for a new road link in Russia to connect the Black Sea with the Caucasian Mineral Waters will commence in 2017. The new toll road will run between Kislovodsk and Sochi and will halve the distance between the two, currently a distance of 600km. The project is expected to cost in the order of US$1 billion to carry out, with the contract having been organised partly by the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia (North Caucasus), through which a section of the new route will run.

Work is now going ahead on the new highway stretch to connect Peka Peka with Otaki, which will form part of the planned Kapiti Expressway. This 13km stretch of highway is being built by contractor Fletcher Construction. The package of works was awarded by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and involves designing and building the new link. Construction work will start in 2017 and is expected to take until 2020.

New bridge crossings over the Amu Darya River will improve transport connections between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The bridges will open to traffic in early 2017 and will carry both motor vehicles and trains. The bridges have cost around US$123 million to construct. The new links have been needed for some time as existing crossings between the two countries have been insufficient and resulted in long delays. The river forms the border between the two countries for some distance.

Funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will help with the construction of a new tunnel as well as road links in Nepal. The US$168.56 million funding package comes in the shape of a loan to Nepal’s Government. This will be used to pay for the construction of a 2.5km tunnel that will link Nagdhunga with Naubise. The loan will also pay for the 7km of road on either side of the tunnel. The project is due for completion in 2022 and will fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Roa

Research carried out jointly by scientists from EarthSense Systems and the University of Leicester shows the beneficial effect of urban trees on helping lower air pollution. The study shows a direct link between air pollution and green infrastructure, with trees and grass cover contributing to a reduction in concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The newly published research shows that the aerodynamic dispersive effect of trees results in a 9.0 percent reduction in PM2.5 concentrations. A decrea