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Mexico will set up four road maintenance tenders worth nearly US$827 million in total as public-private partnerships in 2017. Contracts will cover the road projects Piramides-Tulancingo-Puebla, Matehuala-Saltillo, Saltillo-Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo and Texcoco-Zacatepec, according to the El Economista newspaper. The Secretariat of Communications and Transport, which will organise the work, said it has already launched two bidding processes for the maintenance of Coatzacoalcos-Villahermosa and Queretaro-S

Construction work on Serbia’s Ljig-Preljina highway, the Corridor 11 Project, is being delayed. The delay has been caused by complications involving the construction of the tunnel and bridge sections. The construction work is being carried out by the Azerbaijan contractor Azvirt, with local firms carrying out sub-contracting projects. The new route is expected to open around 40 days later than originally expected as a result. Meanwhile the improving political relations between Serbia and its neighbour Ko

The Czech Republic is planning a major programme of road upgrades. This will target secondary roads in the country, improving road surfaces as well as safety features. Some €155.45 million is being provided by the Czech Ministry for Local Development for the work. Much of the funding is being sourced from EU financing, with the programme of road repair and upgrade works scheduled to take place from August 2016 until October 2022.

US group Jacobs Engineering has been appointed by Highways England to develop preferred options for multiple highways schemes. The projects are in the east, southeast and northwest regions of England, according to statement by Jacobs. Contract value has not been given. Jacobs senior vice president for buildings and infrastructure, Bob Duff, said that the award “builds on our long established relationship with Highways England”. Highways England is the new government company charged with operating E

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announces that the speaker line-up now includes Chile’s ministry of energy as well as senior thought leaders in Caterpillar, Cummins, Telogis and Americas Market Intelligence. They’ll join keynote speaker Derek Woodgate of the Futures Lab, who is helping guide development of The Tech Experience at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017. Equipment manufacturers and contractors, large and small, face uncertain times. With construction markets still sluggish but showing sig

Global infrastructure services firm AECOM and the UK’s University of Salford have launched a research partnership with the aim of improving understanding of how major infrastructure programmes interact with the natural environment. A statement from AECOM said that the two organisations will jointly fund environmental research on topics directly applicable to major infrastructure projects. “Research areas will be chosen to provide benefits to particular schemes and to help reduce adverse impacts and im

An umbrella body of 370 local authorities in the UK wants towns and cities to charge utility companies for digging up roads and disrupting traffic. The Local Government Association, representing English and Welsh members says too many roads are blocked due to lane closures because of digging to repair pipes and communication lines. The LGA said it should be easier for local councils to introduce lane rental schemes if needed, without the requirement to get approval from the central government. A la