News

The government of Hunan Province, China plans to create more than 1,000kms of extra highway in the province as part of a US$27.32 billion (CNY 170bn) investment in 176 mostly infrastructure projects in 2013. The huge highway infrastructure expansion, which will see the construction of 37 new highways, will increase the 3,969km of province highway as of 2012 by more than 25%. Of the 37 highways, works on 14 of them are targeted to be wrapped up in 2013.

In 2016, Thai Department of Rural Roads (DORR) is going to start the US$1.64 billion (THB 49bn) 36-month construction of Thailand's first suspension bridge between Samut Prakan's Muang-Phra Samut Chedi districts. According to Deputy Transport Minister, Prasert Chanruangthong, the suspension bridge will span 1km across the Chao Phraya River. Upon completion, the new bridge is anticipated to ease traffic woes in Samut Prakan by 20%. The bridge project is progressing to the detailed design and environmental im

The ZX65USB-5 is one of five new mini excavators from Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) (HCME) being unveiled at bauma 2013. Said by HCME to be designed to have a major impact on earthmoving, utilities, general and road construction projects, its short-tail swing radius enables it to work effectively in confined spaces.

Provinces in northern Germany must cooperate to get the federal government's support for transport infrastructure projects, according to Schleswig-Holstein’s head of government Thorsten Albig. The minister believes that federal level politicians often favour southern and western provinces. Albig says that without further funds it is only possible to manage the decay of infrastructure. He said that the most important projects in the north are the expansion of the A 20 motorway, the Kiel Canal and the Elbe ri

In a bid to cut air pollution, councillors in the Czech capital Prague are planning to introduce a low emission zone in a wider city centre where cars produced before the first half of the 1990s will not be allowed. Other cars will have to have a US$4.18 (CZK 80) sticker as a proof that they comply with emission limits. There will be exceptions. A final decision is to be made later in 2013, with a validity within a year.

Norwegian electric car sales doubled in 2012 from 1,996 to 3,950 cars, according to new published figures. Nissan captured a 60% share of the market with its car Leaf. And, so far in 2013, Nissan has captured an 80% market share. The firm’s Norwegian director of information, Marina Maneas Bakkum, says sales so far have been beyond expectations.

Iran has reportedly issued bonds in a bid to raise US$570.5 million (IRR 7tn) to improve transport infrastructure including roads, freeways and railways. The bonds move, reportedly made on February 22 2013, was said to have been announced by Ahmad Sadeqi, managing director of Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company.

Ana Pastor, the Minster of Works in Spain, says works valued at around US$241.11 million (€180 million) for a new road route to the Port of Barcelona will be tendered at some stage in 2013. Additionally, in April 2013, the tender will be opened for the new €96 million railway access to the port. Some €50 million has been budgeted by the Ministry of Works in 2013 for the railway accesses, while the remainder will be financed by the Port Authority of Barcelona (APB). It is not yet known what model will be use

East Bay’s Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee (TBPOC) has commemorated completion of the 27-month, US$98 million seismic retrofit of the 2.57km (1.6 mile) Dumbarton Bridge, in northern California. The Bridge, the last of the San Francisco Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges to be retrofitted, leaves just one more outstanding project - the replacement of the East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge — remaining in East Bay’s historic $9 billion Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program.

A reported 90% of Ukraine's 169,000kms of roads require major repairs at a minimum cost of US$55.49 billion (UAH 450bn), according to the advisor of the head of Ukravtodor state agency Engeniy Prusenko. The budget of the state program for motor road development in 2013-2018, approved by the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers in September 2012, amounts to UAH 264bn. Prusenko says that the program's funding is carried out according to plan, but it is not enough to conduct the needed amount of repairs. The governm

U.S. telematics giant Trimble has acquired a suite of software solutions from Penmap.com of Bradford, England. Penmap.com’s solutions include both office and field data collection software specifically designed for the cadastral and surveying markets. The acquisition enables Trimble to further cater for local application requirements and customer needs by providing complete customised surveying software solutions for the cadastral market.

Brazil’s government will soon be launching a call for tenders to turn 1,038kms of roads into dual carriageways, with US$3.57 billion (BRL 7bn) of associated contracts up for grabs. The projects, being made available by the government via its Dnit transport infrastructure department, include some of the main road arteries in the country, such as the BR-381 in Minas Gerais, where some BRL 1bn will be invested. The government hopes Dnit will be able to invest a total of BRL 14 billion in road infrastructure du