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Chinese construction equipment maker Zoomlion and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics have signed what they call a “global strategic cooperation framework agreement” to create a new company. Zoomlion and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, abbreviated as WWL, will increase cooperation between the two companies in distribution network construction, PDI testing, pier construction and warehouse management. The aim is to increase the competitiveness of Zoomlion products globally, a joint statement said.

A US construction sector group wants warning signs to be posted on bridges designated “structurally deficient" and in need of repair by state engineers. More than 61,000 structurally deficient bridges remain in need of significant repair, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), which analysed the US Department of Transport’s National Bridge Inventory database. However, by the end of 2014 there were more than 2,000 fewer structurally deficient structures than in 20

A survey of more than 200 major global cities shows that commuters in Istanbul experience the worst overall traffic congestion. The average 30-minute drive in Istanbul takes more than an hour during evening rush hour, leading to an extra 125 hours wasted stuck in traffic every year, according to the latest Traffic Index Survey from Tom Tom. However, in Los Angeles, a 30 minute commute in the evening rush hour will take 54 minutes, adding an extra 92 hours annually.

The Marangoni Group has announced it will invest €8 million to modernise its plant in the northern Italian city of Rovereto, near Trentino. The upgrade includes the latest generation of Banbury mixer capable of meeting demand for increasingly sophisticated and high-performance compounds. The mixer, to be in operation by the end of the year, will improve the quality of earthmoving tread compounds, making them more competitive for heavy-duty applications. Another important investment made in recent mont

LiuGong Machinery, a major Chinese maker of heavy construction equipment, said it will invest around US$38 million in manufacturing in Brazil. The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of its first factory in Brazil, in the city of Mogi Guaçu, around 180km from São Paulo. LiuGong expects to produce 1,500 wheel loaders and excavators annually at the facility in the first three years of operation.

Swiss supermarket chain Coop and Swiss-based energy company Axpo plan to open Switzerland’s first public hydrogen filling station in 2016, according to a report by the newspaper Basler Zeitung. The two companies said more stations will be rolled out. Axpo will supply the hydrogen by splitting oxygen and hydrogen from water at its water power plant using a water electrolyser, an operation that is powered by the plant’s hydroelectric power station which makes the process carbon neutral. According to Axp

The S Curve section of the old San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is the latest piece of the iconic cantilever crossing of San Francisco Bay to meet its maker. It has been professionally videoed by San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission and is available on the website of the local newspaper Easy Bay Express. A sweeping new Bay Bridge has been built right beside the old crossing which is being dismantled in sections and phases.

Przedsiebiorstwo Uslug Technicznych Intercor has been awarded a contract to build the second section of the S3 dual carriageway. The 11.6km section will stretch from Przeszkody to Paszkow and cost around €106 million (nearly US$116 million). The S3 will run from Świnoujście on the Baltic Sea through Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra and Legnica to the border with the Czech Republic, where it will connect to the D11 motorway.

Kazakhstan’s deputy minister for investments and development Zhenis Kasymbek has said that about US$20 billion will be invested in development of all types of transport infrastructure by 2020. The main funds will be allocated for the Caspian region, in particular for projects to improve connections to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Apart from road infrastructure, money will be invested to construct the Beyneu-Zhezkazgan railway and development of the Altynkol-Khorgos railway section in the direction of

In its latest three-year strategic plan, the European Traffic Police Network has reaffirmed its commitment to the European Union’s road death reduction target of 50% by 2020. World Highways reported last month that road deaths fell by just 1% in the EU in 2014, according to data released by the European Commission. There were 25,700 road deaths across all 28 Member States of the EU. The European Commissioner of Transport, Violeta Bulc said at the time that the statistics give some cause for concern. S

Two major highway projects are now moving forward in China, with one connecting Guangdong Province with Guangzhou Province and the other lcoated in Yunnan Province. The second stage of Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing highway project will provide an improved link between Guangdong Province and Guangzhou Province and work will commence at the end of 2015. The new highway will connect Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province with Shijing in Guangzhou Province. The project is worth US$2 billion and the work is expected to be c

Data from the UK reveals that quiet electric vehicles or hybrids operating in electric mode pose particular problems for pedestrians. A report has found that such vehicles are 40% more likely to be involved in a traffic incident involving a pedestrian than a conventional combustion-engined vehicle. The report adds that partially sighted or blind people face the highest risks, while children and older people are also at risk. This follows earlier research from Japan, highlighting the risks to pedestrians pos

Switzerland’s road safety improvement continues, with a fall in road deaths during 2014. According to data from the Swiss federal office for roads Astra, there were 17,803 road crashes in Switzerland in 2014 and 243 fatalities, a drop of 24% compared with the average for the years 2009-2014. Meanwhile road crashes were the cause of 4,043 serious injuries and 17,478 slight injuries in 2014. However the number of people seriously injured in crashes rose by 8%. And 29 bicycle riders were killed in road traffic