News

The US$2.6 billion, 30-year municipal bonds issued to pay for the longest traffic beltway in America are reported to be priced cheaper at around $97, with a higher yield of 5.15%. Bloomberg claims the bonds for the Grand Parkway in Houston – a 290km (180 miles) road circling the city - could have been sold by the Texas Department of Transportation during a much healthier market period from as early as April this year. Also known as Texas State Highway 99, the Grand Parkway opened its first section in 1994.

Costain has won an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) contract to improve the A160, from the junction with the A180 at Brocklesby Interchange to the Port of Immingham, near Grimsby, north Lincolnshire, England. The project design aims to reduce traffic congestion and improve journey time reliability to meet the needs of current traffic flows and predicted growth in traffic resulting from existing and future developments. The project also seeks to improve safety for road users and the local community. Works

In Indonesia the country’s government intends to speed up preparations for the massive Trans Sumatra tollroad project. This 2,700km highway link is costing close to US$30 billion and much of the work will be carried out by the state-owned contractor, Hutama Kaya. Construction will commence in late-September 2013 and the project is scheduled to be fully open by 2025. This highway will connect all 10 provinces in Sumatra Island through Aceh-Lampung. Phase one of the project is for the construction of four sec

UK employers, especially those with staff who drive for work, are being urged to sign up now to take part in this year's national Road Safety Week. Safety-conscious company bosses who answer the sign-up call will receive free action pack to help them promote life-saving messages to staff and the wider community. The call-out comes shortly after new UK government and police statistics revealed five people are killed and 63 are seriously injured every day on UK roads. One in four serious road casualties are i

The World Bank is providingUS$99 million in funding to Nepal for a major transport project. The funding will come in the form of loans and grant assistance and is aimed at the Nepal-India Regional Trade and Transport Project (NIRTTP). This project includes the improvements to the Birgunj-Kathmandu corridor as well as the construction of a series of upgrades of the existing Narayanghat-Mugling road. The work will also include the construction of a logistics centre. The loans are worth $72 million while $27 m

Mott MacDonald (MM) has been appointed by Sociedad Concesionaria Autovía de la Plata as lender’s technical advisor for a major highway upgrade in western Spain. The project involves the design, construction, maintenance, operation and finance of a 49km two-lane dual carriageway between Benavente and Zamora. The new road, which will bypass the existing single carriageway through local villages, will form the last section of the 809km A-66 Autovía de la Plata highway, connecting Gijon in the north to Seville

The Brazilian government is considering setting up a national electronic toll payment system. The favoured system will be based on the state of Sao Paulo's solution, which uses an electronic tagging system installed in each vehicle to charge for payments. The proposed national toll payment aims to cover the nation's roads and to track cargo in railways, airports and ports. Brazilian planning and logistics company EPL will be responsible for setting up this tagging system, which is already used by 55% of veh

The government plans to turn the Highways Agency into a Network Rail-style public company as part of its efforts to boost national transport infrastructure. While the government has revealed plans for a long-term investment totalling €32.37 billion (£28 billion) in road-building, few projects are ‘shovel-ready’, with much of the investment backloaded until 2020. Funding levels will increase to more than €3.46 billion (£3 billion) a year by the end of the decade for major A-roads and motorways. The legislati

Salini and its subsidiary Todini Costruzioni Generali have been awarded a US$386.43 million contract to build four stretches of the Almaty-Khorgos motorway in Kazakhstan. In the same country, Salini and Todini have also been awarded a $120.51 million contract for the construction of a stretch on the Almaty Ust-Kamenogorsk road. A third contract valued at $31.43 million awarded to Salini-Impregilo involves the construction of a 70km road stretch north of Free Town, in Sierra Leone.

Chinese firms continue to handle key deals in Africa, with agreements now in place for major projects in both East and West Africa. In Ethiopia, China's MCC 17 Group will handle a US$53 million package of works for the Ethiopian Roads Authority. This deal is for the construction of a 91.6km section of road linking Mizan with Dima. Construction work is due to commence in August 2013 and the new road will connect with Addis Abeba. The road forms part of a 260km link that will connect Mizan to Boma in South Su

Parsons is now working on a design and construction supervision contract for Package 9 of the Doha Expressway project. This is a major contract and is the second of these packages for the expressway awarded to the firm in less than 9 months. This latest part of the Doha Expressway Project is split three separate components, each involving upgrading roads and intersections in the most congested parts of Doha, Qatar. The three projects within this package will include the construction of 33km of roads and 29

The authorities in Queensland, Australia have agreed a 50-year deal over the tolling rights for the Go Between bridge and the Legacy Way motorway in Brisbane. The agreement was settled by the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC). Under the terms of the deal, Brisbane City Council will be paid by QIC-owned Queensland Motorways Limited (QML) from A$1.08 billion to A$1.58 billion over a seven year period. Brisbane City Council will retain ownership of the tunnel and bridge and the plan is to use the revenue