News

The latest official data shows an improvement in Italy’s road safety statistics. During 2011 the statistics reveal a 2.7% drop in road accidents compared with the previous year. The data showed a 5.6% fall in fatalities in 2011 compared with the previous year, as well as a 3.5% drop in road crashes causing injuries. The total number of road accidents reported stood at 205,638, causing 292,019 injuries and 3,860 fatalities. However, a worrying trend revealed that the number of fatalities and serious injuries

Plans are in hand in Mexico for a new road tunnel that will provide a key link. The 7km tunnel will be constructed at Acapulco port, in Guerrero state. The project is expected to cost in the order of US$214.75 million to complete. Work is due to commence in late January 2013 and should be completed within a two year time scale. The new tunnel will help improve logistics and communications for firm using the port. The project is being carried out by Mexican contractor ICA.

In India a major bridge building programme is being planned by the authorities. The country’s Border Roads Organisation (BRO) intends to erect over 35,000m of bridges within the next five years. The road network in India at present features around 100,000 bridges, of which some 15,000 bridges are on National Highways. India's Road Transport and Highways Ministry is keen to use pre-fabricated bridges where possible, so as to reduce costs and speed erection. These may well be used in areas of the country feat

Police in Europe are using tough enforcement to tackle the problem of drivers under the influence of drink and drugs. A series of measures have been employed to enforce drink driving and drug driving regulations across Europe. Police conducted more than 900,000 breath tests in a seven-day operation this summer. Of these, nearly 18,000 drivers tested positive for alcohol. Motorists were also checked for drugs in the operation. In total, 928,863 drivers were checked and there were 17,970 alcohol and 2,773 dru

Work on a major new highway connection is now underway in New Zealand. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) says that preparatory work for a 4.5km stretch of highway is underway. Actual construction expected to commence in late December 2012. Completion of the project is due by 2016, with the highway costing some US$1.32 billion. The project will see the construction of a six lane link connecting State Highways 16 and 20 in Auckland.

The Belarus Ministry of Transport is setting out a budget to rebuild the country’s most important highway links. The country’s Federal Highway will be reconstructed and the Ministry of Transport will publish the tender for the repair work in 2013. The project is expected to cost in the region of US$4.75 billion to carry out and is planned for completion by 2018.

Over 2,000 vehicles have failed Ireland’s National Car Test (NCT) so far during 2012. All of these vehicles and were taken off the road for not meeting basic safety standards, according to data from Ireland’s the National Car Testing Service (NCTS). The data shows that 2,349 vehicles failed because they were classed as dangerous. Almost 300,000 vehicles, more than half of those tested between January and July, failed the first test and had to return for a retest.

Road authorities in Ireland are now installing signs aimed specially at Australian tourists

A new highway project planned for East African nation Uganda will improve the country’s network and boost connectivity. This US$270.55 million project is for the construction of an eight lane highway connecting capital Kampala with Jinja. The project is being planned by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and the work will be carried out under the PPP model. The new tolled highway will help reduce congestion on the existing road and will also cut journey times and improve safety by skirting smaller t

The ICUEE event being organised by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is proving popular with exhibitors. The ICUEE 2013 utility machine exhibition has already topped 92,900m2 of exhibit space sold with the show still nearly 12 months away. The last ICUEE exhibition had not reached that mark until five months before the show opened. The 2013 ICUEE, International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition will be held October 1-3, 2013 at the Kentucky Exposition Centre (KEC) in Louisville, K

A new report commissioned by insurance firm RSA reveals that a high percentage of drivers get behind the wheel despite having defective vision that is not corrected. The study shows that thousands of accidents can be attributed to poor driver vision. Estimates suggest that up 2,900 casualties could be attributed to crashes caused by drivers with uncorrected vision and that this could cost in the region of €41.2 million (£33 million)/year in terms of lost economic activity and emergency crew callouts. Resear

Doosan Infracore attracted nearly 500 existing and prospective customers to this year’s Demo Days events held at Kozli Quarry near Pisek, in the Czech Republic. Attendees from 18 countries right across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region had an opportunity to try out a wide selection of Doosan heavy machines and attachments in real working conditions. They included Stage IIIB compliant crawler and wheeled excavators, wheeled loaders, articulated dump trucks (ADTs) and heavy duty telescopic han

New proposals put forward in Paris could place pollution at peak periods as a priority. The planned pollution programme would include measures such as a toll on the main routes entering Paris. Users would pay rates reflecting various criteria such as the distance travelled, whether it is a peak travel period or the environmental impact of the vehicle being used. Vehicles seen as excessively polluting would be banned, with one proposal forbidding the use of large SUV/4x4 cars that are more than 17 years old

The US state of Indiana’s toll road lease supplied money for vital transport projects and Ohio is wise for studying its own turnpike lease agreement, Indiana’s Department of Transportation commissioner Michael Cline told hundreds of key Ohio transport industry figures. Cline was the keynote speaker for this year’s Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference in Columbus on Tuesday 30 October, 2012. During his address, he touted the benefits of the US$3.8 billion lease of the Indiana Toll Road in 2006.