News

A new highway stretch is to be built in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The highway will run along the eastern coast of the Black Sea, connecting Dzhubga with Sochi. The highway will provide an improved connection between the new (and controversial) Kerch Strait bridge that runs to the Crimean Peninsula, Novorossiysk and Sochi, as well as the border with Georgia. The project looks likely to attract private financing.

The Netherlands is facing a problem with drivers being caught behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs. Police in the country began using a new testing system to identify drug use amongst drivers in mid-2017. Since that time, 1,250 drivers have been charged for driving under the influence of drugs. Of note is that around 60% of those charged with driving under the influence of drugs are aged between 18 and 30, while over 50% of the offenders had been using more than one drug at the time of arrest

A package of loans from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will help pay for key infrastructure projects in the country.

Morocco’s road network is being expanded and developed significantly. This is benefiting from an increased budget for transportation infrastructure from the Moroccan Government. The country expects to spend US$2.99 billion on developing its road network during the 2018-2021 time period, reaching a figure of $747.5 million/year. This is a notable increase from the $694.1 million/year spent during the 2012-2017 period and even more so from the $533.9 million/year spent in the 2008-2011 period.

Bridge repairs are being prioritised in France following a series of inspections, triggered by the recent bridge collapse in Italy. There are 23 bridges that form part of France’s national road network that require attention. In all 164 key bridges in France need work, although most of this is comparatively minor and of these 122 are the responsibility of road operators with the remaining 42 the responsibility of the French Government. Two of the bridges however are in urgent need of repairs. Increased main

France will invest €5.1 billion in maintenance and construction of highways up to 2022 as part of a major transportation strategy. The money for highways is within €13.4 billion that the government pledged to invest in the general transportation sector. More than half of the money will be for railways. In September, the French government outlined its infrastructure spending priorities for the decade to 2028. The government is to prioritise investment at key rail hubs outside Paris. Half the total €13.4

Portuguese infrastructure operator Infraestruturas de Portugal has awarded Somague a €12.6 million maintenance and refurbishment contract for work on the bridge Ponte 25 de Abril. Somague is heading up a consortium that includes Sociedade de Montagens Metalomecânicas and Reparação, Consolidação e Modificação de Estruturas. The 25 de Abril, a 2.3km suspension bridge for vehicles and trains over the Tagus River, connects Portugal’s capital city Lisbon to the municipality of Almada. It was built by the A

Skanska reports that it has completed the bore and dynamiting for the Strømnes-Sprova tunnel project in the Norwegian county of Nord-Trøndelag. The nearly €40m project, which was awarded to Skanska in August last year,is for 5.4kn of new road, including both the 600m Holmvik and the 1km Strømnes tunnels. Two bridges are also being built, the 42m Holmviksbron and the 27m Eldbron. Norwegian roads authority Statens Vegvesen appointed Skanska to project which is part of an upgrade to the Dyrstad-Sprova-Ma

Hochtief Infrastructure has signed a contract with DEGES Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs und Bau to replace the Schwelmetal Bridge on Germany’s A1 highway in Wuppertal. The contract in the city’s Langerfeld district is worth around €28 million. It entails the demolition and new construction of two partial sections of the Schwelmetal Bridge that dates back to the 1960s. Construction will start in mid-2019. Traffic will continue to flow on the A1 and on the Deutsche Bahn rail tracks beneath the bri