News

A new stretch of the A7 road in Spain has opened. Costing €190 million, the 6.1km stretch runs between Puntalon and Carchuna, and is said to offer an alternative to the “endless traffic jams” on the Torrenueva crossing. In early-summer 2014, another new A7 stretch called ‘Taramay-Lobres’ will open, while a third stretch of the A7 is set to open in December, linking the municipalities of Castell de Ferro and Castillo de Banos (Polopos).

CNSR, the French road safety council, could include in its recommendations to the Ministry of the Interior on 16 May 2014 lowering from 16 to 15 the age at which people can drive accompanied by a licensed driver. This could coincide with an increase from 3,000 to 4,000 the minimum number of kilometres one must drive before getting a permit, increasing young driver experience, says CNSR.

A consortium headed by Odebrecht Transport that has Tucuman Engenharia, Goetze Lobato Engenharia and America Empreendimento is reported to be the favourite to land a project to widen PR-323 motorway in Brazil’s Parana state through a public-private partnership. Valued at US$3.41 billion (BRL 7.7 billion), the 30-year contract will involve 207kms of motorway.

The demolition of the Belgrave Flyover in the UK city of Leicester was carried out efficiently and effectively, within the strict time and safety guidelines set by the client. This aged structure was no longer able to meet traffic demands in the city and was removed by the specialist contractor AR Demolition. Drone footage provided an aerial view of the operation. The contractor subsequently won a number of industry awards for several of its demolition operations. This video clip is shown courtesy of Digger

A contractor in China has completed an effective bridge demolition job efficiently and quickly. The pre-weakened structure was brought crashing into the river it spanned following one final push using the boom of an excavator. The defunct bridge collapsed in a controlled fashion without injury or inconvenience, allowing the rubble to be removed in a subsequent operation.

Caterpillar’s Chinese excavator facility in Xuzhou, China has celebrated its 20th anniversary since its opening. The Caterpillar (Xuzhou) facility was the firm’s first hydraulic excavator manufacturing factory in China and the company has now extended its capabilities by opening the additional Caterpillar Chassis (Xuzhou) plant. The opening was celebrated in an event attended by Caterpillar’s key executives. Following a series of investments, Caterpillar (Xuzhou) has now become the world's largest excavator

The US$197.79 million (NZD 230 million) Haast-Hollyford toll road in New Zealand is expected to provide 1,500 construction jobs over four years, increase West Coast tourism and cut travel time between Haast and Milford Sound. Extra funding for the toll road has been made available. The toll fee will begin at $30.26 (NZD 35) per traveller and will generate $25.93 million (NZD 30 million) in the first year.

The Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) in Mexico has announced that roads and bridges in Guerrero affected by hurricanes during September 2013 will be repaired by mid-May 2014. However, repairs on the Barra Vieja bridge, costing US$38.27 million (MXN 500 million), will only be completed on 15 September 2014. Other projects are also planned for Guerrero, including school and housing schemes, following the hurricane damage. Guerrero will receive funds of more than MXN 30bn from the central gov