News

A request from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in the US to provide road salt to local communities in need has received no bids from salt companies. ODOT asked salt companies to bid on 9,071tonnes increments of salt to be delivered to seven strategic locations during three rounds. The aim was to receive at least 136,077tonnes of road salt that ODOT could provide to local communities where some supplies are depleted. The agency planned to charge nothing for the road salt and instead was asking

A €61.13 million (£50 million) bypass could be created on the edge of a city in east England to ease the pressure on a heavily used roundabout. The radical proposals have been drawn up as council bosses look to find a long-term solution for the Thickthorn roundabout, near Norwich, reportedly described by one leading figure as “one of the most important roundabouts in the county [Norfolk]”.

The UK Highways Agency Lean Event hosted by A-one+, the Agency’s leading services provider, will provide an opportunity to hear the latest on the Highways Agency Lean Strategy’s plans and expectations both internally and within the supply chain. Also showcasing examples of Lean Construction excellence, the event on Tuesday 11 March 9am-4pm at Pontefract Racecourse, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England is aimed at Highways Agency, managing agent contractors, asset support contract service providers and those

The resolving of financing issues means that works to complete the corridor from the Comayagua valley to Goascoran, in Honduras, will resume soon. It is understood that both the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and Brazil's development bank Bandes have granted a loan of US$145 million. The new corridor will link the south with the north of Honduras and will be interconnected with existing road infrastructure, such the section between Tegucigalpa and Flores, in Comayagua. In total, som

A proposed Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulation concerning exposure to crystalline silica is based on decades old data and flawed economics, claims the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). At issue is OSHA’s plan to regulate the worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica. Crystalline silica is found in nearly all transport construction materials and products and can even be found naturally in the ambient air.

Strabag’s output volume remained stable in 2013 reaching €13.573 billion - down just 3% compared to the €14.042 billion recorded in 2012. The construction firm’s first full year figures for 2013 also reveal an order backlog up by only 2% to €13.469 billion from €13.202 billion the previous year. Strabag says it expects output volume to remain stable in 2014 at €13.6 billion, with EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) of at least €260 million – similar to the level forecast for 2013.

Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT) aims to invest US$28.52 billion (MXN 380 billion) in road infrastructure projects to 2018. Among the forecast plans are projects to widen highways to accommodate four lanes, as roads of this size currently correspond to just 39% of the country's roads. At the third edition of the Mexico Infrastructure Summit, the SCT also highlighted its 25,000km road network plan to be implemented until 2030. The project focuses on 15 main roads connecting 33

Chongqing in central China plans to increase its highway network to 4,600km by 2030. The number of exits to other provinces is to increase to 28 from 19. At the end of 2013, the municipality had a network of 2,312 highways with 630km of highways under construction. By the end of 2017, it will have about 3,000km of highways. In 2014, four highways totalling 473km will be built.

Moscow’s government is looking into the possibility of exempting developers from taxes on the funds they invest in building and repairing roads in the Russian capital. The current regulations require developers, which fund road construction, to make donations to the local road fund. The donations may not be included in construction costs and are subject to income tax of 20%. If the regulations are amended, the Moscow budget's one-time shortfall in income will be €60.65 million (RUB 2.87 billion) to €121.3

United Arab Emirates’ National Transport Authority is planning to impose road tax on trucks and buses crossing the borders of the UAE. The authority is considering charging US$26.65 per bus and about $1.33 per seat. For lorries, it is planning to charge $136.34 per trip for those carrying chemicals, food stuff, livestock and refrigerated goods, and an additional charge of $2.74 per tonne carried. Other trucks will be charged $26.60 per trip. The proposed tax has attracted strong protests from the governm

In China Jiangsu Province has set an impressive infrastructure budget. Some US$11.38 billion has been earmarked for transportation infrastructure projects during 2014. Of the total, $4.53 billion will be invested into road construction projects, while some $454.8 million will be targeted at the construction of civil airports.

Official police data from Dubai paints a poor picture with regard to road safety. This small country saw one person killed every two days on average during 2013, with the death toll reaching 160 for the year. Over 2,800 people were injured in road crashes in Dubai during 2013 from 2,944 separate incidents and with 5,387 vehicles being damaged. Of those injured, 197 were serious. The traffic police described excessive speed, reckless driving, poor concentration and changing lanes without first looking for ot

Plans are in hand in Algeria for work to commence on the first sections of the Hauts-Plateaux highways, with tenders now being prepared. The Ministry for Public Works has revealed that construction work for the first stretches of the highway will be likely to get underway in June 2014. The technical specifications for the project are still in the process of being determined. Expectations are for strong bidding for the 30km sections of the highway being put out to tender.