News

The reconstruction work for an important bridge link in Côte d'Ivoire’s capital, Abidjan, will be carried out by two French contractors. Eiffage and Spie Batignolles are to rebuild Abidjan’s Félix Houphouët-Boigny Bridge. Funding for the work is being provided by the French Development Agency (AFD). The project has a contract value of US$62.73 million and the work is expected to take 30 months to complete.

Engineering services provider Pöyry has been appointed for site supervision work for the rehabilitation of Austria’s A1 and A10 motorways in the region of Salzburg. Asfinag, a customer-financed, commercial operator and builder of motorways and expressways in Austria, awarded the contract. The project includes general renovation of motorway sections and bridge structures, rehabilitation and reinforcement of anchor walls, construction of parking areas, adaptation of noise barriers and construction of

A new section of the Santiago Los Vilos highway in Chile is now open to traffic. The stretch of the route was opened by FCC Construcción, the infrastructure area of the FCC Group. The highway will improve access to the northern side of Santiago. The 15km stretch urban highway runs from the Quilicura junction to Lampa. The US$220 million project started in the second quarter of 2015 and involves widening the route so that it features four lanes in either direction. Meanwhile the service road is designed

UK exports of construction and earthmoving equipment remained buoyant for the first nine months 2017, showing a 21% increase compared with the same period 2016. Imports of equipment also remained strong, showing a 12% increase in the same period over 2016. In the third quarter 2017, exports equipment showed a further modest increase for the fourth consecutive quarter. Exports in Q3 were 1.3% up on Q2 levels at €807 million (£723 million). This was the highest quarterly level for more than two years

Hyundai Construction Equipment (HCE) has held its first Hyundai Construction Equipment Auction. This was the first used construction equipment auction platform run in South Korea. The auction was run in Eumseong and forms part of a plan by the firm to increase its market share in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia. The company is aiming to develop the leading market share for new construction equipment in the emerging markets including Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. These countries have a high demand for

In Adelaide, South Australia, a new bridge has been constructed over the Southern Expressway. The 180m long bridge weighs 3,000tonnes and was slid into place over the weekend of the 25th and 26th November, 2017. The Main South Road bridge project has cost US$494 million (A$620 million). A second span will be slid into position in early 2018. The project method has called for the construction of the bridges adjacent to the installation site, the first time the technique has been utilised in Australia.

A Malaysian contractor will carry out a highway project worth US$357.1 million in India. The project is for the construction of the new National Highway 52 and will be carried out by IJM Corp (IJM). The stretch will connect Solapur in Karnataka State with Bijapur in Maharashtra State. The work involves widening and improving the existing two lane route so that it will have two lanes in either direction.

Construction work for a new expressway and tunnel project in Laos will commence in early 2018. The 113.5km route will connect capital Vientane, in the south of the country, with Vangvieng. A 679m tunnel will be constructed at Phoupha Mountain between Naxaithong district and Vangvieng district. The project is costing US$1.2 billion to construct and will be carried out by a China and Laos joint venture.

A long term plan is calling for the construction of a third highway bridge spanning the Tom River in Kemerovo, Russia. The local authorities expect the project to cost some US$208 million. The two existing routes, one of which carries the P-255 highway that connects with the city’s airport, are no longer able to cope with traffic demand.

Plans are now being drawn up for the rebuilding of a 114km stretch of highway in Kazakhstan. The A-22 route in the Kostanay Region will be upgraded and improved, boosting both safety and capacity for drivers. This stretch of highway lies in the north of Kazakhstan, close to the border with Russia. The upgrade work will commence towards the end of 2018 and will cost US$149 million.

Argentina is setting out a major road development programme. The country has plans for 16 key road projects, with road building and development plans for some 7,000km of routes in all. Called the new Safe Motorway and Road Network, the programme will be worth an impressive US$16.7 billion. The first six of the planned routes will be developed under the PPP model. A portion of the construction work will be paid for through special taxes on fuel.