News

Wolffkran International has replaced its WOLFF 6015 clear with the WOLFF 6020 clear, the Swiss crane manufacturer has announced. A major improvement over its predecessor is an increased tip load capacity. Two versions are available. The new flat-top saddle jib is now available as the 6tonne WOLFF 6020.6 clear and the 8tonne version WOLFF 6020.8 clear, with three different tower connections per version. "Compared to its predecessor, the 6tonne version can lift 2tonnes instead of 1.5tonnes at the tip

An analysis of truck crashes in Australia has highlighted that speeding is the primary cause. The report has been compiled by National Transport Insurance (NTI). Speeding was a cause of 21.4% of major truck crashes in 2015, although this was lower than the 27% in 2013. Driving while tired accounted for 12.2% of truck crashes. Among multi-vehicle fatal incidents, the driver of a car or light vehicle was deemed responsible. The report highlights key problems with regard to changes in driver behaviour and in p

An innovative electric road concept has been developed in Sweden by researchers at Lund University.. The new system features a conductive rail on the road surface, which is inactive until an EV passes over the top. The EV can be charged with up to 160kW by the rail, with the system offering an efficiency claimed to be as high as 97%. The system could allow EVs to feature smaller, lower cost batteries as range extension would be delivered by the charging system instead.

The tender process is being restarted for the project to drive the Zheleznitsa Tunnel, which will form part of Bulgaria’s Struma Highway. The tunnel project is expected to cost €128 million in all to construct with the work being split into three separate lots. Two of the lots, I and III are smaller packages for the roads at either end of the project, with the most valuable tender, Lot II, being for the €99.2 million deal to construct the tunnel itself. The tender process is being managed by the Bulgarian R

There is strong resistance mounting in Bolivia against the construction of a road link through the country’s TIPNIS national park, a conservation area. The new road is intended to improve transport connections between Villa Tunari and San Ignacio de Moxos.

New technology now looks likely to reduce the cost of Norway’s massive Ferry Free E39 road project. The work had originally been expected to come with a price tag of as much as €36.47 billion (NOK 340 billion) when the plans were announced in early 2016. According to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen), the crossing over the Bjørnafjorden is now likely to be €858.1 million (NOK 8 billion) less costly

Chile’s capital Santiago now looks set to benefit from a new road tunnel link, which will cost up to US$900 million to construct. The Americo Vespucio Oriente I (AVO I) will stretch 9km through the city and will include a tunnel section. The project has been the focal point for discussions between the local authorities as well as the companies OHL and Sacyr.

The city authorities in Russia’s capital Moscow are planning the construction of a new stretch of highway. The North-East Expressway will provide a connection between the existing Dmitrovskoe and Yaroslavskoe Highways. The new route will measure 13km long and design work should be complete by the end of 2018, with construction intended to be finished by 2020. Once the new link is complete it should help reduce the city’s notorious peak time traffic congestion.

Cambodia’s crashes continue to be a cause for concern. The country’s National Committee for Road Traffic Safety says that road deaths increased by 11% during the first nine months of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016. The area identified as haing the highest rates of road deaths were Kandal, Kampong Thom and Phnom Penh. On a more positive note though, serious injuries from crashes slightly compared the previous nine month period.

Volvo CE is bullish and claims a strong financial performance in its third quarter sales figures. The company claims it has made market share gains in key segments while its financial results have also benefited from good cost control and growing demand in most areas. Volvo CE says it has had an especially strong third quarter for 2017 with sales up 34% to US$1.847 billion (SEK15.1 billion) compared with $1.41 billion (SEK11.54 billion) for the same period in 2016. Meanwhile order intake for the third quart

A series of major road infrastructure upgrades are planned for Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. In all 24 separate projects are included in the programme of works being set out by the local authorities. The work will be worth close to US$193 million in all. One of the key upgrades will be the construction of a new flyover section that will run over the top of Suyapa Boulevard. The connections to the city’s Anillo Periferico ring road will also see a number of upgrades. The work is expected to cut conge