News

A new team has been established by the US-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) to ensure telematics technologies being offered by different firms will be compatible. The telematics task force is providing the AEM members with a comprehensive industry response to end-user requests for a standard machine data interface. The team is working to reach a consensus on an industry telematics data standard that will enable equipment manufacturers to support the needs of contractors, rental houses and d

Plans are in hand in New Zealand for a massive programme of infrastructure works around the country’s largest city, Auckland. The New Zealand Government intends to invest some US$7.8 billion (NZ$10 billion), which will be spent on upgrading existing highway links and building the second Auckland Harbour Bridge. The existing Auckland Harbour Bridge sees heavy traffic flows at peak periods in particular and the new structure is necessary to reduce congestion and cut journey times. The programme of infrastruct

The expertise of Nitrex Explosives Engineering were utilised recently for this eye-catching controlled explosion bringing down the Viadotto Ponte Autostrade Pecorone di Lauria (Lauria Junction viaduct) in Lauria, Potenza, southern Italy. Ice and salt had degraded the viaduct, necessitating a rebuild. A new viaduct will better withstand the snowy mountain climate of the Potenza region.

A demolition contractor in the north of Bavaria recently used 200kg of explosives to demolish an old autobahn viaduct. Situated close to the town of Bad Kissingen and to the north of the city of Nuremberg, the 46 year old A7 viaduct had reached the end of its working life and a new structure had been built alongside in this scenic rural area. Pre-weakening work had been carried out using hydraulic breakers along with drilling the necessary blastholes, to ensure the supports and deck collapsed in a controlle

IRF Geneva has carried out a successful webinar on World Road Statistics for Beginners - Techniques and Methods. Participants from all over the world joined in to the key messages and techniques from this webinar. This addressed the core characteristics of raw data brought together in the annual World Road Statistics report, which is one of IRF’s flagship projects. Published since 1964, this publication remains the single comprehensive source of data for the international road, traffic and transport sectors

The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which represents companies producing and laying the materials for asphalt roads, has welcomed the UK Government’s pledge to spend US$9.174 billion (£6bn) on local road maintenance for the period 2015/16 to 2020/21. Reacting to the spending commitment announced made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne , and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, AIA chairman Alan Mackenzie said, “The AIA has been lobbying for additional funds to tackle the lo

Dutch Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen has promised to invest US$387.47 million (€295mn) in the new Rotterdamsebaan road between the Ypenburg junction and The Hague. The investment in the project, which has a total value of some $737.04 million (€565mn), is $91.31 million (€70mn) higher than Schultz van Haegen's predecessor promised in 2008. The council of The Hague and the urban region Haaglanden are pay for the rest of the project. The works, which includes a 2km long tu

Malaysia-based highway operator Projek Lintasan Kota (Prolintas) plans to launch two highway projects in 12 months' time following a US$2.51 billion (MYR 8bn) investment. The highways in the Klang Valley are the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway (Suke) and the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway (Dash).

Spanish construction firm OHL has secured its first highway works contract in the US state of Texas. The US$142 million contract will see the company renew a 3.2km section of the US-290, which runs through the Lone Star state. Building new bridges, highway resurfacing and drainage improvements are key features of the contract. The work is part of the widening programme for the US-290. The state of Texas has plans to carry out infrastructure projects worth US$5 billion by the end of 2014.

A new report suggests that Europe could improve economic growth and create much-needed jobs by developing technological innovations for transportation. The report is entitled Fuelling Europe’s Future: How auto innovation leads to EU jobs. This study was produced by a consortium of transport sector stakeholders. It suggests that innovation in the automotive sector would boost growth prospects and create anything from 500,000-1,100,000 additional jobs between now and 2030. This innovation could also help redu

London’s Metropolitan Police Service is using the latest desktop mapping software to collate essential data about road traffic collisions. The advanced Geographical Information System (GIS) from GGP Systems in being used to identify and map the exact location of incidents where a personal injury has occurred and prepare detailed reports for the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL). This can be used to highlight problem areas, with plans for improving infrastructure then being drawn

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is implementing a new pavement texture standard. This revised specification is a response to feedback from the state's drivers with requirements for finishing Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP). The main change is that the state is discontinuing the use of tining on all PCCP projects. In certain instances the grooved pavement texture produced by longitudinal tining can cause drivers to experience uncomfortable lateral vehicle movement. This is called gr

The UK’s road safety is improving according to the latest set of official statistics. According to the Department for Transport (DfT) figures, 1,754 people were killed on the UK’s roads in 2012, a drop of 8% from the figure for 2011 and the lowest level since national records commenced in 1926. Meanwhile 23,039 people suffered serious injuries in road crashes, 0.4% lower than the 23,122 in 2011 but 15% lower than the average for the 2005-2009 period. The number of child casualties fell 17% to 17,251 compare