News

Construction work on Indonesia’s Sunda Straits Bridge is planned to start in 2014. The 40,000ha of land required for the project has been prepared by the government. The project forms part of a wider plan to boost the economy growth of Sumatra. The Public Works Ministry is preparing the road development master plan to link Aceh to Lampung. The Indonesian Government will also look into developing the Malacca Straits following the completion of the Sunda Straits Bridge.

By order of Natalya Komarova, the governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area (Urals), A feasibility study is underway for the second bridge across the Ob River construction in Russia’s Surgut region. The 1.56km bridge will take 5-6 years to construct and will cost over US$1 billion to build. The first bridge over the Ob River was built in 2000. Average daily traffic already exceeds its planned volume, which is why the second crossing is required.

Works on Serbia’s Strazevica tunnel is due for completion in May 2012. The tunnel forms part of the Belgrade ringroad. Serbia’s Government is also planning to finish the construction of a total of 200km of the Corridor 10 motorway, following the completion of the Strazevica-Bubanj and Batajnica-Dobanovci sections. Work on the remaining 130km will commence soon. Meanwhile work on the Ljig-Preljina section of Corridor 11 is now underway.

A new road link will be constructed in Indonesia to connect a coal mine development. The 100km road forms part of a US$764 million development for the coal project, with the link being constructed by Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, an Indonesian toll road operator in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Work on the road will commence in either the second half of 2012 or the first half of 2013. According to Operational Director of the firm, Hudaya Arryanto, the road is for supporting the coal mining industry, which is n

The authorities in China's Shanxi Province are investing heavily in highway expansion. By the end of 2012, the total highway/expressway network Shanxi Province will be some 5,000km. This will cost some US$15.85 billion for expressway construction during the year. A total of 23 expressway projects totalling 1,600km will be constructed during 2012. By the end of 2015, the total expressway distance in Shanxi Province should reach some 6,300km, from 4,000km in 2011.

The new XP2000 breaker from Promove is designed for 22 to 29tonnes carriers and its 145mm diameter tool delivers 5900 joules of energy at between 350-650 blows per minute. A flow rate of 160litres/min at 180bar is required and the breaker can work with a backpressure of up to 25bar.

Roadtec is briefing show visitors about its latest product developments, including the RX-600e cold planer and the SB-2500e Shuttle Buggy material transfer vehicle. Improvements in the new e-Series of the Shuttle Buggy include more resistance to conveyor wear and better operator visibility. Power comes from a Caterpillar diesel rated at 224kW, which meets the Tier 4 Interim/Stage IIIB emissions legislation.

Simex has introduced a visual indication on its planning attachments – the Performer – which enables operators to utilise all a carrier machine’s available power while avoiding stalling. The patented system automatically resets to reflect each machine’s maximum power and, according to the company, the device typically improves production rates by 25 to 30%.

Doosan unveiled a new Stage IIIB-compliant DX140W-3 wheeled excavator on the opening day of INTERMAT. The 14-16tonne machine’s 101kW DL06K 6-cylinder common rail diesel engine is fitted with exhaust gas recirculation and a diesel particulate filter to meet the emissions regulations. Productivity has been increased by an average of 5% while a new Lifting mode boosts lifting capacity by 15%. Hydraulic flow is 4% higher, increasing swing torque by an equal amount and bucket/arm forces by 7%.

Atlas Copco used INTERMAT to launch the Edge Drill Monitor – an innovative system of measuring shock waves from down-the-hole drilling. Information about the hammer and the bit is displayed graphically in real time, allowing the operator to extract maximum performance and efficiency as geology changes during the drilling process, to maintain the correct degree of flushing and avoid tool breakage.

Methods of ensuring ecological and sustainable drainage in an urban environment are discussed in a new guide being published as part of Hydro International's Engineering Nature's Way initiative. Co-authored by Professor Richard Ashley, of EcoFutures , Sue Illman, of Illman Young Landscape architects, and Alex Stephenson, Stormwater Director of Hydro International and chair of the British Water SuDS focus group, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in the Urban Landscape looks at Ecosystems Services, Green In

The first firm example of Chinese-European shared crane expertise is being unveiled today by Zoomlion. The Hunan-based manufacturer acquired technology from German-firm JOST and as a result is offering its novel T320 “topless” tower crane, the first in a new series of saddle jib machines from the firm. The new T320 tower crane is the first developed since Chinese purchase of JOST and meets all the European CE requirements for these machines. The crane combines quality German engineering with Zoomlion manufa

Hyundai is introducing a new top end excavator in the 100tonne-plus sector. The company says this endorses its commitment to large-scale investment in developing new products and new market opportunities. “Building on Hyundai’s experience with the successful 50-80tonne high capacity models, the all-new 120tonne R1200-9 has been conceived with an eye on the expanding worldwide mining and quarrying sector, where the demand for efficient, large-scale mass excavation in minerals extraction and overburden remova