News

Serious issues have been realised in the Netherlands, with an increase in the rate of road casualties. There were 629 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2016, eight more than in 2015. Meanwhile 2015 had seen an increase of 51 road deaths over 2014. The issue is of concern as these two years were the first since 1996 when road deaths had not dropped. The road safety standards in the Netherlands are amongst the best in Europe, and the entire world. However there is concern that in the Netherlands, as in many c

Egypt is prioritising road construction in a bid to boost the country’s economic development. The country is shortly commencing the third phase of its national roadway project. This will cost US$524.3 million and involves improvements to existing routes and building new roads, with a total distance of 1,154km. The 400km link from capital Cairo to Assiut will be a priority. Work on this project commenced some years ago. A new 37km link will also be built alongside the Cairo-Suez highway. Other projects being

Planning is going ahead for the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET 2017). This landmark event is being held in Salt Lake City, USA, from May 14th to May 18th, 2017. ICOET is the said to be the leading interdisciplinary, interagency supported conference addressing the broad range of ecological issues related to transportation systems in all modes. The event is attracting experts in transportation development, related scientific study, policy issues, and administrative processes fro

A budget of US$400.5 million is being set for a series of road improvements in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region (Volga) during 2017. The funding will be directed towards repairs and maintenance for roads in the area. The programme of works calls for improvements to be carried out to 115km of roads that have been identified as being in unsatisfactory condition. In all 400,000m3 of asphalt will be used for the road upgrades. Meanwhile specific projects to be carried out include the construction of a second bri

Funding for improvements to a major road connection between Kenya and Uganda will be provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB). In all US$253 of financing will be provided for the road improvement work to the 118km stretch of road. The Kenyan side of the project will receive funding worth $147 million while the Ugandan side will receive $106 million. This will pay for close to 90% of the costs associated with the project, with the remainder being paid for by the Kenyan Government and the Ugandan Gover

Construction work for the Agua Negra tunnel connecting Argentina with Chile is expected to take nine years to complete. The actual construction work will commence in 2019, although considerable activity will be required beforehand. Building the tunnel is expected to cost in the orders of US$1.5 billion. Much of the financing for the project is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). So far the IADB has given $20 million to Argentina and a further $20 million to Chile to pay for the nec

Work is progressing well on a huge flyover project in Bangladesh. The Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Flyover looks likely to open to traffic shortly, although the intersections will still have to be completed. The link is 5.2km long. Work to build five of the access ramps has still to begin however. The flyover will join the Muradpur and Lalkhanbazar areas and will help to cut congestion at peak travel periods.

Work is starting on important road connections in Honduras. The work will see a series of projects being carried out in the west of the country. The Honduras Government has set a budget of US270 million for the road works. Key links to be improved include a stretch of road from La Entrada to Santa Rosa and a section between La Entrada and Copan Ruinas.

A new report highlights the slow pace of road construction in Romania. This reveals that during 2016, the country only had a total of 747km of motorway class roads. The survey was carried out by Romania's National Institute of Statistics (INS). The report reveals that this is the same total motorway length as in 2015, highlighting that no new stretches were opened to traffic during 2016. Motorways account for a mere 4.2% of Romania’s total road network. The country has 86,080km of roads in all, of which 36%

A series of improvements are planned for road connections in Australia’s Victoria State. Close to US$59 million is being budgeted for road improvements by Melton City Council. This follows plans to build up to 100,000 new homes in Melbourne. The road improvement plans call for a series of flyovers and interchanges to be built at the Paynes Road intersection, at Mount Cottrell Road and in the Melton West area. In addition the highway in the area will be improved and widened, with additional lanes being const

A series of improvements are planned for road connections in Australia’s Victoria State. Close to US$59 million is being budgeted for road improvements by Melton City Council. This follows plans to build up to 100,000 new homes in Melbourne. The road improvement plans call for a series of flyovers and interchanges to be built at the Paynes Road intersection, at Mount Cottrell Road and in the Melton West area. In addition the highway in the area will be improved and widened, with additional lanes being const

Four more US states are set to increase fuel taxes to support new transportation investments, According to a new report from the American Road Transport Builders Association (ARTBA). This new analysis shows little political fallout from fuel tax rises for transport development. And 91% of legislators who supported an increased fuel tax were re-elected during the next general election; while 98 % of lawmakers won their 2016 primary race. This was an examination of more than 2,500 state legislators from 16 st

Cem Peksaglam, chief executive of Munich-based Wacker Neuson, is leaving the company. The company said in a written statement that Peksaglam, 49, had informed the supervisory board that, “following the successful realignment of the group’s strategy, he does not intend to renew his contract as he has decided to pursue new endeavors”. Peksaglam’s six-year contract expires in August and the company said it will announce his successor “in due course”.

The acquisition of Atkins by SNC-Lavalin has been unanimously approved by the boards of both global infrastructure providers for around US$2.7 billion. During the first full financial year of the merger group around $90 million of cost synergies is expected to be saved. The deal is still subject to regulatory and Atkins shareholder approval, likely to be given in the third quarter of this year. Atkins, based in London, brings around 18,300 employees to the group and expands SNC-Lavalin's geographic reach be