News

Indonesia is going ahead with three toll road concessions in West Java, according to the head of the Toll Road Regulatory Agency, Herry Trisaputra Zuna. The three toll roads - Cileunyi-Banjar; Ciranjang-Padalarang; and Sukabumi-Ciranjang - will need total investment of up US$1.54 billion, he said. However, tenders will not be held this year, as preparation work for the projects, including feasibility study and land documentation, are only now being reviewed.

The Colombian Government is investing in road infrastructure development, with a large portion of the budget being directed to Bogota. The road infrastructure programme includes 22 projects that will help cut chronic congestion in Colombian capital Bogota. Construction works for Avenida Longitudinal de Occidente (ALO) road expansion are expected to start in the first half of 2016. These will run from the Mondonedo intersection to Boyaca Avenue, in the southern part of the city. The budget for this project i

Caterpillar has released its first quarter results for 2016, which show some positive results although market conditions remain tough. The firm’s first-quarter 2016 sales and revenues hit US$9.5 billion, down from $12.7 billion in the first quarter of 2015. First-quarter 2016 profit/share of $0.46 was down from a profit of $2.03/share in the first quarter of 2015. Excluding restructuring costs, profit/share was $0.67, compared with $2.07/share in the first quarter of 2015.

German engine manufacturer Deutz saw new orders totalling €327.3 million for the first quarter 2016, up 2% on the same period last year. First quarter new orders were up nearly 12% on the last quarter 2015, according to the Cologne-based company’s preliminary results for the first quarter this year. However, at 32,112 engines, unit sales were 13% lower than they had been a year earlier (Q1 2015: 36,907 engines) but rose by 5.1% compared with the previous quarter (Q4 2015: 30,545 engines). Revenue w

Morocco is planning a new infrastructure programme. The country’s Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics is introducing a new tender scheme for a study that will be used to establish the national road infrastructure scheme (Snir) by 2035.

Plans are afoot in Tasmania for a new bridge project. The New Bridgewater Bridge is expected to cost US$413.2 million (A$535 million). The Tasmanian Infrastructure Ministry has unveiled the plans for the project. Due to its cost, Federal funding will be likely to be required, although Tasmania would provide around 20% of the pricetag from its own budget. However the proposal is around $232 million less than the previous concept design put forward for the project. The new design would feature four lanes for

Funding from the World Bank (WB) will help finance work on three major road projects in Tunisia. The finances include a loan of US$200 million as well as a contribution of $909,000. The roads will connect Siliana and El Fahs, Djbel El Ouest and Zaghouan, and Kairouan and Sousse. The loan and contribution are granted for technical assistance with regard to the three road projects. The financing agreements include a performance contract for road maintenance. The WB will also finance a feasibility study for Tu

Volvo Construction Equipment has joined the corporate advisory board of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). Volvo CE said it will help develop future strategies for the WorldGBC that supports environmentally-friendly building methods. The WorldGBC has member councils in 75 countries and provide intelligence and practical assistance to over 27,000 companies in the construction industry. It works with organisations to develop green-building action plans, reduce carbon emissions, and address iss

The digitisation of the construction process will give greater transparency on costs at the site and ultimately lead to improved productivity and efficiency in the industry, said Johan Arnberg, president of Leica Geosystems Machine Control Division, speaking at a Leica roundtable on digitisation of the construction industry held at bauma. The data gathered by the new generation of digitised construction machines and tools will enable contractors and owners for the first time to put key performance indicator

SDLG has set itself a target to become China’s number one construction brand by 2021. Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery (known as Lingong), said it is already spending 10% of its sales revenues on research and development, and it claims up to 70% market share in a number of countries for its wheeled loaders, its largest-selling product.

Construction companies have the power to make a positive impact on the lives of people in need around the world, but the sector must think past the corporate bottom line. So said the former president of Uruguay, José Alberto Mujica Cordano, in his impassioned acceptance speech as recipient of this year’s Pilosio Building Peace Award.

The 60-year-old road and rail Velsertunnel in the Netherlands will be closed from now until the end of the year for major renovations. Improvements to the Velsertunnel beneath the North Sea Canal are scheduled for the road sections only, according to the Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch government’s Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, and the consortium doing the work. Rijkswaterstaat awarded a design/build/maintain contract in 2014 to Hyacint, a consortium of Besix, Dura Vermeer, and Spie, supp

The two construction companies in Serbia, appointed for rehabilitation of around 1,100km of motorways, may have their contracts cancelled soon, according to Serbian media. The projects estimated to be worth around €400 million, according to a report by the national news agency Tanjug. Serbian vice president, Zorana Mihajlovic reportedly said that federal government may cancel the work due to violations of deadlines. However, she did not name the companies. For the time being it is an issue between