News

Auction firm Ritchie Bros reports strong performance for its online construction machinery marketplace, EquipmentOne, in the first year since the service was set up. The service is complementary to the firm’s unreserved auction business and provides an online marketplace for the sale of equipment. The company says it offers buyers and sellers a place in which to negotiate, complete and settle transactions in a safe and transparent environment. This was initially launched in early 2013 and had a full commerc

Grey ‘stealth’ speed cameras are set to be installed on busy stretches of UK motorways to target motorists driving above the 70mph limit, according to new Highways Agency (HA) plans. Parts of the M1, M25 and M6 will have the cameras, dubbed ‘stealth’ cameras by those opposing their introduction. Motorway speed cameras have in the past been situated primarily on stretches where roadworks were taking place. The cameras will appear on parts of ‘smart’ motorways and will allow traffic to flow more effectively a

In Paris, France US company Uber has launched UberPOP, a car-sharing service allowing private citizens who share their cars to be paid. The average price of the service is €12, from which the company takes a small commission. Candidates must have an at least three-year-old driving permit. Income from car-sharing will be declared to tax authorities. Drivers and clients are put in touch through a mobile application. UberPOP already offers in France car services with drivers, but Paris is the first city outsid

A major undersea tunnel project is planned for Malaysia. The George Town-Butterworth tunnel will be a 6.5km undersea link and this project is expected to cost in the region of US$1.88 billion to construct. The design of the link has yet to be finalised but the project will likely feature novel engineering concepts to deal with the challenges of the location. The Malaysian government agency Koperasi Staff CIDB (KoCIDB) and local firm Consortium Zenith BUCG (Zenith BUCG) have signed a memorandum of understand

Transnational collaboration on road infrastructure innovation is the aim of the ERA-NET Plus (EN Plus) Infravation event. The Infravation 2014 Call for this collaboration of 11 countries on road infrastructure innovation will be launched on 3rd March 2014. It will pool funding of some €9 million, of which one-third comes from the European Commission (EC). For the first time, the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will also contribute funding to an EN Plus Call however. This is because the FHWA sees th

In the United States, a US$1.4 billion transport package has been approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for funding highway interchanges, wider roads and new sidewalks in the Virginia state county. Of the total funding, $1.2 billion will come from the state transport law while the rest will be gathered from the county tax revenue and other sources. The Fairfax Transport Department has put close to 230 projects on a priority list.

Mexico's Secretariat for Transport and Communications (SCT) has released US$2.01 billion (MXN 27 billion) for road work tenders to be carried out in 2014. In total, $4.489 billion (MXN 60 billion) will be spent on such projects this year. As previously reported in World Highways, tenders for 13 projects covering work to repair, upgrade and widen over 2,000km of roads have already been revealed. Tenders being opened will also include building bridges and bypasses around congested urban areas. Key tenders in

Up to 35 fixed and five mobile radar devices are expected to be installed on Luxembourg’s roads in 2014 in order to boost safety. Jeannot Mersch, president of the association for victims to the road (AVR), has spoken out in favour of the introduction of more road safety technology. Mersch said that Luxembourg needs a sustainable traffic security system. In 2013 43 people were killed in Luxembourg road traffic accidents.

Plans are on track for the new Ohio River Bridge project in the US. Bilfinger Berger Global Infrastructure SIVAC has completed at acquisition of a 33.33% stake in this PPP project. The construction portion of the project will be handled through a joint venture between VINCI Construction Grand Projects and Walsh Construction. The PPP concession package involves designing, building, operating and maintaining a cable stayed bridge over the Ohio River. The work will also include constructing link roads and asso

Plans are on track for the new Ohio River Bridge project in the US. Bilfinger Berger Global Infrastructure SIVAC has completed at acquisition of a 33.33% stake in this PPP project. The construction portion of the project will be handled through a joint venture between VINCI Construction Grand Projects and Walsh Construction. The PPP concession package involves designing, building, operating and maintaining a cable stayed bridge over the Ohio River. The work will also include constructing link roads and asso

Work is starting in Paraguay on a programme to construct 100 reinforced concrete bridges. These will replace old wooden structures that have been deemed obsolete and the work is due for completion by the end of 2015. The programme of works is costing US$75 million, with the Paraguayan Government paying $25 million for the work and the remaining $50 million being provided by the Latin American Development Bank (CAF). The project forms part of a much wider $7.66 billion infrastructure investment programme by

Pre -feasibility studies are commencing for a new tunnel project in Colombia capital Bogota. The tunnel is set to link Bogota’s north side with La Calera and the studies should be completed by April 2014. The project is expected to cost in the region of US$198.76 million to construct and will be for a 4.5km tolled tunnel. The project will be challenging however and will take up to four years to complete. The route will run from Street 170 in northern Bogota, linking the Perimetral Oriental ring road that is