News

SMEC is now working on construction supervision and contract administration for the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (stage Two) in India. The project is located in Karnataka State and the contract was awarded to SMEC earlier by the local authorities.

Critics of Europe’s push towards biofuels are pointing out that the strategy is boosting the cost of foodstuffs around the world. The combination of drought and high grain prices are fuelling a growing clamour within Europe that is criticising the policy on boosting biofuel use.

Malaysian construction firm WCT has secured a contract worth US$319.69 million (MYR 1bn) for the construction of a 44.75km expressway in Oman. According to a statement, WCT will be undertaking the project through a joint venture with Oman Roads Engineering within a period of three years.

Work is about to get underway on the Maputo-Catembe bridge and the nearby Bela Vista-Boane and Catembe-Ponta do Ouro roads in Maputo province, Mozambique. Cadmiel Muthemba, Mozambique minister of public works and housing, revealed the imminent start date for the project which will include a bridge spanning around 3km, while the roads will have a combined length of 209km.

Moxa has equipped Taiwan’s Hsuehshan Tunnel with its NPort 5230 device servers and EDS-508A-SS-SC Ethernet switches as part of the tunnel emergency traffic control system. The tunnel is south east Asia's second longest road tunnel and comprises three independent tunnels (one pilot tunnel, one West-bound tunnel, and one east-bound tunnel) stretching 12.9 kilometers through Hsuehshan Mountain, the second highest mountain in East Asia.

Unfavourable weather conditions are said to have been the main cause of Colas Group’s €19 million net loss in the first six months of 2012, compared to a €2 million net profit over the same six-months of 2011. However, the leading French transport infrastructure suppliers achieved a 4% increase in consolidated turnover to €5.6 billion between January 1 and June 30, 2012, against 5.4 billion over the same period the previous year.

The Toll Road Regulator Agency (TRRA) for Indonesia plans to seal the concession agreement for six Jakarta city toll roads in December 2012, three months later than expected. TRRA officers are said to be studying the proposal documents submitted by Jakarta Tollroad Development. The investment for the project has increased from US$4.21 billion (IDR 40trn) to between IDR42trn-IDR43trn, according to TRRA head, Achmad Gani Gazaly.

New parking rules in Stockholm could raise an extra €1.83 million-€2.42 million (SEK 15mn-SEK 20mn) a year. The city is expected to approve a proposal that extends its parking fee period by two hours. The proposal also called for stricter residential parking rules and changed zones, to make it more difficult to park on roads that require accessibility for buses.

The cost of rebuilding New Zealand roads damaged by earthquakes in Canterbury and Christchurch has reached almost NZD 1bn (US $808.04 million). It is reported that the money might have to come from the government's NZD 9bn budget to fund the country's land transport plans for the next three years.

Swedish authorities are to install a further 600 new speed cameras will in a bid to tackle a rising number of speeding offences. Swedish authorities are to install a further 600 new speed cameras will in a bid to tackle a rising number of speeding offences. Ylva Berg, coordinator at the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), said that while the rise in speeding has been just under 1 per cent it must still be tackled as a further rise would increase the number of traffic fatalities.

A new average-speed camera, which can measure driving speeds over several kilometres, will be installed near Besançon. By late 2012, roughly 20 cameras will be installed in France. Similar systems exist in Italy, the UK and Netherlands. Over a stretch of two kilometres with a 70km/h speed limit, drivers are monitored twice.