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Halcrow has been appointed by Transport Scotland to develop a bridge operating company contract to manage and maintain the new Forth Replacement Crossing and the existing Forth Road Bridge. The £1.6million commission, won in the face of stiff competition under Transport Scotland’s multiple framework agreement, runs to December 2014. “Halcrow’s proven expertise as a client advisor helped us to deliver a winning proposition that targeted our client’s needs,” said Donald Bell, Halcrow’s client manager. “Our ro

LiuGong Machinery Corporation has officially opened its European headquarters in Almere, Netherlands. The near 4,000m² site is situated about 35km from Amsterdam and is said to have convenient access to European cities via air, sea and highway. The European headquarters will serve as the Chinese firm’s sales hub, technical support and spare parts distribution centre for existing and potential customers. “This new office will strengthen our presence as a top construction equipment manufacturer brand, and to

A key stage in improving the UK’s road safety has been achieved with the establishment of a new Road Safety Audit Certificate of Competency. The move sees the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) & the Society of Road Safety Auditors (SoRSA) are to award this Road Safety Audit Certificate of Competency on behalf of the Highways Agency (HA). EC Directives will require at least one member of a Road Safety Audit Team to hold a Certificate of Competency (CoC) when undertaking a Road Safety

Reconstruction of all Azerbaijan’s highways will cost at least US$38.2billion (AZN 30bn), according to the national ministry of transport. The overall length of highways across the country is 20,000km, with reconstruction works predicted to take up to 15 years.

China's Shandong province has set aside US$815.48million (CNY 5.16bn) for road developments in 2012, up 10.44% from its road development allocation in 2011. It will see Shandong's road network reaching 245,000km, according to its 2011-2015 plans. The financial department of the province disclosed that the funds will be mainly used for safety construction, equipment purchase, road expansion and maintenance.

EXIM Bank of China has approved in-principle an initial US$3.30billion loan (PGK 7bn) for infrastructure development in Papua New Guinea. Of the amount, PGK 1bn will be for a new four-lane highway connecting Lae to Nadzab, PGK 2bn for the highway from Gulf to Southern Highlands and PGK 4bn for rebuilding the Highlands Highway. The loan has a low interest rate of 2% for soft loan and 3.5% fir commercial loan.

Vinci has won a new US$1.13billion (€900million) contract in the UK for the maintenance of the Isle of Wight road network. The contract calls for an initial phase of work, then for the maintenance of the 821km road network including streets, roads, cycling paths and sidewalks.

Councillors in South Yorkshire, England, have recommended approval of a proposed dual carriageway linking the M18 and Robin Hood Airport. The project is expected to create new jobs, spur local investment and release land for housing development. Planning permission has yet to be formally granted, although it is anticipated that construction will begin this summer. The project is funded by US$3million (£2mn) from the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and £18million from the Regional Growth F

The Hungarian government has unveiled its road development plans for the next 15 years. A new motorway is set to be built between Szolnok and Budapest. In addition, another motorway would be created between the Austrian border, Kormend, near Zalaegerszeg and Szombathely, Veszprem, Dunaujvaros, Kecskemet, and Szolnok. The motorway would be split into two directions towards Debrecen and Romania.

Increasing demand for passenger cars worldwide could boost pressure on consumers to consider electric vehicles. According to the World Bank, more cars could be built over the coming 20 years than in the entire auto industry’s 110-year history. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that between 2010 and 2050, passenger transport flow will grow by some 30% in developed countries. This increase will have a significant impact on traditional road networks and modes of transpo