News

THE NEW highway network currently being built in the Czech Republic will be completed in 2025, five years later than the original planned completion date of 2020. The country’s Transport Ministry has said that €19.55 billion will be needed to extend the total length of the network from the current 1,113km to 2,153km. However,it has pointed out that a new system of funding will be required or there will be a shortfall to pay for the plans by 2020.Various options are being considered at present with bond issu

Topcon Europe Positioning says that Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS, Livermore, California, USA) has acquired InlandGEO, one of Topcon’s top performing distributors. InlandGEO is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, and has four additional offices in Spain, two in Portugal and one in the Canary Islands. In addition to continuing to distribute Topcon and Sokkia positioning products to the construction and survey markets in Spain and Portugal, InlandGEO will become the headquarters for distribution and support fo

A LEGAL dispute is now underway in Russia over the St Petersburg ring road project. Construction company Flora was awarded a €187.6 million contract for an 11km section of the ring road in 2008, winning the tender by making the lowest bid. However, the Russian authorities have taken the contract for this section of the ring road away from Flora claiming it did not meet set targets. Flora is disputing the loss of the contract with the authorities.

A STUDY of highway construction costs in eight European countries highlights Austria as the most expensive. The report says that highways in Austria cost €12.87 million/km. The next most expensive country is Hungary at €11.21 million/km, followed by Slovakia at €9.56 million/km and then the Czech Republic at €8.86 million/km.

Cooper Technology, among the leaders in the design and manufacture of computercontrolled testing equipment for asphaltic and unbound materials, has unveiled its next generation of intelligent technology. New developments to the pioneering company's standalone four-point bending beam (BB) machine SA4PT Control Unit MKII that facilitates the rapid throughput of modulus and fatigue tests, now integrates the fully automated software of the Beam Flex V3 1.0.

Kenya's highway network is to benefit from a tie-up with the Iranian Government. The new Rumuruti-Maralal road will be built using funding sourced by the Iranian Government. The 121km road is expected to cost some US$100 million.

The Indian Government has granted approvals for 32 highway construction projects during the 2009-2010 financial year. These routes have a total length of 3,600km but this falls below the targeted 126 projects stretching for a total of 11,928km in total for this time period. For the 2010-2011 financial year, the plan is to build highways totalling in excess of 15,000km.

Work is being planned on Melbourne's M80 ring road upgrade. This A$2.25 billion project is intended to cut congestion at peak periods, boost safety and reduce journey times for commuters and freight traffic. The project is due for completion in 2013 with some of the work already underway. The work includes an extra lane being installed on either side of the road between Sunshine Avenue and Furlong Road as well as widening of the freeway bridge over Furlong Road.

Some signs do not mean what they say! (photo courtesy of World Highways reader, Narinder Mahajan).

Concerns are being expressed in Australia that upgrades to the road system in Sydney will be delayed. The improvements to the F3 and M4 East to M2 extension are now likely to start in 2026 and the M2 to M4 East tunnel project are expected to commence in 2036.