News

Canada's Henri IV road will be widened and upgraded in a project worth US$413.6 million ($400 million). The road is located in West Quebec and work is not expected to commence until 2013. Quebec's Ministry of Transport has explained that the Henry IV road will be widened as this will be more effective at reducing congestion as well as being cheaper than the alternative, which would have been to extend the Félix-Leclerc highway.

In the US city of Milwaukee plans are in hand for a major highway upgrade that is expected to cost US$300 million. The upgrade will focus on Interstate 794 where it runs through the centre of Milwaukee, as well as the Hoan Bridge. This three year project is due to start at the end of 2013 and will improve connections with the Port of Milwaukee.

Work will start in the second half of 2011 on a new stretch of Hungary's M3 highway between Vasarosnameny and the number 49 highway.

Major cost increases are expected for the 1,250km Autopistas de la Montana highways project in Colombia. According to local company ISA, the cost of the project will exceed the projected US$3.5 billion. However the new links are expected to offer better transport connections and boost travel speeds.

Work is now underway in Bangladesh on the country's new Dhaka Elevated Expressway. The construction work is being carried out by Italian-Thai Development and the project is expected to help address Dhaka's chronic traffic congestion issues.

The tender process is opening for Israel's Road 531 project, which will link Tel Aviv with Sharon. The highway contract will form part of the country's largest ever road project, according to the Israel National Roads Company.

Plans are in hand in the Ukraine's Crimea area for a new 93km highway. This route will connect Gvardeyskoe, Gluboky Yar and Yalta and will include a 7km section of tunnel running under Mount Ai-Petri. The project is expected to cost in the region of US$1.5 billion (€1.04 billion) to construct.

Carillion has been awarded a US$16 million contract to transform another section of the UK’s M6 in Birmingham, between Junctions 5 and 8, into a managed motorway.

Urban mobility is high on the infrastructure agenda in Mexico. While highways continue to be a priority, capital Mexico City and other large cities across the country are looking to implement mass transport systems such as bus rapid transit (BRT) lines.

The tender process for the A355 western Strasbourg bypass in France is nearing completion and the winner will be announced shortly. The 24km highway stretch is expected to take 52 months to build and will cost some €750 million while for the moment at least, Vinci Concessions is the preferred bidder. The 55 year contract includes design, financing, construction and operation and maintenance.

Late in 2010 Macquarie Mexican Infrastructure Fund (MMIF), the first peso-denominated fund focused solely on investment opportunities in Mexican infrastructure projects, completed the acquisition of a northern Mexico highway package.

More than 1,600 people took part in four days of transport research topic discussion at the TRA2012 conference in Athens, Greece. The event between 23-26 April included a special focus on infrastructure, with large numbers of FEHRL (Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories) members taking part in different sessions. One key strategic session titled ‘Infrastructure for the 21st century’ was moderated by Hans Jeekel (Rijkswaterstaat) and featured Marit Brandtsegg from Statens Vegvesen (NPRA) a