News

The tender process for a new highway in South Africa is now open for bids. The US$392.5 million project is for the north-west corridor of the Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT). Bids are also open now for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and topographical as well as structural services. The RRT is scheduled to start construction in June 2012 and be ready for use in 2015.

ContiTech generated new company record sales of €3.6 billion in 2011. It represented a 16% rise for the Hanover, Germany-based firm on its previous year sales of €3.1billion. The all-time sales high had a positive effect on recruitment as ContiTech hired around 1,400 new staff at locations around the world in 2011 - with 430 of the new jobs in Germany.

The Caterpillar Foundation today announced a five-year, $12.5 million grant to the World Resources Institute (WRI) to advance the progress of environmentally sustainable and livable cities in China, India, and Brazil.

The latest information from Germany’s equipment manufacturing association, the VDMA, suggests that the market looks healthy at present. VDMA figures show that the industry is showing moderate growth to continue in 2012. German manufacturers of building and building material machines are again banking on turnover to increase in the current year. This will set a good ground for the bauma exhibition taking place from 15 – 21 April 2013 in Munich. According to the organisers of the show, the signals for medium

Mozambique’s road network is to receive international funding for various projects. The 304km road connecting Cuamba and Lichinga in Niassa province will be improved under the plan.

The World Bank is reducing its financing projects in Ukraine until 2016. The new cooperation strategy between the bank and the country's government follows a drop in financing through slow spending loans extended by the bank to the country in recent years. The bank will provide US$150million for the Second Project for Exports Development in 2012. And Ukraine can also receive $1billion in 2013-2014. However, both financing packages will depend on development of economic reforms in the country during the foll

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) is calling on the European Governments to recognise the importance of investing in infrastructure. The FIEC says it recognises the challenging economic climate and the need for governments to cut unsustainable levels of public debt. But FIEC president Luisa Todini commented, “Austerity is however not a solution by itself.” Europe’s transport, energy and telecommunication networks are the backbone of the EU internal market, ensuring that goods and services

Plans are in hand for infrastructure upgrades in Malaysia. The local government in Selangor State is to carry out a series of infrastructure projects, including the construction of three or four highways with a total investment of US$2.44 billion. Meanwhile a new 6km toll road will be built to link Marunda with Kalibaru terminal in Indonesia's Tanjung Priok. This will cost an estimated US$167 million and forms part of a plan to have a railway and toll road linking other major facilities with the terminal.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is inviting bidders for 15 projects worth US$4.08billion. The combined projects will widen 2,000km of India’s highways. Three of the 15 will involve the widening of narrow roads into six-lane highways, while roads will be widened to four lanes in 10 of the other projects. Contracts for the projects are expected to be awarded in 2012/2013 once NHAI invites financial bids from potential candidates. About 60 companies are expected to compete for them.

Mott MacDonald has been appointed design consultant for the proposed Raipur-Bilaspur national highway 200 in India. Part of the National Highways Development Programme Phase IV established by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the new road will connect Raipur in Chhatttisgarh to Chandikohole in Orissa, passing through areas including Bilaspur, Raigarh and Jarsuguda. Costing US$244.2million, the 127km long road is primarily made up of four lanes, with 34km of the highway comprising six lanes. T

3M and Chesapeake Energy Corporation have announced an agreement to collaborate in designing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks for use in all sectors of the United States transportation market. Currently, the fuel tank on a CNG vehicle is its most expensive single component. It is claimed that the new CNG tanks developed through the partnership will reduce costs while increasing performance. Less expensive tanks will enable greater market adoption of CNG as

Long An province in Vietnam will see US$2.77billion spent on constructing and improving its inner waterway and road infrastructure over the next eight years. The provincial peoples’ committee (PPC) revealed that the major capital project will include the construction of bridges and roads linking central areas and towns. The new roads will stretch around 400km and new dredge waterways will span 600km on the Chanh, Thu Thua, Bac Dong and Tra Cu canals by 2015. Small wharves and Long An Port will also be estab

Good weather conditions prompted an increase in driving speeds leading to more road deaths in Germany in 2011, according to the country’s federal statistics office. Road deaths across the country rose 9.4% last year to 3,991. Further federal statistics office figures show the number of people injured in road accidents also increased, by 5.5% to 391,000. However, the number of road accidents dropped by 2.8% to 2.3million.