News

Fugro Aperio collected and processed data from up to 7,000km lanes of English trunk roads as part of a just completed Traffic Speed Structural Survey (TRASS) contract. The work, commissioned by TRL on behalf of the Highways Agency (HA), saw the Cambridge-based survey specialist gain information using the HA’s Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD). The innovative TSD technology uses Doppler lasers to measure the speed at which the pavement deflects in response to load.

The partnership of national road research centres, FEHRL, is setting out two key strategy elements in a bid to develop an advanced and affordable transport infrastructure. FEHRL says that an effective transport system will provide the basis for economic opportunities. The FEHRL General Assembly (FGA) set out two important strategy elements within its fifth Strategic European Road Research Programme (SERRP V) launched in 2011. One is for the gradual broadening of its scope to transport infrastructure in rai

All nine U.S. Supreme Court justices have backed the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and refused to widen the scope of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). ARTBA, the only transport construction association involved in the case, joined with eight other industry associations in filing a claim, urging the Court to overturn a lower court holding that the entire span of three rivers in Montana was “navigable” because certain remote sections are used for recreational pursuits. For trans

Nottinghamshire County Council in the East Midlands region of England is considering a programme of maintenance projects and new building projects worth just under US$560million. The work would take place between 2013 and 2016 and would include a $31.3million project to widen the A453. A further $47million of the building fund could be invested in transport improvements and $18.8million a year may be used for highways maintenance.

Israeli financing looks to be one funding option for the Northern Tunnel project planned in the Russian city of Rostov. The plan calls for a 2.5km tunnel that will be tolled and link city centre with Northern residential area and will help reduce congestion on Nagibin Avenue. This is at present the only large highway linking the city centre with the residential district and is congested at peak periods. The tunnel project is valued at US$252 million and construction work is expected to take six years. The a

A leading US highway construction association has renewed its pledge to work with the federal government to reduce deaths and injuries in roadway construction zones. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) said the ‘Work Zone Safety Alliance’ will develop and distribute education material over the next two years aimed at preventing worker injuries and deaths from construction vehicle runovers and backovers. The education drive will also focus on increased outreach to non-English-spe

Road management firm Ruta del Sol intends to invest US$846 million in Colombia’s Ruta del Sol highway during 2012. The highway connects Colombia’s Central region with the Atlantic coast. Ruta de Sol has already invested $282 million in maintenance works for the 600km or so of existing highway and intends to extend the highway by a further 100km. Ruta de Sol has already opened the first 10km of the highway that forms part of the Sector 2 stretch of the, linking Puerto Salgar (Cundinamarca) to San Roque (Cesa

Visionstream Australia has been selected as preferred provider for an AU$62.5 million (US$67 million) contract by VicRoads to deliver the ITS communications infrastructure and intelligence services to the M80 Ring Road in Melbourne, Australia. The installation of this electronic freeway management system along 38kms of road from Laverton North to Greensborough will provide VicRoads with the ability to manage traffic flow and reduce congestion on the M80 and its main connecting roads. Under the contract, Vis

Vitronic Machine Vision Middle East and its Qatar partner Itqan Holding have announced an order for 26 PoliScan systems, 16 of which will be employed for speed enforcement, while ten will operate as combined solutions for speed and red light enforcement. The Doha airport’s operating company Qatar Civil Aviation Authority is Vitronic’s end customer in Qatar and the new systems will be used primarily for enforcement on the Airport Road, built last year. The PoliScan systems’ deployment, Vitronic’s secon

Highway surveying company Yotta DCL has signed a four-year contract worth around US$3.61 million with the UK Highways Agency to survey and monitor some 140,000km of motorway and other major roads across England. As part of the agreement, Yotta DCL will perform a traffic speed condition survey (TRACS) to determine the condition of the road surface, assess the areas in particular need of repair and determine where immediate action needs to be taken. The company will use its new state-of-the-art Tempest highwa

The Indonesian government is committed to developing transport infrastructure leading to the Tanjung Lesung and Sei Mangke special economic zones (SEZs), according to the vice minister of national planning and development Lukita Dinarsyah Tuwo. Development of the infrastructure within the zones will be carried out by their management company Perkebunan Nusantara III. Tuwo said the national government will be involved in the development of the Kuala Tanjung port, the nearby national roads and railway t

Alfom, a German IT company, has announced the TripGuard app (www.tripguard.de) for Android (which will shortly also be available for the iPhone) that provides an eCall service in case of emergency. The inventor of the system was driven to develop the software following the tragic death of his mother in the autumn of 2010. Late one night, her car left the road, overturned and was not visible to passing motorists. Seriously injured but still conscious, it was nearly two hours before she was discovered and rel