News

The new East Bay Highway link in Pakistan will be constructed with assistance from China following an agreement between the two countries. The project has a projected cost of US$161 million and the highway will stretch 19.5km. The construction of the new East Bay Highway will improve transport links to the Gwadar Port, easing truck traffic.. The project forms part of the wider China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) programme of works.

Vietnam continues to buck the trend for most Asian countries by managing to reduce its road death toll. Right across Asia vehicle numbers are increasing and in many, if not most countries road death rates are growing fast. However Vietnam is having considerable success in lowering its annual road death toll. New data shows that since 2011, the country has managed to cut crashes by 19.5% while road deaths have dropped by 7%/year.

New highway and bridge projects are being planned that will boost connectivity in the Russian Federation. One project lies close to the city of Ufa while another is in the Perm Region. The project to build the new Eastern Exit highway link close to Ufa, capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, is now expected to cost US$590.1 million, compared with the $503.3 million that was originally anticipated.

Work on Algeria’s East-West highway is drawing to its final conclusion, after several years of activity. The final stretch will connect Algeria with Tunisia and construction of this section is due to restart before the end of 2017. When the tender process is announced, the projected cost of the work will also be released. The Algerian Government is keen for work on this last stretch of the highway to be complete by the end of 2018.

Funding has been found to help pay for building and operating Mexico’s Atizapan-Atlacomulco highway. OHL is building the link and has secured US$364.6 million in loans for the project. The financing package is being provided by several banks, including Santander, Institucion de Banca Multiple, Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Publicos (Banobras) and Santander Mexico.

Funding for a road project in Myanmar looks likely to come from Thailand. The project and the possibility of a finance package for the work has been discussed in Myanmar’s parliament. The funding would come in the shape of a loan worth US$136 million and would help pay for the construction of the two-lane link. The new road connection will run between Myanmar’s Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Thailand.

A major road construction programme worth a total of US$2.31 billion is being planned for Arunachal Pradesh in India. The planned work would see the construction of around 800km of roads, with the programme having been set out by the Indian body, National Highways & Infrastructure Development (NHIDCL). The programme would account for around half of NHIDCL's total investments for India as a whole.

A funding package from Japan will help pay for the third stage of Sri Lanka’s key Central Expressway project. The third phase of the Central Expressway project will be constructed by the Japanese firm, Taisei Corporation, with the work taking five years to complete. Financing worth US$883 million is being provided by the Japanese Government for the project. This third stage of the Central Expressway will stretch 32.5km and will connect Pothuhera with Galagedara.

A series of highway and tunnel projects are planned for Colombia’s Antioquia Department. These new tunnel and highway projects form part of Colombia’s 4G infrastructure development programme. In all 19 tunnel stretches are planned for the eight highways being built in Antioquia as part of the 4G programme. The new highways are providing 28,000 jobs in all and will improve transport connections between Antioquia Department and Colombia’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Interest is strong in the project to build the Agua Negra Tunnel, which will connect Chile and Argentina. So far 10 consortia have been pre-selected to enter the bidding process for the project. However Ebitan, the joint Chilean/Agentinian commission with responsibility for the project has said it will not release the names of the consortia that have been pre-selected until November 2017 instead.

Senegal is setting an impressive target for its road construction projects. The country aims to have built 187km of new highways during 2018. The country’s current key highway development projects were started in 2012. Senegal’s whole programme of highway works has been worth US$2.12 billion in all. The country has also boosted its tertiary road network with 38 separate projects, adding a total of 1,061km of roads and seven bridges.

A new alignment is being considered for a major project in Russia’s second city, St Petersburg. A tunnel stretch running under the Neva River is being considered as an alternative route for the Eastern High Speed Diameter (EHSD) project. This tunnel would take the place of the fixed bridge, which has been criticised by some for its impact on the city’s skyline. However building the tunnel would increase the cost of the project by around US$52 million.