News

India has approved an ambitious US$1.04 billion project for constructing and upgrading 558km of roads to link it with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. India's Department of Economic Affairs has agreed to the project that will have 50% funding from the Asian Development Bank. A report by India’s independent newswire agency IANS noted that the work will be done within two years. "We have taken up five highway stretches in the country, which are very important for such a connectivity to succeed. This project i

The consortium of Spanish construction firm Acciona Infraestructura, Rizzanni of Italy and Besix of Belgium has been awarded the contract to build the Frederikssund motorway connection in Denmark. The €132 million deal across Roskilde fiord includes 8km of dual carriageway roads with double lane and a 1.3km tolled bridge. In January 2014, Arup was appointed as lead consultant to the Danish Road Directorate – Vejdirektoratet - for the design, procurement and site supervision of the new Roskilde Fjord L

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is looking at issuing a €40 million loan towards reconstruction of Lithuania's Vilnius-Utena A14 highway. According to a notice by the EIB earlier this year, the project includes reconstruction of 58km highway, the main traffic artery between the capital and north-eastern regions of Lithuania. The government intends to procure the project as a public-private partnership under a 13-year concession contract, including a 3-year construction period. The bank noted that t

Motorways are among the 25 infrastructure projects that Brazil’s new president, Michel Temer, intends to privatise in an attempt to revive the flagging economy. Other projects in the Projeto Crescer - Project Growth – plan include airports, rail lines, sewage systems, energy distributors and gas and oil fields. All the projects should be in majority private hands by 2018, he said during the announcement. “We will increasingly show that the government cannot do everything. We need to have the presen

India has embarked on an ambitious 6-year plan to upgrade 27,000km of roads into economic corridors. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion and boost jobs in 30 cities, according to a report by the Times of India. Around 44 stretches of highway have been earmarked for improvement and construction will include ring-roads. Financing will be a mixture of private investment and public money. In addition, the government will develop another 15,000 km, which will serve as feeder routes to these corr

The state government of Victoria has started expansion work on the 34km Monash Freeway in the city of Melbourne. The US$302 million project involves construction of 30km of lanes between the Clyde Road and the EastLink with a finish date of 2018. Premier Daniel Andrews recently toured the expansion headquarters, saying the project would ease congestion for the 200,000 motorists who use the road daily. The first round of works involves strengthening the shoulders so they can be used by motorists while

Bertha, the tunnelling machine that is making its way under the US city of Seattle, has restarted work after nearly three weeks of scheduled maintenance downtime. The machine has been sitting more than 51m underground while crews replaced of 14 large cutting tools, according to the Washington State Department of transportation. Each tool weighs just under 275kg. Bertha - as the SR 99 tunnelling machine is called – is working on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program. The Alaskan Way is an elevate

Austrian formwork specialist Doka has acquired Dutch construction materials research company. Around 40 people work at BAS, based in Venlo, Netherlands, which was set up in 1979 to researching and develop materials used in the construction industry, particularly concrete.

Komatsu is merging its manufacturing operations in Germany. The Komatsu Hanomag (KOHAG) plant in Hanover and the Komatsu Mining Germany facility in Düsseldorf are to merge. Both factories will remain but they will be operated jointly as Komatsu Germany.

Approval has been given for a major highway upgrade project in Taiwan. The Provincial Highway No 9 runs North-South and connects Hualien County with Taitung County. This route will be widened along a 41km stretch that lies between the Muguaxi Bridge and the border between the counties of Hualien and Taitung. The widening work will allow the highway to carry greater traffic volumes and the project was approved by the National Development Council of Taiwan. The work is expected to cost close to US$300 million

A new study from Bangkok’s Kasikorn Research Centre reveals the extent to which the notorious traffic congestion of Thailand’s capital city costs the country’s economy. And the problem is getting worse. Research reveals that drivers in Bangkok spend 35 minutes longer in in traffic jams during 2016 than they did in 2015. According to the research, vehicle commuters saw an increase in costs of some US$172 million due to additional fuel use while stalled in congestion. This has a negative impact on business of