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Marketing types like to claim that their machine is “versatile”, meaning just about anything from it can turn a corner to making a cup of tea for the operator while digging a ditch. We at World Highways believe that it is only a truly experienced professional operator who can bring out the versatility in a machine. You can see for yourself, at 55 seconds into this compilation video, just what one of those true blue professionals can do. But don’t do this at home. And certainly don’t do this on a co

A new freeway project is planned in Phoenix, Arizona. The joint venture for this design-build and maintain project will be led by Fluor Corporation. The package of works was awarded by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and is for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. This freeway project will be the first procured under Arizona’s public-private-partnership statute.

Work has started on a US$22.4 million access route through the centre of Stafford in northern England.

Plans are well in hand for the sixth edition of the Transport Research Arena - TRA2016 conference. This will take place in Polish capital Warsaw and follow successful events held previously in Göteborg, Ljubljana, Brussels, Athens and Paris in. This cycle of TRA conferences is the most important event in Europe that addresses scientific research on surface and water transport.

Taiwan is seeing a general improvement in its road safety. For 2015, the rate of fatal road traffic crashes fell 7.4% compared with 2014. There were 1,639 fatal road crashes in Taiwan during 2015. The number of road deaths also dropped by 123 to 1,696 in 2015. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications, these figures are both record lows since figure for road deaths began being compiled.

In Colombia plans are now in hand for a major highway improvement project. Concesión Pacífico Tres is joint concession operator of the tolled links for Colombia’s major commercial regions connecting with the Pacific port hub. US firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has provided advice to Colombian Concessionaire Concesión Pacífico Tres SAS and its sponsors, MHC Ingeniería y Construcción de Obras Civiles and Construcciones El Cóndor, and Costa Rica’s infrastructure company Constructora MECO. The advice was

Vietnam is seeing a steady gain in road safety standards, particularly for children. The country’s latest official statistics from the Traffic Police Department of Vietnam show a 40% drop in fatalities involving children aged between 6 and 11 on the road network. This safety improvement has been achieved through a package of measures. However, there is still concern over the number of children riding motorcycles without helmets and the Traffic Police Department of Vietnam recognises the need for greater enf

The Kenyan Government is suspending construction of toll stations along major highways. The plans to implement toll stations along the country’s key highways have been suspended by the Ministry of Transport. The government has also directed Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) to stop the publicisation of the programme. Billboards along the highway announcing the introduction of road tolls were also to be removed.

Concern is being expressed over the increase in the number of road traffic fatalities in Germany. The German statistical office, Statistisches Bundesamt, has revealed there were a total of 3,475 road traffic fatalities in Germany in 2015. This was an increase of 89 from the previous year. This is the second consecutive year of an increase in road fatalities. Traffic deaths for 2013 were just 3,339, the lowest level on record since the 1950s. Meanwhile the number of people injured in road traffic crashes gre

There is major disagreement in Germany over plans for a new approach to financing road development proposed by the government. The authorities in the states are objecting to the government proposal to open a road fund, which will be responsible for building and maintaining the major routes roads and which would be able to award contracts to private companies. The federal states currently have responsibility for the road-building work with, funding coming from central sources and they do not want to lose inf

The Mexican Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) says that the US$6.98 billion budget cut made by the Federal Government will impact on infrastructure projects. According to the SCT, the completion of 20 road initiatives will be delayed while the body will also downsize its workforce. In a bid to redress the balance, the SCT will seek public-private partnerships (PPPs) to continue with certain infrastructure projects.

South Korea’s road safety is improving, according to its National Police Agency. The figures show that the number of deaths caused by traffic crashes in the country dropped from 4,762 in 2014 to 4,621 in 2015. Of note is that 38.8% of the road deaths involved pedestrians. Cause for concern is that the number of female victims involved in fatal crashes increased by 3.1% to 540. On a more positive note, the ratio of deaths in every 10,000 cars dropped from 2.6 in 2010 to 1.9 in 2015. A total of 583 people wer