News

The Guatemalan government has recently announced that the Inter-Oceanic corridor project, involving a four-lane motorway, a railway, two ports and industrial parks, is of national and public interest, as it will allow the country to position itself strategically for global trade. Such a large scale project is expected to attract foreign investment, create new jobs and enlarge government coffers in terms of taxes. Infrastructure investments of US$ 7 billion- $8 billion have been calculated. The first interna

According to consultancy firm Nippon Koei, Paraguay needs about US$5 billion to modernise all its local transport system over a period of ten years, encompassing roads, railway and air. Road projects worth $2.21 billion are currently being carried out using government funds. Remaining investments for road infrastructure have been calculated by Nippon Koei at $1.6 billion from Public-Private Partnerships, followed by $374 million from private funds, and public funds ($1.05 billion). About 15% of roads are in

The US$2.6 billion, 30-year municipal bonds issued to pay for the longest traffic beltway in America are reported to be priced cheaper at around $97, with a higher yield of 5.15%. Bloomberg claims the bonds for the Grand Parkway in Houston – a 290km (180 miles) road circling the city - could have been sold by the Texas Department of Transportation during a much healthier market period from as early as April this year. Also known as Texas State Highway 99, the Grand Parkway opened its first section in 1994.

Costain has won an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) contract to improve the A160, from the junction with the A180 at Brocklesby Interchange to the Port of Immingham, near Grimsby, north Lincolnshire, England. The project design aims to reduce traffic congestion and improve journey time reliability to meet the needs of current traffic flows and predicted growth in traffic resulting from existing and future developments. The project also seeks to improve safety for road users and the local community. Works

In Indonesia the country’s government intends to speed up preparations for the massive Trans Sumatra tollroad project. This 2,700km highway link is costing close to US$30 billion and much of the work will be carried out by the state-owned contractor, Hutama Kaya. Construction will commence in late-September 2013 and the project is scheduled to be fully open by 2025. This highway will connect all 10 provinces in Sumatra Island through Aceh-Lampung. Phase one of the project is for the construction of four sec

The World Bank is providingUS$99 million in funding to Nepal for a major transport project. The funding will come in the form of loans and grant assistance and is aimed at the Nepal-India Regional Trade and Transport Project (NIRTTP). This project includes the improvements to the Birgunj-Kathmandu corridor as well as the construction of a series of upgrades of the existing Narayanghat-Mugling road. The work will also include the construction of a logistics centre. The loans are worth $72 million while $27 m

The Brazilian government is considering setting up a national electronic toll payment system. The favoured system will be based on the state of Sao Paulo's solution, which uses an electronic tagging system installed in each vehicle to charge for payments. The proposed national toll payment aims to cover the nation's roads and to track cargo in railways, airports and ports. Brazilian planning and logistics company EPL will be responsible for setting up this tagging system, which is already used by 55% of veh

The government plans to turn the Highways Agency into a Network Rail-style public company as part of its efforts to boost national transport infrastructure. While the government has revealed plans for a long-term investment totalling €32.37 billion (£28 billion) in road-building, few projects are ‘shovel-ready’, with much of the investment backloaded until 2020. Funding levels will increase to more than €3.46 billion (£3 billion) a year by the end of the decade for major A-roads and motorways. The legislati

Salini and its subsidiary Todini Costruzioni Generali have been awarded a US$386.43 million contract to build four stretches of the Almaty-Khorgos motorway in Kazakhstan. In the same country, Salini and Todini have also been awarded a $120.51 million contract for the construction of a stretch on the Almaty Ust-Kamenogorsk road. A third contract valued at $31.43 million awarded to Salini-Impregilo involves the construction of a 70km road stretch north of Free Town, in Sierra Leone.