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Shell Bitumen has signed a partnership arrangement for the Indian market with Tiki Tar Industries. This will allow the firm sell bitumen to customers in the road surfacing sector, including national and state highways, airport runways and village roads in India. Tiki Tar and Shell India is a 50:50 incorporated joint venture between Shell and Tiki Tar Industries,. The new partnership will supply and market an extensive range of bitumen products based on the Shell Bitumen product portfolio. “This partnership

The annual Year in Infrastructure Awards 2019 run by software specialist Bentley Systems saw a record number of entries, with 571 submissions from 60 countries. Competition was tough, with three finalists being selected by panels of expert judges for the wide range of entry categories.

A new joint venture company has been established by Bentley Systems and Topcon Positioning.

France’s heavy earthmoving equipment market grew around 7% in the first eight months of 2019, according to Evolis, the construction equipment sector’s umbrella body. Sales for compact earthmoving equipment were not far behind, posting a 5% increase. “Since 2016, heavy equipment sales growth has been gaining momentum compared to compact equipment,” the organisation said in a written statement. “If this trend continues over year 2019, this will be the first time in seven years that heavy equipment sales

Poland has secured nearly €325 million from the European Union for construction of the S1 expressway between the junctions of Przybedz Milowka. The deal was signed with the regional government of the Silesia voivodeship. The Expressway S1 with a planned length of 130km, runs through the Silesian and Lesser Poland voivodeships. Upon completion, it will connect the A1 motorway near the Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice with the A4 motorway and the border of Slovakia in Zwardoń along with the

Work is continuing in the Italian city of Genoa on the massive bridge replacement project. The 50m sections of the new bridge deck are now being raised into place using heavy lifting cranes. The deck sections weigh around 500tonnes apiece and measure 50m long, with 18 of these components being required in all. The bridge replacement work is necessary following the horrific collapse of the old Morandi Bridge during 2018, which involved multiple fatalities. The new bridge was designed by Renzo Piano and the w

Tarmac has won a major new highways maintenance contract extension for a key section of the UK’s busy A1(M) between Darrington and Dishforth.

A proposal for a European standard covering electric roads has been put forward by SEK Svensk Elstandard, the Swedish organisation for standardisation of the electricity sector. This would include technology for transmitting electrical power to vehicles while they are in motion. However there are questions over the cost of electrifying roads. A trial project has been carried out in Örebro in Sweden. The Swedish power company Eon believes it would cost around €957 million to provide electric power to 1,000k

The cost of the planned bridge connecting Sotra Island to mainland Norway may be considerably higher than originally anticipated. The project could cost as much as €1.78 billion to carry out, which includes building the necessary road links and tunnel sections. With the concession for the bridge being planned as a 20-year package, there is concern that this will not be a viable deal for Norwegian firms. Construction is intended to be complete by 2026. A number of international firms have expressed an intere

Work for Peru’s Anillo Vial Periferico ring road project is underway at present. The project is costing an estimated US$2.4 billion. Meanwhile a loan worth US$350 million has been agreed for the Pativilca-Trujillo toll road project. This will be used to finance additional construction works for the project. The loan will be for a five year period.

The tender process has been run in El Salvador for the feasibility study and design works for an upgrade to the Panamericana route.

Resurfacing work on the 72km road connecting Soa with Esse and Awae in Cameroon has been subject to lengthy delays.

A different financing model will now pay for work to upgrade Paraguay’s Route 2 road link.

Tendering is opening for the consultation work for Nepal’s major Kathmandu-Terai/Madesh Expressway project. World Highways correspondent for Nepal, Ram Krishna Wagle, reports that the route will be designed to meet the Asian Highway Primary Class A standard. The work will review the previously completed detail engineering survey, detail design of expressway, the design of the expressway retaining structures, cross-drainage structures and drainage structures. It will also review river training structures, hi