News

An important bridge link is opening in the Russian city of St Petersburg shortly. The Yakhtenny Bridge over the Bolshaya Nevka River in St Petersburg will open to traffic on 1st June 2017. The bridge is undergoing testing once the asphalt surface, guardrails and lighting work has been completed. The bridge is being built by contractor Pylon at a cost of some US$33 million. The new bridge will provide a link from the city’s Primorsky district to the new stadium on Krestovsky Island under construction for the

Plans are in hand to construct a bridge spanning the Soai Rap River. The project has been given official approval from the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People's Committee. The project for the new Can Gio Bridge is expected to cost close to US$352 million. The 3.4km bridge will carry four lanes of traffic and will connect Can Gio district with the inner part of HCMC. Can Gio Urban Tourism, and Trung Nam Construction Investment jointly worked on the plans for the bridge.

Road markings specialist Evonik is opening its road safety awards for entries. The firm was a pioneer of MMA cold plastic road markings and established its awards system last year in a bid to help improve road safety and disseminate best practices. Following the successful introduction of these awards last year, Evonik will again elect and award a public authority for its efforts in improving road safety. The winner of this award will be selected by an independent jury consisting of international road safet

Preparations for the 18th edition of the IRF World Road Meeting are advancing and it is predicted to be a memorable event in terms of the technical programme, its participants and the exhibition itself. With papers being presented from all over the world covering ten thematic topics, daily innovation cafés, a remarkable line-up of keynote speakers and many business and networking opportunities, this is a must-attend conference and exhibition for the transport and mobility sector. Exclusive attention will b

The race track used for the Malaysian Grand Prix has benefited from a repaving of its surface. This has helped boost the quality of the surface, making it smoother as well as providing more grip and also allowing it to drain more effectively during periods of heavy rainfall. A key component of the work has been the use of the Shell Cariphalte Racetrack material. This is a special high performance version of bitumen specifically developed for use on racing circuits. The 5.543 km track was resurfaced prior

An 8.6km elevated highway project has been proposed for Manila, the capital of the Philippines. SM Investments and Ayala jointly submitted a proposal to build the Circumferential Road 3 (C3) Expressway to the Department of Public Works and Highways. The elevated highway being proposed would have four-lanes and measure 8.6km –long. The planned route would link Sta Mesa in Manila with the SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City. It would also pass through the Makati central business district and feature five in

The Estonian capital Tallinn, announced that Nordecon is the winner in the €19.8 million tender for reconstruction of the Haabersti road intersection. As part of the reconstruction, two tunnels - 38m and 54m – will be built for cyclists and pedestrians. Phase one of the project includes a 277m-long road bridge in the direction of Paldiski Road and phase two will construction of a roundabout with traffic lights. The project is co-financed by the EU Cohesion Fund and completion is set for October 201

Budapest’s iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge that was opened in 1849 is set for a €73 million upgrade starting this summer, according to Hungarian media. Work will include revamping of a nearby tunnel in the Hungarian capital with completion set for the end of 2019. The suspension Chain Bridge spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest and was designed by English engineer William Tierney Clark following an initiative by the Count István Széchenyi. It is a larger scale version of Clark's earlier Marlow B

Latvia’s capital Riga will invest around €280,000 to upgrade pedestrian crossings and another €400,000 in better traffic lights. The aim is to improve visibility and vehicle flow at pedestrian crossings because of concerns over the number of accidents, some of them fatal to children. According to local media, police reported 65 traffic accidents at crossings last year. Three were fatal and ten of the accidents seriously injured children. So far this year, 16 such traffic accidents have been registered

A new tool offers the chance to speed repairs to utilities, reducing disturbance to drivers and pedestrians alike in busy urban areas. The conventional way to break into an existing cast iron main has been to expose it from the surface in a pit and then hit it hard with something until it breaks. However, this is no longer considered either safe or efficient. Instead, Utility Innovation Solutions (UIS) has delivered a more effective tool, the Click Stick.

Poor road conditions present a major hazard to drivers in the Australian state of Victoria. Research by Australian motoring club, RACV, of data from VicRoads shows that 1,452km of the regional road network, around 7.4% of the system, is in a distressed state. The RACV is urging Victoria’s State Government to boost its road repair budget for 2017 to US$229 million (A$300 million) and begin tackling the problem. In all $916 million will be required to address the state’s road repair problem as long as work st

Russian road project construction tenders faced a series of serious problems in 2016. Around 30% of the tenders planned in 2016 actually fell through, according to the road agency FAS. The tenders were worth some US$4.78 billion. However the FAS intends to ensure that the majority of the road project tenders for the 2017-2019 period go through. The FAS is also intent on tackling cartels operating in the road construction sector and introduce fair competition to the industry.