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An estimated 75,000 people aged 15-34 were killed in road crashes in India during 2014. This accounted for 53.8% of India’s total road crash fatalities for 2014, around 129,300 in all. The data comes from India’s 2014 Road Accident Report by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry. The report also revealed that 84% of those 75,000 killed were males. The data is in line with World Health Organisation's report that road crashes are the number one cause of death among people aged 15-29 globally. The 2014 Road

The Indian Government plans to build a new highway connecting Katra with New Delhi. The route will be some 600km long, running through Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir. A consultant is being selected to carry out a feasibility study for the project. The project will cost in the order of US$2.25 billion and will be of importance as Katra is where the Vaishno Devi holy shrine is located. The new link will reduce travel time on the route from 11-12 hours at present to five-six hours when the work is complete

Trimble is expanding with the acquisition of Norwegian firm Vianova Systems. The move brings Trimble additional capabilities in BIM, a key technology area. The financial terms were not disclosed. Vianova Systems is a pioneer in the development of software leveraging advanced BIM technology for the civil engineering market and infrastructure lifecycle management across infrastructure design. The company offers a portfolio of solutions for civil engineers, civil contractors and project owners. These solutions

A major road network improvement programme is planned for Ethiopia. For the 2015/2016 financial year, the country aims to build and maintain over 14,000km of roads. The programme is being managed by the Ethiopian Road Construction Corporation (ERCC). At present the firm is carrying out a series of road construction and maintenance works costing some US$313.5 million.

A series of major road projects is now getting underway in Poland, while tenders for new projects are also opening. Estimates suggest that the construction of six new ring-roads in the Opolszczyzna region will cost some €356 million. These ring roads all form part of the 2014-2023 National Road Construction Programme. The first projects to be carried out will be for the ring-roads around Mysliny and Niemodlina. In all, the National Road Construction Programme will include the building of 57 ring-roads.

Strabag consortium has signed a contract for construction of a 15.2km section of the A1 motorway between Wozniki and Pyrzowice. Completion of the section that will connect Pyrzowice with Czestochowa is due by the end of 2018. It is the first of four contracts signed for construction of the motorway. Strabag’s offer is believed to be around €144 million, while the budget set by the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA), was set just over €200 million. Meanwhile, the S6 dual car

The Ecuadorian city of Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in discussions with contractors for construction of a 50km ring road. The city – whose full name is Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca - is the capital of the highland Azuay province and around 2,500m above sea level. It has a population of around 400,000 rising to 700,000 in the larger metro area. Ecuadorian media reports put the cost of the road at around US$600 million. The initiative will be financed by the private sector and the winn

China is offering an interest-free US$130 million loan to Pakistan for construction of the Gwadar East Bay Expressway in the southwest port of Gwadar. The proposed 19km expressway will connect the Gwadar Port with the Mekran Coastal Highway, passing along the east bay of Gwadar City. The loan is part of a wider financing deal whereby China has a converted $225.5 million loan for the Gwadar International Airport into a loan. Work on the highway is expected to start in November for completion at the

Michelin has invested in the Chinese start-up company Luli Information Technology, based in Shanghai. Luli was set up in 2014 to develop applications for vehicle ride-sharing services in China, and created the app Lu You Tong Xing Michelin said its investment, through the French global tyre maker’s Incubator programme, will help Luli develop more products in a market where ride-sharing is growing in popularity. Jean-Claude Zhang, chief executive of Luli Information Technology said Michelin’s investme