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Two major highway projects are being planned in Yemen. A new 710km highway will link the southern port city of Aden with Saudi Arabia, while there are also plans for a new 85km highway in the country’s central region. The route connecting Aden with Saudi Arabia is expected to cost some US$3.5 billion to construct. Around $134 million is being provided for this project by the World Bank while the Saudi Development Fund will supply $320 million. Work is expected to commence in three months’ time although the

Clearview Traffic brand Golden River’s innovative M210 Logging Stud for planners and road operators is said to be achieving global sales success among those looking for a low-cost vehicle counting solution for both permanent and occasional data collection. The M210 solar powered logging stud provides accurate count information in a simple self-contained unit that can be installed quickly and easily, thus minimising costs, saving valuable time and most importantly disruption with installation and ongoing

Chinese construction machinery has been affected by excess production but there is potential for market development opportunities in 2014. Data from the excavator industry shows that the first quarter of 2014 has seen recovery, compared with 2013 and 2012. According to China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA), excavator sales for February hit 9,410, 55.3% above last year’s level. The leading domestic brands included Liugong, Sany, Sunward and XGMA while the leading foreign brands included Caterpi

XCMG is now developing its manufacturing capability in Brazil. The foundation for the facility was laid on December 12th 2012 and is the first wholly-owned manufacturing base construction project that XCMG has engaged in during the course of its international development. Covering an area of 800,000m2 and representing a total investment of US$200 million, the facility aims build some 7,000 units of construction machinery/year when production ramps up to capacity. The machines being built at the facto

The novel rectangular tunnelling system developed by Shanghai Urban Construction Tunnel Engineering has been used successfully on part of the Henan Zhengzhou Weisi Road tunnel project. The equipment has been used to drive a rectangular section receiving shaft underneath Zhongzhou Road. When complete, the Zhengzhou Weisi Road tunnel will run underneath Zhongzhou Road, which is in Zhengdong New District. Zhongzhou Road forms the boundary of the central urban area. The use of this novel pipe jacking ma

A successful bridge demolition project has been carried out in Chicago Illinois. The work to remove the Ontario Street Bridge was carried out on behalf of the Illinois Department of Transportation. A fleet of Caterpillar excavators was used for the work. The machines featured demolition attachments, allowing the structure to be removed in a controlled fashion as the video reveals.

The UK’s Construction Equipment Association (CEA) has a Technology Strategy Board, which is commencing a funding competition for research and development projects in the field of off-highway vehicles. There will be a TSB Off Highway Vehicle Networking and Consortium Building Event at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon on Thursday 3rd July. This is a key event for companies considering bidding for funds through the TSB’s new competition covering the construction equipment sector. The event also provides the o

In Northern Germany plans are being set out for a new Autobahn bridge spanning the famous Kiel Canal. The A7 Autobahn crosses the Kiel Canal at Rendsburg but the existing concrete structure has been deemed unable to cope with the volumes of traffic it has to carry. The bridge has been subject to lane closures and the passage of heavy trucks has been restricted. The A7 Autobahn is an important route for Germany, running from the border with Denmark in the north all the way to the border with Austria in the s

Between 10%-15% of all new cars sales in Finland will be electric car sales, according to the country’s VTT Technical Research Centre. In its new TransSmart programme, VTT says the percentages mean that around 15,000 electric cars would be sold a year by 2020. VTT researchers believe rechargeable hybrid cars will increase in popularity.

Balfour Beatty has won a €225 million (£184 million) motorway upgrade contract from the Highways Agency. A total of 27.3kms (17 miles) on the M60 and M72 will be upgraded. The work includes converting the carriageway between junctions 18 and 20 on the M72 to a four-lane motorway. The carriageway stretch between junctions 8 and 12 on the M60 will also be upgraded. Employing around 1,000, the work is due to begin this month (July 2014) and be completed by autumn 2017.

The island of Reunion is to benefit from a new coastal road route that will reinforce the country’s connectivity. Construction company Egis will act as prime contractor for those firms carrying out work on the project. The work will involve building viaducts and dams to make way for the new road and the construction companies involved in the project will also focus on issues including environmental engineering. Egis will handle the project management and other aspects of the work will include overall design

In the second half of 2014, the launch date for an expressway project connecting Sejong and Seoul will be announced by the South Korean government. The expressway is set to ease traffic congestion in the Jungbu and Gyeongbu motorways. The project will cost an estimated US$6.57 billion (KRW 6.7 trillion), with the expressway spanning 129kms. It is due for completion by 2022.

Peru’s capital Lima faces a huge US$50 billion gap in its highways and other infrastructure, according to an official from the Lima metropolitan municipality (MML). "According to the studies that we have carried out, Lima needs to invest US$50bn in infrastructure to ensure growth and to continue to attract investments," Arturo Delgado, MML's urban project advisor, was quoted as saying by local daily La República. Delgado stressed in the same article that investments should go towards constructing new road

Applications for this year’s International Road Federation (IRF) Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA) had to be in by Monday 30 June 2014. GRAA is a one-of-a-kind competition to recognise innovative road projects and exemplary people that place the road industry at the forefront of worldwide social and economic development. The IRF views the awards as an important way to promote road innovation around the world and will make substantial efforts to see that the awarded achievements receive maximum wor