News

Italy saw sales of earth moving machinery climb 15% last year over that for 2016, according to Unacea, the Italian equipment association. In 2017, 12,275 earth moving machines were sold, up 15% on a year-on-year basis, while road equipment grew by 5%, with 491 units. Total sales were 12,766.

The Czech Republic is setting out its programme to develop its road infrastructure network. The plans call for work to build 360km of roads and highways as well as maintaining existing stretches. The construction plans include work on the Prerov section of the D1 highway, a stretch of the D40 from Hulin to Frystak, the Hodejovice section of the D3 highway and the Frydek-Mistek by-pass. They also include work to two sections each of the D35 highway and D11 highway as well as a number of bypasses for the D6

China has plans to build a smart highway in Zhejiang Province. The route will include warning technology and monitoring systems and will be complete in 2022. By utilising this technology the builders aim to boost the speed of traffic by 20-30%, without compromising safety. The 161km stretch of highway will feature three lanes in either direction and will also feature mobile charging systems for EVs. Once the route opens to traffic it is expected to halve journey times from Ningbo to Hangzhou from the

Gerd Leonhard: a key speaker at Transport Research Arena 2018 – TRA 2018 - in Vienna in April. International futurist Gerd Leonhard has been confirmed as a key speaker at this year’s Transport Research Arena 2018 in Vienna in April. To underline the visionary nature of TRA 2018, Leonhard - author and head of The Futures Agency - will speak at the opening session, exploring the importance of new technologies and the role of humans in the world of today’s digital mobility. From April 16-19, the 7th Transp

Caterpillar has announced strong fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2017. Sales and revenues in the fourth quarter of 2017 were US$12.9 billion, compared with $9.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2016. Fourth-quarter 2017 loss was $2.18/share, compared with a loss of $2/share in the fourth quarter of 2016.

The International Road Federation's Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA) will be presented at the IRF Global Road Conference & Road2Tunnel Global Expo. This will be held on November 2nd-4th, 2018 at Las Vegas in the USA. According to the IRF, the awards are intended to recognise innovative road projects and exemplary people that place the road industry at the forefront of worldwide social and economic development.

Work on the La Linea Tunnel project in Colombia has cost considerably more than first anticipated. The National Road Institute (Invias) says that the bill so far tops US$774 million. Extra costs of around $281.5 million have been incurred due to the need to drive a pilot tunnel as well as for three additional tunnel stretches as well as bridges along the approaches to the main tunnel. The project is now expected to be complete by the end of 2018, somewhat later than originally expected.

An upgrade is planned for the road connecting Uganda with Kenya at the Suam-Bukwo-Kapchorwa border crossing. The majority of the project costs will be paid for by a loan package worth US$94.5 million being provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The remaining $11.2 million needed for the work will be paid by the Ugandan Government. The project should take 36 months to carry out and will involve improving the 118km road that runs from Kapchorwa in Uganda to Kitale in Kenya.

Inhouse Tech will construct 13 bridges in Sweden as part of the E20 highway project. The firm was awarded the deal by the civil engineering and construction company Peab. The E20 highway will run from Alingsås to Vårgårda and is expected to be ready for traffic in June 2021.

Construction is to commence on Chile’s key Chacao Bridge contract shortly. This comes after many delays over the years, including the previous cancellation of the project. The South Korean firm Hyundai has the contract to build the structure and has been given approval for a change to the design and construction contract by Chile’s General Comptroller. This development will pave the way for the first five of 24 phases in the bridge’s construction. Final approval for the technical requirements and the contra

Azerbaijan managed to rebuild and maintain 1,335km of its road network during 2017. Around 314km of key national road links were improved, along with 889km of local roads. In the capital, Baku, 133km of roads were built or improved. The programme also included the construction of 15 bridges as well as repairs works to a further nine. For 2018 Azerbaijan intends to make improvements to 2,000km of existing road links.

The organisers of the coming Hillhead quarrying exhibition in the UK are further extending the show facilities. A new 70m long structure will be sited alongside the existing registration pavillion. This will boost the capacity of this part of the showground to 90 exhibitors.