News

China will loan Bolivia around US$7.5 billion for all types of infrastructure projects, according to the Bolivian vice-president Alvaro Garcia Linera. The loan will arrive in tranches with different interest rates, from a low of less than 1% and up to 4%. It will likely increase the country's foreign debt to GDP ratio from 17% to 35%. Road projects will include a double-lane between Bombeo and Villa Tunari; road works between Santa Cruz and Cochabamba; and new motorways between Charazani and Porvenir,

India is considering a 28km expressway connecting the south of Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi to Daulapura on National Highway-8. The project, which hopes to ease traffic on NH-8 that connects Gurgaon and Jaipur, is estimated to cost more than US$5 billion, according to a report in the Business Standard. The NH-8 connects New Delhi, the federal capital, with Mumbai, on India’s western coast.

Brazil expects the second phase of its logistics investment programme PIL (Programa de Investimentos em Logistica) to include 7,000km of new roads by 2018. In the first phase, between 2011 and 2014, more than 5,300km were built. The first auctions under the second phase are expected to be launched by the end of the year, according to Flavio Freitas, development and technology director for the Brazilian road operators association ABCR. PIL was launched in August 2012 to garner private sector investment fo

Crashes are the cause of around 7,000 deaths in Venezuela/year. Road crashes also cause 20,000 serious injuries in Venezuela/year. There are around 22.7 fatalities/100,000 of population in Venezuela/year. By comparison, Brazil has some 23.4 road deaths/100,000 of population while neighbouring Colombia has around 16.8 road deaths/100,000 of population.

Sri Lanka’s road deaths are increasing. Official data from the country’s Transport Ministry shows that 2,200 people were killed in road crashes in the period from January-September 2015. This is an increase of 349 over the same period for 2014. In all there were 36,050 road crashes in 2014 while there was a total of 2,440 deaths.

The global status report on road safety 2015 published by the United Nations (UN) shows that the number of world road deaths has levelled out at 1.25 million/year. This report is based on data from 180 countries. The report also shows that the highest road traffic fatality rate are in low-income countries. In the last three years, 17 countries have aligned at least one of their laws with best practice on seat-belts, drink–driving, speed, motorcycle helmets or child restraints. While there has been progress

Global equipment provider Terex Construction has taken on three students for its 2015/16 internship programme in the United Kingdom. The students – all second-year off-road vehicle design students at the agricultural college Harper Adams University – will work for a year at the Terex manufacturing facility in the city of Coventry. Each student will experience a number of roles within the business, from new product development and factory operations management to equipment testing and industry research

Teremat, Hitachi Construction Machinery’s dealer for the Rhône-Alpes, Franche-Comté and parts of Burgundy, has opened an office in Chevigny St Sauveur. It serves the areas of Côte d'Or, Jura, Doubs, Saône et Loire and Haute-Saône. The site includes a 200m² workshop as well as office space for meetings with customers. Two sales members and two technicians were recruited specifically for the site.

International construction machinery and vehicles company Wacker Neuson is expanding its UK operations at Beacon Business Park in the city of Stafford where it will open a new UK sales office next summer. Wacker Neuson, which has its group headquarters in Munich, has been a tenant on the original business park for 18 months and already employs 45 people in Stafford with further expansion planned. The new 4,180m2 UK headquarters on more than 1.5 hectares will house offices, warehouses, a parts store, w

Moba Mobile Automation, based in Limburg, Germany, has formed an earthmoving division concentrating on Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Moba develops and manufactures measurement and control technology, identification and weighing systems for construction machines and waste disposal vehicles. Andreas Velten, head of the division, said the move means Moba can provide optimal service and support at regional level, particularly for small and medium-sized construction companies and construction machinery deale