News

Infrastructure consultancy Louis Berger is to provide services worth US$7.6 million for the rehabilitation of Mozambique’s National Road N303. The Sub-Saharan Regional Pipeline Corporation awarded the contract for work on the 350km narrow and unpaved carriageway that crosses Tete province. SSRPC is investing $350 million to upgrade the road that starts at the Zambezi River, where Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe have a common border. The modernised road will be the shortest link to a railway under constructi

Nothing will stop construction of another bridge crossing the Detroit River to ease traffic congestion around North America’s most important economic border. The New International Trade Crossing will be entirely financed and owned by the Canadian government under a public private partnership. It will link the US city of Detroit, in the state of Michigan, with the Canadian city of Windsor in the province of Ontario. The two cities already have the toll road Ambassador Bridge as well as a toll road tunnel and

A UK local authority council has been criticised for what one resident has said is knowingly creating undersized parking bays. The parking area -- smaller than recommended -- makes it harder for motorists to make sure all their vehicle is within the legally allotted area. The council has been fining motorists for not having their cars completely parked within the parking bay, and that’s not fair, said the resident of Newbury town, just outside London. He reportedly went around measuring the parking bay, acc

In Nigeria’s Niger State, a major road upgrade project is now underway.

Automobile manufacturers are gearing up to launch new fuel cell vehicle models during 2015. Reports suggest that up to six fuel cell vehicles will be introduced in the coming year. Toyota looks set to be one of those firms offering its Mirai fuel cell vehicle, while Tata Motors may well introduce a model either under its own brand or that of its UK subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover.

German manufacturers of construction equipment reported an 8% rise in sales, amounting to €8.4 billion. The level was higher than expected and equal to sales in 2006, according to the Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Association (VDMA). However, the VDMA, part of the German Engineering Federation, suggested that company profits may not have risen along with sales and tough times remain ahead. “Turnover is one thing, profit is another,” Joachim Strobel, deputy chairman of VDMA, said.

Talks are in hand in Myanmar with regard to a new circular raised road route around capital Yangon. The aim of the project would be to cut congestion by constructing a new elevated road network. The construction cost is expected to be around US$2.5 billion. Work looks likely to commence in the 2015-1016 period following feasibility studies and a tender process. The project is expected to have considerable input from the private sector and to be carried out under a build-operate-transfer model. A number of i

A major programme of investment is underway on Austria’s highway network. Austrian highway company Asfinag says that it is investing some €7 billion in building new links and upgrading existing connections. This six year programme will run until 2020. The programme calls for work to both highways and major trunk routes. One of the key projects underway already is the upgrade of the A26, which is costing €646 million. Another important project is the upgrade of the S10 trunk road, which is costing €718 milli

Austrian construction giant Strabag reported output volume of €13.6 billion to year end 2014 was unchanged from last year. The publically listed group, with headquarters in Vienna, said declines in contracts in some countries were offset with increases in the home markets of Germany and Austria, despite a “very restrained tender award policy” for the public sector. Large projects were completed in Romania and Russia at the same time that newly acquired orders in these markets have not yet come on stream.