News

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) has welcomed the European Commission’s latest financial package to boost infrastructure investment in southern Europe.

Many US states offer cash-back deals and tax breaks to encourage people to buy more electric vehicles. But Oregon has shunned financial incentives and opted to drive up EV sales through increasing the number of recharging stations.

In Russia an additional investment worth close to US$30 million is required to complete work on the new Kirovsky Bridge in Samara. However, the authorities in the Samara region have revealed that there is a problem with regard to financing the construction work. The funds from the 2015 regional budget are insufficient to pay for the remaining portion of the work. As a possible solution, the authorities in the Samara region are looking to the Russian Federal Government to provide the additional funds require

Amey will handle the contract to manage and maintain the existing Forth Road Bridge and the new Queensferry Crossing. The latter is currently under construction. The contract will commence on the 1st June 2015 and Amey will then take over responsibility for the Forth Road Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1964. The Queensferry Crossing is due to open to traffic in 2016.

New routes in Mexico will help boost transport. In all four major motorway projects are due for completion by the end of 2014. These projects are: the Colima-Tonila road section, which is costing US$36.3 million, the 29km Salamanca- Irapuato section of the Salamanca-Leon motorway, the 42.3km Oriente de Chihuahua bypass and the 3 km Mazatlan bypass. Additionally, the two-lane 55km Xcan-Playa del Carmen road has recently been inaugurated.

From Monday 8th December a pan-European police road safety operation will commence. The aim is to raise awareness of the dangers of drink-driving and drug driving. The operation will involve officers conducting alcohol and drug checks at any time of the day and night. The message from pan-European police body TISPOL is simple: the ability to drive safely is impaired by even a small amount of alcohol. Do not drink and drive. Drivers can expect highly visible and widespread enforcement of alcohol and drug law

Details of a major programme of road building projects have been unveiled by the UK Government. The plan envisages some €18.83 billion (£15 billion) being spent on constructing new road links and upgrading existing routes. This is the largest single programme of works for the UK’s road network for several decades. The plan includes 100 major projects, perhaps the most notable being the long-awaited tunnel for the A303 past the Stonehenge archeological site. The existing route is narrow at this point and suf

The bauma China 2014 event held in Shanghai from 25th-28th November set a series of records, most notably with its attendance hitting 191,000 visitors, an increase of 6% from the previous show in 2012. The show had a very strong international presence with visitors from 149 countries, as well as a strong showing in respect to international buyers, up some 12% from 2012. Meanwhile there were 3,104 exhibitors from 41 countries, an increase of 14%. The four day bauma China 2014 event was held at the Shanghai N

Indoogoo, a social and trading network for the construction industry, has added geolocation of available equipment to its My Rentals Website. Users of My Rentals have been locating and renting heavy equipment from big organisations including national outfits and smaller local traders. The new service now allows users to search for the machinery they wish to rent, specifying exactly where and when it is needed. The user is presented with a customised map showing all suitable machinery in the specified area.