News

Preparations are well underway for the SMOPYC 2014 construction equipment show, being held at the Zaragoza Exhibition Center from 1st to 5th April. The main associations in the sector are to attend the show, completing the agenda of parallel activities, including the organization of reverse trade missions from international markets such as the United Arab Emirates, India, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Turkey and Iran.

EU support will help pay for work to the German A3 autobahn between the major cities of Frankfurt and Nürnberg. Co-financing worth just over €6 million will come from the TEN-T Programme a project to expand and upgrade the busy A3 autobahn. The initiative, which was selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Annual Call, involves the upgrade of nearly 8km of the A3 Frankfurt-Nürnberg autobahn to three lanes in each direction - from east of the Kauppen Bridge to west of junction 64 (at Rohrbrunn). Presently t

Work is underway on the Laohekou-Gucheng-Hanjiang Bridge in Hubei Province, China. When complete the bridge will measure some 11.7km long in all, including the 4.8km long central Laohekou-Gucheng section. The project includes a 1,453m long main bridge, which is costing some US$188 million to construct. The bridge route and runs from Wangjialou Village in Laohekou city linking Xiangyang section of the China National Highway 316 (G316) and ends at Wangjiawan Village in Gucheng county linking Gucheng section o

UK road safety charity Brake has praised police for their greater efforts to catch drink and drug drivers over the festive period, and welcomed news that drink drive arrests were down while breath-tests were up. A total of 6,550 people were arrested in the month-long police enforcement campaign over Christmas and New Year, 573 less than during the same period last year, according to figures released by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). The drop in arrests comes despite an increase in enfor

Japan intends to offer financial aid worth some US$6.47 billion for infrastructure projects in Asean countries. This comes after the recent Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit and Japan-Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). A large portion of the financial aid will be for investment projects under the GMS regional cooperation. The money will be provided in loans and grants. A five-year infrastructure plan by the GMS has already been approved at a GMS ministerial meeting. The plan covers 55 projects worth some $44.4

In Colombia a big debate is in hand between producers of asphalt and concrete as to which is best for building roads. Colombia has a major programme for road construction with some US$23.54 billion planned to be invested over the next 10 years. Large producers such as Holcim, Cemex and Argos, which sell most of the 11 million tonnes/year of cement consumed in Colombia are involved actively in the debate. Cement firms have estimated that the 15 road projects that are most advanced will need some 8 million to

Software specialist Transoft Solutions is completing its acquisition of Simtra AeroTech. The deal is of significance and Transoft Solutions is a major player in the market for transportation engineering design solutions. Meanwhile Simtra AeroTech is a leading supplier of software for airport and road designers. Both companies are pioneers in the transportation industry with CAD based software solutions such as AutoTURN and AeroTURN (Transoft Solutions) and PathPlanner (Simtra). Located in Gothenburg, Sweden

The tender process is opening for a highway project in Brazil's southern Paraná State. The project will be carried out under the PPP model and the deal is worth some US$3.21 billion. The package of works necessary will require widening, improving, maintaining and operating state highway PR-323 as well as a number of adjacent roads. The package is for a 30-year concession and involves widening 207km of highway between the towns of Paiçandu and Francisco Alves in the northeast of the state, according to a rep

The Conexpo 2014 exhibition is launching its Innovation Awards programme to recognise the best product innovation and engineering. The winners are to be announced at the show and industry participants are being invited to vote online. The awards are intended to spotlight the achievements of show exhibitors in the areas of earthmoving, lifting, road building, compaction and concrete. Industry professionals can vote online to determine the winners. Voters who register have the chance to win a new Microsoft Su

Plans are in hand in Namibia for widening work to a road close to capital Windhoek. The road is being upgraded to dual carriageway status and the work is expected to reduce travel times and improve safety along the route, reducing the risk of head-on collisions. The road being improved carries up to 6,500 vehicles/day and stretches from a bridge at Dobra to the Windhoek-Okahandja route. The widening work is being carried out by Grinaker-LTA and includes building a number of pedestrian bridges and installing