News

The Government in Aruba in the Caribbean is giving its approval for its second PPP transport infrastructure project, the Watty Vos Boulevard. The start of the tender process for the project is planned for the first quarter of 2014. PwC is the transaction advisor for the Contracting Authority, while the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and local legal firm Sjiem Fat & Co are also part of the team. The project will cost some US$120 million and involves the construction of a new arterial road 2x2 around Oranje

Odebrecht has been awarded a concession for Brazil’s important BR-163 federal highway route. The 851km section of highway runs through Mato Grosso state and the deal is worth some US$2 billion, according to a report by Business News Americas. As part of its contract, Odebrecht will have to widen a 454km stretch of the route within five years and is also required to build nine new toll booths.

Colombia's national transport infrastructure agency ANI will auction 13 road projects with a combined value of more than US$7.87 billion (COP 15 trillion) in H1 2014, out of 40 planned. Nine of the scheduled auction projects have gone through the pre-qualification stage and will be definitely awarded in the first quarter of next year. In total, all 40 projects will involve investments of COP 47tn. The plan is to improve 8,000km of roads in the country. Four projects will be put through pre-qualification s

A series of major transport projects worth a combined value of over US$28 billion are set to significantly enhance connectivity between various parts of Russia. These include the Moscow-St Petersburg highway, work to the transport system in the Rostov region and two new bridges: one over the Belaya river in Ufa, the other over the Kama river in Izhevsk. The tender process for the $4.46 billion contract to build, maintain, repair, and operate a section of the Moscow- St Petersburg highway has been announc

A group of seven banks is to fund the construction of the third Bosphorus Bridge crossing in Turkish commercial centre Istanbul. A group of six Turkish banks, Garanti Bankasi, Halk Bankasi, Is Bankasi, Vakiflar Bankasi, Ziraat Bankasi, and Yapi Kredi Bankasi, is being joined by the Netherlands-based Garantibank International to provide the necessary US$2.3 billion of funding required for the project. A joint Italian-Turkish consortium comprising Astaldi and IC Ictas will build the bridge, which will reduce

Preliminary data from Germany's Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, reveals an improving road safety situation in the country. The latest figures show that the number of people killed in road traffic crashes in Germany decreased by 283 or 10.3% to 2,466 in the first three quarters of 2013 compared to the same period in the previous year. The number of people injured in road crashes in the first three quarters of 2013 period fell by 5.3% to around 279,100. Meanwhile the overall number of crashes registered

A consortium comprising Vinci-Bouyges has a contract worth some US$1.63 billion for construction of a new coastal road in La Réunion. However the French firm Eiffage TP is contesting the deal and claims that the project cannot be carried by two major firms that have joined together to carry out the work. According to Eiffage TP, a consortium must be justified for either economic or technical reasons. The project is going ahead despite opposition from the National Council for the Protection of Nature (CNPN).

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) ARTBA is forecasting moderate growth in 2014 for the US transportation infrastructure market. According to ARTBA, the overall US transportation infrastructure construction market will grow five percent from US$129 billion this year to $135.8 billion in 2014. ARTBA’s chief economist, Dr Alison Premo Black, said the market would be led by expected double-digit growth in airport runway and terminal work and a 6% increase in bridge and tunnel const

A new agreement on funding has been struck between Ethiopia and the European Union. The deal will see the EU providing some US$ 287 million in the form of a development grant, to be used for an array of projects in the country. In all $66.56 million of the funding will be used for road construction, with the rest of the grant being aimed at improving health and protecting the country from drought.

Interest is strong in the project to build the 14km tunnel link between Chile and Argentina, with reports stating that 23 firms having expressed an interest in the work. The twin tube tunnel will connect Argentina’s San Juan Province with Chile’s Coquimbo Province (Region IV) and will be constructed in the Andes Mountains. The Agua Negra project is set to cost somewhere in the range from US$800 million to $1 billion, although the exact price of the project has yet to be determined. Some 72% of the link will

A group has united with a common aim, that roads must be maintained to save lives and money. The European Commission and national governments are being called upon to step‐up road maintenance standards by organisations, which represent consumers, road and vehicle industries, and safety bodies. The group comprises the Féderation International de l'Automobile (FIA), the European Road Federation (ERF), the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), a

Turkish construction equipment manufacturer Hidromek is looking to expand its product range with the acquisition of the Mitsubishi line-up. The deal was signed between Hidromek and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). The signing ceremony took place in Ankara. This is the latest in a series of moves by Hidromek in its bid to expand its product range and increase its international presence as an equipment manufacturer. In addition to the benefits the new grader range will bring, the firm says that this acquisi