News

Austria’s capital Vienna is carrying out a test which will ban cars on part of the Mariahilfer Strasse, the country's biggest shopping street. The test ban will also make it impossible for drivers to cross the road or to stop. Lasting for several months and if deemed a success, the test ban could lead to a permanent car ban coupled with pedestrian-friendly construction works from 2014. Critics of the car test ban fear it will drive many shoppers to out of town shopping centres.

Rosavtodor has held a roadshow for the construction and operation of a highway bridge over the Lena River near Yakutsk in eastern Russia. A public-private partnership project, a starting price for the bridge’s construction has been set at US$1.95 billion (RUB 64 billion). Investments will have at least 5% of the project funds. The bridge is to be engineered and built in six years. Private investors will maintain the bridge for eight years, receiving regular payments from the state amounting to $485.68 milli

Motorway traffic in Brazil is increasing again, following three quarters of decreasing vehicle numbers on the roads. Road concessionaire CCR reported an overall 6.2% year-on-year increase in traffic April-June 2013, seeing growth of 10% on some of its motorways. EcoRodovias, meanwhile, recorded a 7.7% increase over the same period, said to be down to additional HGV traffic. Similarly, Arteris registered a 5.6% increase in motorway traffic in Q2 2013, expecting overall growth of 4.4% for 2013.

The Software specialist Autodesk is broadening its range of capabilities with the acquisition of the Sam and AutoTrack software. These technology assets have been bought from the UK-based companies, Bestech Systems and Savoy Computing. The aim of this move is to increase the company’s offering for the building information modelling (BIM) concept in infrastructure. The Sam suite of software modules being bought from Bestech Systems, cover loading, analysis and design of small – medium span bridges. Meanwhile

The authorities in Oman have plans for a major programme of infrastructure investments. Tenders for a series of projects worth close to US$360 million have now been awarded. The projects include construction of the South Al Batinah Expressway. This is package 5 of the expressway project and construction of this section will cost £344.4 million.

Japan is to provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans worth more than US$900 million for road and other development projects in Myanmar. The multi-million dollar loan will be used for renovation and basic infrastructure in Yangon and for the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, said an official from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Currently, JICA is working on a master plan to develop Yangon, including more than 70 programmes that include renovation of the city's public transportation sys

Judging for the United States-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Hall of Fame has closed for 2013. This year’s inductees will be announced at the 2013 AEM Hall of Fame celebration presented at the Annual Conference of the AEM on November 5, 2013 in Orlando, Florida. The AEM Hall of Fame honours those who have made a difference to quality of life and whose innovations, ideas, and leadership have contributed significantly to the growth and strength of the off-road equipment industry. The 2013

The scientific institute on traffic safety Stichting Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Verkeersveiligheid (SWOV) in the Netherlands has called for many national roads to be widened to cut accident levels. SWOV argues that a large share of Dutch roads with a 80km/h maximum speed limit are too narrow. Such roads are on average 7.5m wide, making them, SWOV says, among the narrowest in the world, with traffic having an average 2.75m of space to use. According to SWOV this should be at least 3.3m, which, it claims, cou

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is warning that economic prosperity could be at risk if more students, particularly females, do not choose and successfully complete advanced studies of maths and physics. The influential society has voiced its concern after today’s publication of exam results in the UK revealed a marked difference between the number of male and female students taking maths and physics at A-level.