News

A new road and bridge deal for Gabon will now be handled by Chinese contractor China Road & Bridge Corporation. The US$106 million deal includes construction of the new Booué Bridge as well as the Port Gentil-Omboue Road. Improving infrastructure has been identified as crucial for Gabon’s economy and the new road will be 93km long.

A new policy by the Algerian Government aims to tackle road safety by focussing on bad driving. As part of this scheme the country is introducing a new points-based driving licence at the end of 2012. This is intended primarily as a system for teaching drivers rather than punishing them. Algeria’s regions will introduce sanctions for 24 offences that have been highlighted.

A new standard being agreed for electrical vehicle recharging will represent a major step forward for this market. A new technical standard has now been approved by SAE International, which will lead to major reductions in charging times for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles

Disagreement has been voiced in the Dominican Republic over a key highway contract intended to boost connectivity within the country.

Iran is investing heavily in boosting its transport infrastructure in a bid to boost its economy. The country has plans to build 5,000km of highways and 10,000km of main roads at present. During the first six months of 2012 the country has opened 850km of new roads to traffic. Iran’s Transportation Infrastructure Construction and Development Company plans to boost the road network of the country by 18,000km in all, as well as to build 11,000km of new railways.

Liebherr is adding to its product range with the acquisition of the German concrete pump manufacturer Waitzinger. This deal broadens the existing Liebherr-Mischtechnik product range and the company says it has plans underway for further expansion of this business segment. Waitzinger is based in Neu-Ulm, close to the Bad Schussenried facility where Liebherr-Mischtechnik is based. The deal was signed between the managing directors of Liebherr-Mischtechnik and Waitzinger Baumaschinen.

External funding will pay for maintenance and safety upgrades on Ukraine’s road network. A deal was struck between Ukraine’s state highway agency Ukravtodor and the World Bank for a loan to cover the necessary work. The US$450 million loan will provide the financing required for Ukraine’s Federal programme of road improvements. Surface quality and safety upgrades will be carried out on a series of major road links, with the Kiev - Kharkov highway section between Lubny and Poltava having been identified as a

The contract for maintenance of the St Petersburg Ring Road has been awarded to PO RosDorStroy. The deal is worth some US$183 million and will run until mid-2018 and the ring road (KAD) has been maintained by PO RosDorStroy since construction commenced. The deal was awarded by the Directorate of St Petersburg Transport Bypass Construction (DSTO).

A series of safety improvements have made major gains in reducing accident numbers and severity on roads in the UK with a bad record. The use of safety features such as high-friction surfaces, repainted white lines and road markings have reduced crashes on a number of the UK’s worst roads for accidents. The Road Safety Foundation’s 2012 Tracking Survey shows that for nine out of the UK’s 10 most improved roads lining, signing and safety surfaces delivered both safety and economic rewards. Safety engineering

UK-based driving group the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is launching its new winter driving campaign. The IAM’s winter driving campaign is intended to help motorists prepare their cars and drive them safely this winter. The campaign includes a website, drivingadvice.org.uk, containing advice, traffic updates and weather forecasts. The IAM will also be publishing weekly news releases and driving tips in reaction to the winter weather as part of the campaign.

China’s Liaoning Province is expanding its highway network with a programme of upgrades and new construction. By the end of 2015 Liaoning Province will have up to 4,500km of highways. The province is building some 2,600km of highways for the 2011-2015 period. In all there will be 20 new highways, with the work costing US$14.36 billion in all. The authorities in the province are also spending $17.5 billion on road development during the 2011-2015 period.

Vietnam's Quang Ninh province has backed a new design proposed by Japanese developer SE Group for the 4.3km Bach Dang Bridge. The new design will change the original prestressed concrete bridge design to a steel cable-stayed bridge. The modification will lower the girder height, reduce the bridge length and alter the main span length. The altered draft is awaiting final approval from the authorities. SE Group has also requested to cut the expenses for the project to US $ 386 million from $ 483 million. The