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Ireland’s road safety levels are improving, but perhaps more slowly than is desirable. In 2018 there were 142 road deaths in Ireland. A significant improvement over the last 20 years where compared with the 458 road deaths in the country seen in 1998. Of note is that for 2014-2018, 25% of all fatal crashes and 20% of crashes involving serious injuries occurred during the 22.00-06.00 period when traffic volumes are typically low. In addition, 75% of crashes occurring from 2013-2016 in the 22.00-06.00 period

There is concern in Oman over the risk of crashes on the country’s road network. There were 545 road deaths in Oman during 2018. Road crashes are now one of the leading causes of death and serious injury in Oman. Of the 545 road deaths seen in 2018, 466 saw victims dying before they could be taken to hospital.

The Indonesian Government plans to give a boost to its tourist trade with the construction of 5,000km of new road connections. These will be built by 2024 in a bid to improve transport and help develop the economy of areas currently without adequate road links. In all around 2,500km of national roads will be built and 1,500km of toll roads. The plans also call for some 60km of elevated road sections or bridges to be constructed. This follows on from the road construction plan of 2014-2018, which saw 3,387km

The go-ahead has been given for the construction of a new highway connection in Russia.

Bidding is underway in Malaysia for sections of the massive Pan Borneo Highway project. The Malaysian construction firm Gadang Holdings is planning to bid for a number of sections of the project. The company will submit its bid for the highway work in early 2020. The sections of the project it is tendering for have a total estimated value of just over US$223 million although the firm has yet to disclose details of its bid for the work.

A new road tunnel link has been proposed for the town of Bilina in the Czech Republic. The project has been put forward by the country’s state road and motorway management company RSD as an alternative to the bypass originally proposed. At present the E442 route passes straight through Bilina, which is located in the north of the country and close to the border with Germany. However the road link is not considered suitable and a bypass costing an estimated €252.15 million was suggested as a way to carry tra

Thailand’s poor road safety is a serious concern, hitting the country’s economy hard and resulting in a casualty high toll for its people. In the period between January 2019 and October 2019, there were 13.692 fatalities on the road network in Thailand. There were also 757,010 people suffering injuries in this period. The data has been provided by Road Accident Victims Protection.

Work is commencing on the S3 expressway project in Poland. Costing €355 million, the expressway will connect Bolko with Kamienna Gora Polnoc. A consrtium headed by Porr will handle the work, which is due for completion in the second half of 2023. The project will be complex as it will included two building tunnels as well as 12 bridges and flyovers.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing the funding for a series of major infrastructure projects in the Philippines. In all eight road and bridge projects being built in the Philippines at present are being funded by the JICA. These are worth around US$1.2 billion. The projects include the Central Luzon Link Expressway, the Metro Manila Interchange, the Arterial Road Bypass, a programme of road upgrades across the nation, the Marawi road project, road improvements in Mindanao and th

A new programme of research may deliver innovative technologies to help in the development of more complex concrete structures. This new research project is enabling state-of-the-art design through the use of finite element limit analysis for solid concrete structures. This is helping to deliver savings in terms of materials and time, with a major impact for cost reduction. Meanwhile structures can be built more readily and with fewer environmental issues. “With the current state of affairs, uncertainties

Brazil is making a determined effort to improve its road safety, in a bid to cut the country’s casualty rate. The National Department of Transport and Infrastructure Brazil (DNIT) and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) are now working together on the Brazil Road Assessment Programme (BrazilRAP). The two aim to prevent road deaths with the introduction of safer road infrastructure to Brazil. The BrazilRAP programme aims to tackle problems on the highest risk roads around the country. This wil

The US has serious road safety issues that need to be addressed. In 2018, close to 36,600 people were killed in road crashes, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The fatality rate for 2018 represents a 2.4% drop from 2017. In addition, the road death rate/160 million vehicle km traveled also decreased by 3.4%, from 1.17 in 2017 to 1.13 in 2018. And the NHTSA says it is the lowest fatality rate since 2014. Nearly 36,600 people died on US roadways last year, a

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is setting out its new transport development plan for the coming five years. The EBRD has approved a new Transport Sector Strategy for the 2019-2024 period, intended to refine the previous strategy. The aim is to work in a more focussed way on the emerging green economy and climate targets in a sector that, while slow to change, is a catalyst for economic and inclusive growth. Since the EBRD’s previous strategy came into force, global policymak

The tender process is underway again for a 24km stretch of road in Poland. Motorways (GDDKiA). Offers have so far been received by Budimex, Unibep, Porr and Polaqua, with the lowest bein