News

Ecuador’s Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) has signed a contract with World Bank blacklisted China Road and Bridges Corp (CRBC) to carry out road projects worth a combined US$55.52million. CRBC has been blacklisted by the World Bank since January 2009 for acts of corruption in the Philippines. It means CRBC cannot enter any tenders which involve WB funds until 12 January, 2017. CRBC will also take part in the Manta port tender, which will be awarded in January 2013.

The Iraqi government said it will spend US$5.8billion to build roads between 2012 and 2016, according to Mohammad Al Daraji, the minister of construction and housing. The government is planning to build 7,000km of new roads by 2016.

Italian motorway construction and management firm Tangenziali Esterne Milano (TEM) has revealed that work at the building sites for the Rivoltana-Truccazzano stretch of the east Milan ring road will start on 11 June 2012. The total cost of the project is expected to reach US$ 2.51bn (€2bn).

Stroitelnoe Upravlenie-820 (SU-820) has won a tender for reconstructing 11km of the M-5 Ural federal highway in Russia. SU-820 estimated the work cost at US$103.98million (RUB 3.30bn), which was 18% less that the starting price. The reconstruction is due to be completed by late October 2014. Five other companies including the Chelyabinsk-based (Ural) Uralmotostroy, the Omsk-based (Siberia) Mostovik, and the Saratov-based (Volga) Volgomost, took part in the tender.

Chile's highway system has fared remarkably well considering the severity of the massive earthquake that struck the country a few days ago. This is a crucial factor in ensuring that emergency help, food and other aid can reach the worst affected area in the south of the country quickly. The Vespucio Norte highway collapsed and while the Costanera Norte route was slightly damaged, the Vespucio Sur and Autopista Central highways were unaffected.

Delays are now expected on work to upgrade the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to dual carriageway status. This delay has been caused by a dispute with the consultant, the National Engineer Service of Pakistan (Nespak). The firm was contracted to monitor implementation of the project but is now requesting a larger fee to carry out the work.

Construction work will commence shortly on a new 220km transnational highway in Vietnam. The first phase of the project is expected to cost US$390 million and in all the road will cost in the region of $500 million. Some $134 million for the project is being supplied in loan form from South Korea, with a $25 million loan from Australia and a $75 million loan from the Asian Development Bank.

Feasibility studies have been carried out for the No 3 and No 4 beltway projects in Vietnam. The studies were carried out by State-owned firm Transport Engineering Design Inc in the South (TEDI South). These two major beltway projects will require investments pegged at an estimated US$5.35 billion in all and if work goes ahead as planned, the links should be ready for use in 2016. The 148km No 4 beltway will connect Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) with towns in nearby provinces, such as Ben Luc Town and Trang Bom T

The authorities in Hanoi are putting forward a novel if potentially costly solution to tackling the city's chronic traffic congestion problem. The Vietnamese city is known for its jammed road system and Hanoi Transport Department is proposing building elevated roads.

Deutz and Volvo Group are to continue their joint engine technology partnership, with a view to developing new low emission, fuel efficient engines. This new deal carries on from an agreement signed in 1998 for the development and supply of 4-7litre diesels. The agreement was concluded with a term of 15 years and is due to end in 2013, so the new supply agreement will come into effect from 1st January 2014.

A new US$304.24million highway will be built in Jiangxi Province, China.The Jiangxi Provincial Expressway Investment Group is inviting tenders for the 39.29km route, while environmental impact assessment is in the process of being carried out. The new highway between Fuzhou and Jinxi will be ready for use in July 2015, with construction work due to start in July 2012.

Mostotrest will reconstruct and build six transport infrastructure facilities in time for the 2014 G8 summit in Skolkovo, Russia. The new infrastructure comprises the southern section of the North-West backbone; a section of Kutuzovsky Avenue, three interchanges at the crossing of Skolkovskoe, Mozhayskoe Highways and Generala Dorokhova Street with MKAD; and an interchange at crossing of Aminyevskoe Highway and Generala Dorokhova Street.

The EU Commission is giving its approval for the joint venture between Bosch, DEUTZ, and Eberspächer. This partnership is now commencing on an operational basis start as the Bosch Emission Systems joint venture. The agreement is for a complete diesel exhaust-gas after-treatment system for non-road machinery. The package is offered on the basis of a modular system and a range of solutions is available to satisfy future emission regulations.