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Among European countries, France consumed the most bitumen in 2016, using over 2.2 million tonnes of the black stuff, according to figures from Eurobitume. The recent 2016 Eurobitume Bitumen Consumption Statistics for Europe shows that bitumen consumption across all grades for Europe as a whole was 11,274 million tonnes in 2016.

Preparation work for the improvement of the road connecting Uganda with Tanzania is being provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Funding worth US$1.5 million is being given by the AfDB to pay for the preparation work. The new road will connect Masaka in Uganda with Kagera in Tanzania and forms part of a programme to improve connections across East Africa. The road project is being carried out in three separate sections. One stretch measures 133km and runs from Kumunazi, through Bugene to Kasulo in

A loan of US$100 million will help pay for road improvements in Swaziland. The loan will be used to improve up to 200km of unsealed roads. Chemical stabilisers from Malaysian firm Probase will be acquired to help boost road quality and to reduce problems caused by seasonal weather conditions. Stabiliser compounds can prevent unsealed roads from becoming excessively muddy during the rainy season. The Swaziland Finance Ministry was given government approval to request the loan, which has a 15 year repayment

A degree of confusion now surrounds a proposed road project for New Zealand worth US$1.32 billion. The proposal was for a four lane road link to connect State Highway 20 with State Highway 1, close to Mount Wellington on the southern side of Auckland. The project called for upgrades to an existing road as well as the construction of new pedestrian and cycling facilities and new link roads for Penrose and Onehunga. Although approval has been given for the work, the New Zealand Government has now decided not

Construction work is commencing on a major new road project in Costa Rica. The project will see improvement works carried out to the 107km route connecting Limon on the country’s eastern coast, with Rio Frio lying in the north, and close to the border with Nicaragua. The work is being carried out by the Chinese contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). The first stretch of road to be upgraded will be the section of Route 32 close to Limon. In all the work is costing US$465 million, with some $395

Although India’s highway development programme has been seen as a high priority for the country’s economic development, rural roads have been so far regarded as less important. However a new programme of rural road development is being set up in a bid to redress the balanace.

A new road and interchange upgrade project is planned for the US state of Massachusetts. The deal is worth US$1.2 billion and involves upgrades to the Massachusetts Turnpike in Allston. An existing raised section of the route will be replaced with a former rail marshalling yard being used for the new roadway. Construction is expected to commence in 2020 and will take until 2025 to be completed.

Contractor Sibmost is to handle construction work for the Khabarovsk Bypass project. The new road will provide a link between the A-370 Ussuri, R-297 Amur and A-375 Vostok highways. With the construction of the Amur River bridge crossing also in hand, the new link will help provide improved transport between Russia and China. Discussions over the Amur River crossing between Russia and China first commenced in the 1980s and the project has finally come to fruition. The new tolled highway stretch being built

Vietnam’s North-South Expressway project will boost transport for both goods and passengers. This is the finding of a report from Vietnam's Transport Ministry. According to the report, demand to move goods along the route will climb to 62.3 million tonnes/year by 2020. Meanwhile the report says that the route will handle up to 45.4 million passengers/year by 2020. Because of its importance to the Vietnamese economy, the Ministry of Transport is highlighting that the country cannot allow the project to suff

The project to build the Chacao Bridge in Chile will now be managed fully by South Korean Contractor Hyundai. The firm formed a consortium, Consorcio Puente Chacao, with Brazilian contractor OAS to build the bridge. However OAS later hit financial issues, so Hyundai has now assumed full control of the project. The new bridge will connect the mainland with Chiloe Island and will be designed to cope with potentially extreme conditions. The area has suffered some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded

Brazil’s economic woes are now affecting the construction of a new bridge connecting the country with Paraguay. The project is expected to cost US$71.34 million and the contract was awarded to Construbase-Ciudad-Paulitec and the necessary environmental permits were also given earlier in 2017. However now that Brazil is unable to provide its portion of the funds necessary, the completion date will have to wait. The bridge was to have been the second such link between the two countries and is required as the