News

A new road project is commencing in Kazakhstan, which will improve the country’s transport connections with neighbouring Russia. The road connects the city of Petropavlosk in northern Kazakhstan with Kurgan in Russia and measures some 60km in length. Work is due for completion on the stretch by the end of 2018 and the project is costing US$79.2 million. However the project is not without its complexities as the area features many lakes, providing technical challenges for the construction team, with regard t

Three road upgrades are being planned in Western Australia, which will improve safety and journey times for drivers, while cutting congestion at peak periods. Funding for the projects will be provided jointly by the Australian Federal Government and the Western Australia State Government.

Astec Industries has acquired the assets and liabilities of RexCon, leading full-line concrete batch plant manufacturers in the US. The aggregate purchase price for the assets is $26 million, which was funded through cash on hand.

Albania is pre-qualifying contractors for two major bypass projects, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. One is for construction of a 29km bypass of the southern Adriatic port city of Vlore with work expected to take 27 months. Vlore, with a population or around 130,000, is the country’s third largest city.

The new East Bay Highway link in Pakistan will be constructed with assistance from China following an agreement between the two countries. The project has a projected cost of US$161 million and the highway will stretch 19.5km. The construction of the new East Bay Highway will improve transport links to the Gwadar Port, easing truck traffic.. The project forms part of the wider China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) programme of works.

Vietnam continues to buck the trend for most Asian countries by managing to reduce its road death toll. Right across Asia vehicle numbers are increasing and in many, if not most countries road death rates are growing fast. However Vietnam is having considerable success in lowering its annual road death toll. New data shows that since 2011, the country has managed to cut crashes by 19.5% while road deaths have dropped by 7%/year.

Fayat has now completed its acquisition of Dynapac. French firm Fayat has acquired the Road Construction Equipment Division of Atlas Copco, which manufactures rollers for asphalt and soil applications, pavers and planers. These products are known under the Dynapac trade name. The agreement includes sales and services operations in 37 countries, production units in four countries: Sweden, Germany, Brazil and China and a production partnership in India.

New highway and bridge projects are being planned that will boost connectivity in the Russian Federation. One project lies close to the city of Ufa while another is in the Perm Region. The project to build the new Eastern Exit highway link close to Ufa, capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, is now expected to cost US$590.1 million, compared with the $503.3 million that was originally anticipated.

Work on Algeria’s East-West highway is drawing to its final conclusion, after several years of activity. The final stretch will connect Algeria with Tunisia and construction of this section is due to restart before the end of 2017. When the tender process is announced, the projected cost of the work will also be released. The Algerian Government is keen for work on this last stretch of the highway to be complete by the end of 2018.

Funding has been found to help pay for building and operating Mexico’s Atizapan-Atlacomulco highway. OHL is building the link and has secured US$364.6 million in loans for the project. The financing package is being provided by several banks, including Santander, Institucion de Banca Multiple, Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Publicos (Banobras) and Santander Mexico.

Funding for a road project in Myanmar looks likely to come from Thailand. The project and the possibility of a finance package for the work has been discussed in Myanmar’s parliament. The funding would come in the shape of a loan worth US$136 million and would help pay for the construction of the two-lane link. The new road connection will run between Myanmar’s Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Thailand.

A major road construction programme worth a total of US$2.31 billion is being planned for Arunachal Pradesh in India. The planned work would see the construction of around 800km of roads, with the programme having been set out by the Indian body, National Highways & Infrastructure Development (NHIDCL). The programme would account for around half of NHIDCL's total investments for India as a whole.

A funding package from Japan will help pay for the third stage of Sri Lanka’s key Central Expressway project. The third phase of the Central Expressway project will be constructed by the Japanese firm, Taisei Corporation, with the work taking five years to complete. Financing worth US$883 million is being provided by the Japanese Government for the project. This third stage of the Central Expressway will stretch 32.5km and will connect Pothuhera with Galagedara.