News

Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe – HCME - has launched Hitachi Premium Used as an intiative to promote its second-hand equipment. Customers get “a used Hitachi model, guaranteeing a high-quality machine with an approved Hitachi warranty”, according to a statement from the HCME. Hitachi Premium Used applies to Hitachi medium and large excavators with less than 5,000 hours or less than five years old, as well as mini excavators with less than 3,500 hours. It also applies to all ZW-series wheel l

JCB reports strong financial performance despite the current tough trading conditions in most of the developing markets around the world. The firm says it has achieved underlying earnings of £214 million during 2015 despite the difficult market conditions and slower than expected growth in North American and European markets. According to JCB’s analysis, the global market for construction equipment dropped by 14% during 2015 overall. Market conditions in the first half of 2016 remain fragile with the except

Plans are being made for a new bridge to connect Clarinda in Argentina with Puerto Falcon in Paraguay. The bridge will span the Pilcomayo River, the longest tributary of the Paraguay River and it will connect Highway 11 in Argentina with Highway 12 in Paraguay, close to its capital, Asuncion. The new bridge is needed as the current structure is over 50 years old and is becoming unable to cope adequately with traffic demands. Both countries will fund the construction of the new bridge, which will help to dev

Serbian vice president Zorana Mihajlovic has held talks with Li Manchang, China's Ambassador to Serbia in Serbia, for continuation of works on Belgrade’s ring road. According to the political magazine B92, Mihajlovic also signed a memorandum of understanding with Azvirt, the company from Azerbaijan, and China's Sinohidro. Discussions included continuation of work on the Surcin-Obrenovac part of the Corridor 11 motorway. A commercial deal for the project has already been signed with the China Communica

The size of Australia’s largest infrastructure project could get bigger with the addition of another tunnel, according to media reports. The New South Wales state government is considering another tunnel, around 1km long, in the inner west, expanding the size of Sydney's WestConnex toll road project, according to the Sydney Motorway Corporation, which along with its state government client, Roads and Maritime Services, is in charge or the US$12.74 billion project. Sydney Motorway was set up in 2014 an

India is busy with plans to expand its highway network. The work is being managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and up to 97 different highway projects are envisaged in the complete programme. Some US$16 billion worth of projects could be awarded in the 2016-2017 period if all the planned projects move ahead as anticipated. These would deliver an additional 6,631km of highways in total. At present there are 250 highway construction projects underway in India, while 400 have already been

Further delays to completion look a possibility for Colombia’s La Linea Tunnel project. A strike by truck drivers meant that supplies of construction materials were halted, adding to previous delays. The country’s National Road Institute (Invias) has stated that work on the tunnel does not look likely to be finished until the first quarter of 2017. The project will only be completed before that date if faster progress can be achieved with the electro-mechanical works currently in hand. Invias has previously

Norway’s twisting and sea-battered Atlantic Ocean Road is the “Ultimate Summer Drive”, with Portugal’s Estoril Ocean Drive close behind, research has found. In third place was Lake Como, Italy, followed in fourth place by the Peloponnesus in Greece. Fifth ultimate summer drive was a Scottish Highland drive The North Coast 500, as pictured below. The 8.3km Atlantic Ocean Road was judged to be best according to a statistical formula developed for Tom Tom. The road has a blend of spectacular views, quali

A crane collapsed over the Tappan Zee Bridge in the US on July 19th. Construction work is being carried out on the bridge. The structure is located in Tarrytown, New York State and the bridge is around 40km north of central Manhattan, spanning the Hudson River at one of its widest points. The crane was being used for the construction work and collapsed right across the roadway and in front of vehicles using the crossing. A number of vehicles were damaged in the incident and local news reports suggest up to

Volvo Construction Equipment reports share growth as overall market declines in Q2. Lower demand in most markets outside Europe weighed on Volvo CE’s second quarter 2016 revenue. But this was partially offset by gains in market share in the heavy equipment segment, according to a written statement from the Swedish manufacturer. Adjusted for currency movements, Volvo CE reported net sales down 7% in the second quarter of 2016, impacted by lower demand in most markets outside Europe. Weaker machine sal

Romania’s road building programme is moving forward, but perhaps more slowly than the country’s National Company for Highways and Roads (CNADNR) would prefer. At present a total of 733km of highways are open to use in Romania, but new sections measuring up to 260km in all should be ready for traffic by the end of 2017. A further 22km of the A1 highway connecting Orastie with Sibiu is expected to open in the third quarter of 2016. The Deva to Lugoj stretch of the A1 has also to be completed, while a section

A series of major road projects will be carried out by Portuguese contractor Mota Engil in Angola and Brazil. In all the work is worth in excess of US$419 million. The company is building a 10km section of the Via Expressa around capital Luanda, as well as upgrading another key route in the city. Luanda’s population has grown significantly in recent years and many existing roads are now proving unable to cope with demand.

Preliminary utilities work is set to begin in September on the last section a ring road around the Canadian city of Calgary. The Calgary Herald newspaper quoted the Alberta provincial infrastructure and transportation minister Brian Mason saying that the project is on schedule. He said “everything is going as planned … It’s important that we keep on top of this and it’s important that we keep it moving forward and so far we’re doing just that.” The public-private-partnership project for the southwest