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Dutch Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen has promised to invest US$387.47 million (€295mn) in the new Rotterdamsebaan road between the Ypenburg junction and The Hague. The investment in the project, which has a total value of some $737.04 million (€565mn), is $91.31 million (€70mn) higher than Schultz van Haegen's predecessor promised in 2008. The council of The Hague and the urban region Haaglanden are pay for the rest of the project. The works, which includes a 2km long tu

A new report suggests that Europe could improve economic growth and create much-needed jobs by developing technological innovations for transportation. The report is entitled Fuelling Europe’s Future: How auto innovation leads to EU jobs. This study was produced by a consortium of transport sector stakeholders. It suggests that innovation in the automotive sector would boost growth prospects and create anything from 500,000-1,100,000 additional jobs between now and 2030. This innovation could also help redu

London’s Metropolitan Police Service is using the latest desktop mapping software to collate essential data about road traffic collisions. The advanced Geographical Information System (GIS) from GGP Systems in being used to identify and map the exact location of incidents where a personal injury has occurred and prepare detailed reports for the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL). This can be used to highlight problem areas, with plans for improving infrastructure then being drawn

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is implementing a new pavement texture standard. This revised specification is a response to feedback from the state's drivers with requirements for finishing Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP). The main change is that the state is discontinuing the use of tining on all PCCP projects. In certain instances the grooved pavement texture produced by longitudinal tining can cause drivers to experience uncomfortable lateral vehicle movement. This is called gr

The UK’s road safety is improving according to the latest set of official statistics. According to the Department for Transport (DfT) figures, 1,754 people were killed on the UK’s roads in 2012, a drop of 8% from the figure for 2011 and the lowest level since national records commenced in 1926. Meanwhile 23,039 people suffered serious injuries in road crashes, 0.4% lower than the 23,122 in 2011 but 15% lower than the average for the 2005-2009 period. The number of child casualties fell 17% to 17,251 compare

Egis has signed a contract for the operation and maintenance of the Gebze-İzmir highway in Turkey. The agreement was signed with OTOYOL, the concessionaire for the Turkish General Directorate of Highways (KGM). This is the second major contract award for Egis in Turkey, following the Eurasia Tunnel deal, for a 5.4km twin-deck tunnel under the Bosphorus. OTOYOL was selected by KGM as the private concessionaire for the project. OTOYOL itself is a firm established for the purpose of the Project by five Turkish

A new move by the UK Government is intended to improve safety at rail crossings following a number of fatal crashes. The Transport Select Committee will hold an inquiry into the safety of the UK’s 8,000 level crossings. This move has been welcomed by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), which earlier called for the review. This move was one of seven recommendations among 113 put to the Transport Select Committee to be taken forward for its programme of activity into 2014. David D

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) is accepting nominations for its 2013 Roadway Work Zone Safety Awareness Awards and Contractor Safety Awards. These recognise the best successes of public and private-sector organisations involved in building the US transportation network.

Over the next 17 years, China will invest US$766.15 billion (CNY 4.70tn) to expand the country's major road network by over two times. By 2030, the length of roads in China is expected to total 5.8 million kilometres, with trunk ways and highways making up 7% of the total. Provincial and countryside roads are expected to account for 9% and 84% respectively. According to a road expansion blueprint approved in May 2013 by the State Council, the length of toll-free trunk ways and toll highways should by 2030 i

A total of US$5.5 billion has been allocated for bridges repair under a new bill introduced by democratic transport leaders led by Nick J Rahall. To date, there are over 150,000 structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges across the US, according to the US Department of Transportation. Figures showed that a quarter of bridges in the country fall into one of the two categories, with 26.7%, 27.7% and 77.4% of bridges in Virginia, Maryland and Washington falling under one of the two categories resp

The state government of New South Wales, Australia will ask the private sector to contribute to the funding of the 33km WestConnex road project. While initial sections of the road will be financed by the state government, its following phase will be financed by the private sector. For the project, a total of US$1.66 billion (AUD 1.8bn) will be allocated by the state government over a four-year period. Of the total, $102.22 million (AUD 111mn) will be spent in 2013-2014. The development was mentioned by Trea

Double yellow lines signify an area where parking is not allowed at any time on a UK road.