Products

Highways England has installed a “green bridge” as part of the US$242 million A556 Knutsford to Bowdon dual carriageway project. Mobilane Green Screens are part of the innovative new feature. The project to improve links between the M6 and M56 includes seven new bridges plus a pedestrian underpass along the 7.3km new road. Other work includes concrete retaining walls and repairs to two existing bridges. The new dual carriageway will make travelling between the M6, south Manchester and Manchester Airport q

Arup and Mabey have launched what they claim is the first modular glass-fibre reinforced polymer footbridge, with Mabey becoming the first licensed distributor. Based on a concept by engineering design company Arup, Mabey debuted the bridge, called Pedesta, at Bridges 2017, a one-day conference and exhibition in the English city of Coventry in March. The Mabey Group specialises in the design and provision of temporary works including propping and jacking as well as environmental monitoring services, formw

Shay Murtagh Precast has been supplying main contractor Costain with all precast units for the Whitley Junction Improvement works in Coventry, England. Costain was contracted by Coventry City Council to remodel the junction on the A444, one of the busiest routes in the city. Shay Murtagh Precast manufactured and delivered 30 Y5 beams, 4 YE5 beams, 2 cast on parapets as well as 750 Hexlok Panels with feature finish for the reinforced soil walls and abutments. Shay Murtagh Precast manufactured 22 bridge be

Roadtec is unveiling its new MTV-1100e material transfer vehicle. The firm says that the new model has been designed from the ground up using experience developing MTVs, combined with customer feedback. It will not replace the existing and well-proven 2500 Shuttle Buggy, but will instead broaden the firm’s offering for the material transfer vehicle (MTV) market. The machine is being developed as an evolution of the firm’s MTV-1100e feeder model however and will not feature the remixing capability of the S

Highway construction projects can be particularly challenging when space is limited, roads are crowded and time is short. To meet these challenges, the US company Vacuworx has developed the HL Series Hydraulic Barrier Lifters. Vacuworx describes the lifters as “a smarter way to handle concrete barriers”. The traditional method of moving concrete road barriers with slings and chains is slow and lacks control, not to mention increasing the dangers of accidents for employees. Designed for use with a variety

The development of driverless vehicles is ongoing, with manufacturers in the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea and China all working on various projects. But as the recent pedestrian fatality involving a driverless car under test in Arizona highlights, safety is not entirely assured. One key problem is that the road environment is not straightforward and self-driving vehicles have to share roadspace with vehicles under human control. However, human behaviour is not easy to predict. Nor is there one mode of beh

Many UK drivers use their vehicles to store highly unlikely items according to a study. Amongst the more peculiar items kept in cars by their owners are mannequins, a bale of hay, 52 pies, a Ouija board, a false leg, 160 hats, 24 rolling pins, a wicker reindeer, two single mattresses, a hamster cage, parts of a railway engine and a urine container. The study also found that 25% of drivers are ashamed of how dirty their vehicles are with a further 5% admitting to never cleaning their vehicles. The study was

Kapsch TrafficCom has been awarded management of Malaga’s MOVIMA - Malaga Traffic Mobility Observatory - as its MOVIMA access control system to the city centre. The integrated mobility management system, developed by the Council with Kapsch technology, uses TrafficCom’s EcoTrafiX platform with a commitment towards an integral, collaborative and analytical model as part of its Smart City strategy. With a total investment around €5.8 million, the EcoTrafix software platform will capture and publish real-ti

A new modular rig from Central Alliance is said to opens access to areas that would otherwise be difficult to reach with conventional equipment. The firm says it has designed and built an innovative modular rig for use on difficult access areas. The modular rig was constructed in-house by Central Alliance’s development department, and can complete all the operations possible with a tracked rig including Standard Penetration Tests (SPT) and Cone Penetration Tests (CPT) at 1m intervals, U38, U70, U100 and U

A new package from 3D Repo offers effective real-time BIM change detection. This cloud-based change detection software can be used for 3D construction models to avert BIM issues from unregistered changes. This solution is said to provide a fast and reliable way to detect changes in underlying 3D models, using an encrypted web browser. The patent pending innovation operates on any 3D models, regardless of their file type, software used to produce them or file size. Called 3D Diff, the 3D Repo solution also a

Roads all over the US state of Michigan are in desperate need of repair, but cities do not always have enough money to fix them. However, the city of Jackson could help pave the way toward a solution. An project on a small street in Jackson could help communities across the state in the future. Lydia Street connects Wildwood with Michigan Avenue near downtown Jackson and has been repaired using a new product from supplier 3M. The special concrete features a mixture that is better able to withstand the freez

Epiroc is introducing its novel Intelligent Protection System (IPS), which is featured on many of the company’s rig-mounted hydraulic attachments. The patented IPS combines Epiroc’s AutoControl and StartSelect functions, and the fully automated system is said to provide simpler, more efficient, and more economical operation.

Topcon Positioning Group says that its new GM-100 total station is designed to provide a powerful EDM along with advanced integrated communications technology in a manual package. “It delivers the latest technological advantages in a small, sleek design,” said Ray Kerwin, director of global surveying products. “Whether operators are performing tasks such as site layout or as-built survey, the instrument delivers high-end performance with a best-in-class accuracy of up to 6000m and 1.5mm + 2 ppm with a pris