Road Structures

Calls have been made for the route of Thailand's third western ring road to be changed. Locals in Ayutthaya, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Nonthaburi provinces are petitioning for the project to be diverted. The ring road will be largely elevated and stretch 98km in all. An analysis of the route and the possibility for changes is to be carried out. When complete, the new link will connect Rama II and Ayutthaya.

A new expressway link in the Philippines is now under construction. The US$241.6 million South Luzon Tollway (SLTC) project will feature six separate sections. Work is due for completion in 18 months. The new route will cut journey times on the route between Santo Thomas and Barangay Mayao from three hours at present to just 45 minutes.

Construction work is underway on Vietnam’s North-South highway project. A 654km stretch of the route is being built at present, with this work costing US$5.1 billion. Clearance work for other sections of the North-South highway is due co commence. In mid-2019, construction work is due to start on three sections, while tendering will open for eight PPP projects that will for stretches of the North-South highway.

A project for a 19km stretch of Norway’s E6 highway has been awarded. The work will be carried out by the contractor Hæhre Entreprenør, in partnership with the consultants Dr Ing A Aas Jakobsen Trondheim and Sweco Norge. The deal is worth €420 million (NOK 4 billion) and was awarded by Norway’s state-owned road firm Nye Veier. The new section of highway will connect Kvithammar and Åsen, with construction commencing in 2020 and expected to take until 2025 or 2026 to complete. The work includes driving four n

Construction of New Zealand’s Otaki to Peka Peka expressway is delayed. The route was due to open in 2020 but will not now be complete until 2021. The 13km link will feature four lanes and form part of the Kapiti expressway. The construction of this expressway section is costing US$212.5 million (NZ$330 million).

Construction work for a new tunnel stretch for the A44 route in Germany is now starting. The Boyneburg Tunnel section will measure 1.7km and forms part of the new A44 Autobahn, connecting the city of Kassel in central Germany with Herleshausen, where it links with the existing A4 route. The new tunnel section lies close to Wichsmannhausen while building the 70km stretch of the A44 is costing €1.7 billion.

A new bridge is planned for Russia, which will span the Sheksna River in Cherepovets. The bridge will measure 1.13km in length and the project also involves building 7km of connecting roads. The bridge will be built in Russia’s Vologda Region and the work has a pricetag of nearly US$248 million. Because of the river traffic, the bridge will have to be built high enough to allow a clear passage for vessels underneath. Construction work will commence during 2019 and is expected to take until to 2025 to comple

A new bridge project is planned for Paraguay by the country’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC). The bridge will span the Paraguay River and connect Asuncion with Chacoí and the project is now expected to cost US$296 million. The bridge was originally expected to be somewhat less costly to construct. But the work is being carried out under the turnkey model, which is causing some controversy as it is thought to be a key factor in increasing the final pricetag. The new bridge will improve tr