Road Structures

Swedish contractor Skanska reports steady progress on its project to construct the Strømnes to Sprova tunnel connection in Norway. The firm has completed the tunnel excavation portion of the work for both the 600m long Holmvik Tunnel and 1,000m long Strømnes Tunnel. The project is costing around €36.5 million and the new road link will measure 5.4km in all, which includes the new tunnels. Work commenced in October 2017 and should be complete in the third quarter of 2019 if all goes to plan. The project is l

Tunnels are being proposed to improve traffic flow between The Hague and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The Dutch civil engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningHDV has carried out a study into traffic flows between the two cities. According to the study, traffic flow will improve if tunnels are built at Wassenaar where the N44 road becomes the A44 highway. The study predicts and increase in traffic volumes to 57,000 vehicles/day by 2030.

Work is well underway on a major road project in Argentina. Construction of National Road 19 is on schedule, with 30% of the necessary work having been carried out so far. The project is costing US$164.8 million and the highway will stretch 155km between San Francisco and Rio Primero.

Plans are in hand for the construction of the Sydney Gateway project, which will now see an improved connection to the city’s airport. The highway at St Peters will now be extended to Sydney Airport. The work will cost US$1.85 billion (A$2.6 billion) and will be funded jointly by the Australian Government and Sydney Airport. The work should be completed by 2023. The route will not be tolled.

A major new expressway project is being planned in the UK to connect the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge. The preferred route for the project has now been announced by the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT). The construction work is likely to cost around €4.58 billion (£4.1 billion). Work to the route will include connecting existing stretches to new sections of dual carriageway. There has been criticism of the project however from the Wildlife Trust, which says that the preferred route will dama

Construction is ongoing for Colombia’s Toyo tunnel project in Antioquia. The tunnel is located between Giraldo and Canasgordas and some 120km from Medellin. The tunnel should open to traffic in 2024 if the project sticks to its planned schedule. The main tunnel section will measure some 9.85km-long although the project involves drilling side tunnels and emergency areas. The work is costing US$588.4 million.

A new 167km highway will be built in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This will provide an improved transport link between Shigatse (Xigaze) Peace Airport and Lhasa. The project is expected to cost US$3.95 billion. A feasibility study has been carried out into the project and submitted to the region’s transport department. The existing G318 National Road connects the airport with Lhasa but features a number of sharp turns and the new link will provide extra capacity as well as improved safety levels

Plans are being drawn up in Colombia for a number of new tertiary roads in Valle del Cauca Department. A new highway will be built in Valle del Cauca department, while a new road will improve connections between Mulalo and Loboguerrero.