Road Structures

A major road project in India’s Uttar Pradesh State now looks to be facing further delays. The state authorities have cancelled the bidding process for the Poorvanchal Expressway for the second time. The 341km project was being opened to tenders in eight segments. However the state authorities were concerned that the bids made for the work were substantially larger than the expected, with the total cost originally estimated at US$1.74 billion. A new tender process will be initiated instead, with the state a

Plans have been unveiled for a new tunnel stretch in Sydney, Australia. The project is likely to cost US$1.98 billion (A$2.6 billion). This will involve building an underground extension to the F6 route in Sydney, providing a connection between the M5 and President Avenue. The new tolled link will be 4km long and is intended to reduce journey times for drivers, who will no longer have to pass through 23 sets of traffic lights. The project is also expected to reduce traffic volumes on General Holmes Drive.

Plans for Vietnam’s North-South expressway are progressing, with work moving ahead for key portions of the route’s eastern spur. A feasibility study has been carried out for the 29km Nha Trang-Cam Lam stretch, which is planned as a PPP project and is expected to cost around US$225 million. Feasibility studies for a further five portions of the North-South expressway are being carried out and should be ready shortly, with three feasibility studies already having been accepted in May 2018. Construction work f

Wade Adams Contracting is carrying out the package of works for a new bridge in Dubai. The bridge will be 600m long and will carry 12 lanes of traffic, connecting mainland Dubai with the Deira Islands. The contract is worth close to US$122 million, with the work scheduled for completion in mid-2018. The contract was awarded to Wade Adams by the property development firm Nakheel.

Ethiopia is setting a target of 2020 to complete its road expansion programme. The plan has been to double the length of the country’s road network in the period from 2015 to 2020. At present Ethiopia has around 121,200km of roads, compared with around 100,000km of roads in 2015. But by 2020, the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) aims to expand the network to 200,000km.

The project to upgrade the Pan-Borneo highway stretch in Malaysia is now facing a serious challenge. This follows a review of the project following the recent change in Malaysia’s administration. The joint venture between Ekovest Construction and Samling Resources that had been awarded the work has now had its contract rendered void. The joint venture’s deal was worth nearly US$528 million.

The tendering process for a key stretch of highway is underway in Kenya at present, attracting strong interest. The US$246.5 million project is the second phase of the upgrade for the Dongo Kundu bypass, with the work expected to take 36 months to complete and construction scheduled to commence in August 2018. The first phase of the project has been carried out by the Chinese contractor CCECC. The route is being improved to dual carriageway status, with two lanes in either direction, which will boost its