Road Structures

Bilbao in northern Spain is suffering from increasing levels of vehicle congestion, a problem the city authorities intend to tackle. Two major civil engineering projects have been proposed in a bid to address the problem. One of the projects would be to drive a 3km tunnel under the main estuary, improving transport and traffic flow between the north and south of the city. The tender process for a feasibility study into this project I being put to tender. Meanwhile the second major project proposed would be

Bridge safety is a key concern in the US, where so many structures are deficient - *Mary Scott Nabers. There are more than 54,000 structurally deficient bridges in the US. That designation does not mean the bridges are in imminent danger of collapsing, but it does mean that they need immediate attention. That fact becomes more alarming when one realises that every day more than 174 million motorists drive over the nation’s structurally deficient bridges. And, there are no plans for repairing the majority of

A 162km stretch of Ecuador’s highway route 40 is to be upgraded, improving the road’s safety and capacity. The section of highway being improved includes the stretch that links the town of Santa Elena, which lies on the Pacific Coast, with the city of Guayaquil, on the Guayas River. The contract now includes work to 30km more of the highway than was originally planned. The contractor Verdu is to carry out the PPP deal, which is expected to be worth US$231 million over the 20-year concession period.

The Russian Government is now working on a national plan for a new network of highways to improve transport across the country. This programme has been initiated by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The aim of the plan is to increase the number of high quality, high speed roads linking the country.

Transport for London (TfL) has been granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) by the Department for Transport (DfT) for the Silvertown Tunnel. This new twin-bore road tunnel will run under the River Thames in East London. The DCO is the formal process giving the green light to any development categorised as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). The tunnel is set to open in 2023 and is intended to help reduce the chronic congestion at the existing Blackwall Tunnel. The project will also he

The Huesker Group says that now offers its base reinforcement products under the new Basetrac brand. The proven products Fortrac (biaxial), Fornit, Base, Duogrid, Comtrac, Sefitec and HaTe now form the Basetrac product family. According to the firm, this reorganisation simplifies product selection and provides users with single-source solutions for all application areas. The company claims that the Basetrac products offer versatility, reliability and cost-effectiveness with straightforward installation. T