Road Structures

Road construction work is planned for Russia’s Kaliningrad region. A budget of US$130 million has been set, with the funding being supplied by Russia’s Federal Government. The prime beneficiary of this funding will be the project to construct the second phase of the ring road around the Primorsky area.

Work is now complete for the second phase of the Mountain View Corridor project in the US state of Utah. The 4km greenfield roadway runs from 5400 South to 4100 South in West Valley City. The project was designed and built jointly by Michael Baker International, Ralph L Wadsworth and Staker Parsons. Phase two of the Mountain View Corridor project included 14 mainline bridges, as well as seven pedestrian bridges and intersection reconstruction, and vital safety improvements to accommodate growth in Salt Lake

A new bridge is being built to connect Serny Island in St Petersburg. The bridge will feature three lanes of traffic in either direction, as well as pedestrian and cycling facilities. The bridge pylons have been constructed and the cable stays are being installed. The work is costing US$150.4 million.

A proposal has been put forward for wither a tunnel or bridge link crossing for the Long Island Sound. The crossing would cut journey times between Westchester County and Nassau County and Suffolk County by 30 minutes to just 60 minutes. However the estimated cost of the work could make it one of the most costly infrastructure projects for the US. Funding sources are being sought at present.

Brazil’s roads are in increasing need of repairs, but with no money available to spend on infrastructure upgrade, the Brazilian Government is having to take a different approach. The responsibility for key road sections will be handed over to private firms that will then be tasked with maintenance and repair work. Typical duties will include filling potholes and updating signalling systems. However this system will not provide additional funds for upgrading dual lane roads to dual carriageway status or for

Morocco is evaluating the feasibility of two major highway projects at present. One is for the addition of an express lane along a 381km route between Mekness and Rissani, and is expected to cost US$484.8 million. The other project is for a 250km highway from Meknes to Errachida and has a projected cost of $1.653 billion. Feasibility studies are being carried out at present, while funds are also being set aside for purchasing the land required.

Work is now starting on Colombia’s Toyo Tunnel (Tunel del Toyo) project. The 9.8km long tunnel is being built by a subsidiary of the Spanish FCC Group, FCC Construccion. The concession contract for the tunnel is for a 10 year period that includes design, construction, operation and maintenance. The project is expected to cost US$483 million and once complete, the new link will improve transport connections between Medellin and Uraba. The route of the tunnel itself is from Canasgordas to Giraldo in Antioquia

Croatian media are reporting a dispute between two consortia and that of the China Road and Bridges over the Peljeski bridge project. Croatia’s national roads company Hrvatske Ceste chose China Road and Bridges but the decision is being challenged by a consortium led by the Italian firm Astaldi and one by Turkish CT Ictas. The two consortia submitted their complaints to the Croatian State Commission for Control of Public Ordering Processes in January only days after similar action by another consortia led