Road Structures

The tender process for the Msikaba Bridge project in South Africa is now being reopened. This is being handled by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral). The project is costing US$128.25 million and involves the construction of a 580m long suspension bridge. The structure will span the Msikaba River and will be located around 23km to the east of the town of Lusikisiki. Once complete this will be the longest suspension bridge in South Africa. According to Sanral, the tender process is now likely to

A major tunnel construction project has been carried out in Mexico, setting a technological precedent for Latin America . Mexican materials giant CEMEX took part in the construction of the Coatzacoalcos Underwater Tunnel in Veracruz, Mexico. This innovative project features large tunnel bores and utilised a complex construction process. As a result of these technical challenges CEMEX was required to design and deliver special concretes so as to allow the construction of the different structures needed to

A series of PPP projects are being planned in Paraguay to develop the highway network. Upgrade work will be carried out on Ruta 2 and Ruta 7. In all the work is costing US$527 million and is being overseen by Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC). A consortium, Consorcio Rutas del Este, will carry out the contract which includes resurfacing Ruta 2 and Ruta 7, as well as improving key intersections and carrying out widening work. The 142km link between Yparacai and Caaguaza will also

Construction work is commencing on a key contract in Malaysia to build a new bridge. The US$106.4 million project is being handled by the contractor Naza EC and is for the construction of the 1.5km long Bagan Datuk Bridge, as well as an 8.7km long link road. The work is intended to improve transport connections between Malaysia’s Bagan Datuk, Perak Tengah, and Manjung districts. Once complete, the new link will reduce journey times for drivers from one hour at present to just 15 minutes.

A major highway project in the US state of Vriginia has been awarded to a joint venture team comprising Granite Construction, Parsons Corporation, and Corman Construction. The firms will handle the Interstate 64 (I-64) Southside Widening and High Rise Bridge, Phase 1 design-build contract, which was awarded by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Construction work for the US$410 million joint venture project is scheduled to commence in November 2017 and should be completed in July 2021.

A new bypass project in the Philippines will benefit from funding being supplied by Japan. The Bulacan Bypass project will be located on Luzon Island and will improve transport connections to and from the Bulacan area, lying to the northeast of the capital Manila. The new bypass road will connect Central Luzon to Metro Manila. Once the route is open to traffic, it is expected to improve journey times and cut congestion for drivers. The complete financing package has yet to be agreed between the two

Construction work on Russia’s Frunzensky Bridge is now well under way. The bridge spans the Samara River, a tributary of the Volga River and was originally planned for completion by 2018. The construction company Stroytransgaz has a US$213.5 million contract to finish the project and the bridge is now expected to be ready for traffic by 2020. The bridge project did face challenges from insufficient funding and cost increases but the necessary financing package is now in place. When complete the bridge is in

The preparatory work is underway for a stretch of the Ipswich Motorway widening project in Queensland Australia. The project is worth around US$318.6 million (A$400 million). This first section of the widening work is 3km long and runs from Granard Road at Rocklea to the Oxley roundabout. The work involves widening the route from four lanes at present to six lanes and improving seven bridges, which includes increasing the height of the bridge over Oxley Creek. The 10km widening project is intended to reduce