Road Structures

The Ecuador Government plans to continue its programme of road network expansion and development. The country’s road network has seen the development of 1,137km of roads over the last 10 years. This has boosted the total network to 9,791km. Responsibility for investments and maintenance for 2,400km of roads will be given over to private firms over the next four years by the Ecuador Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP). A number of road concessions have already been awarded to private firms, includi

The first span of the 5km twin-span Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge - formerly the Tappan Zee Bridge - in New York opened August 25. Tappan Zee Constructors, joint venture led by Fluor and including American Bridge, Granite and Taylor Bros., shift all four lanes of westbound traffic from the existing bridge to the new span overnight. The four eastbound lanes will be shifted onto the new span in the autumn. Demolition of the old bridge can then get underway, allowing more room for construction of the adjacent

The New Zealand Government is planning a road improvement programme worth a total of US$7.68 billion (NZ$10.05 billion). The plans will see 10 of the country’s busiest road links being classified of National Significance. A combination of financing from the National Land Transport Fund and public-private partnerships will pay for the various projects being included. One of the highways to be improved will be the Napier-Hastings highway in Hawke’s Bay, with it being widened to four lanes to boost capacity.

The New Zealand Government is planning a road improvement programme worth a total of US$7.68 billion (NZ$10.05 billion). The plans will see 10 of the country’s busiest road links being classified of National Significance. A combination of financing from the National Land Transport Fund and public-private partnerships will pay for the various projects being included. One of the highways to be improved will be the Napier-Hastings highway in Hawke’s Bay, with it being widened to four lanes to boost capacity.

Construction work is now restarting on the BR-163 highway in Brazil, following a four month cessation of activities. The work on the stretch of the route in Mato Grosso do Sul is being carried out by CCR and MSVia. However the pace of progress on the project has been lowered and is at a slower rate than originally specified. Traffic volumes on the route are lower than when work commenced in 2013 and complexities with the environmental legislation have also caused headaches for the contractors. So far, MSVia

Construction of a stretch of the S7 dual carriageway in Poland will commence shortly following the signing of contracts for the work. The stretch, connecting Lotnisko junction with Grojec's ring road, will cost €186.66 million to build. Three contracts were awarded by the Polish General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) for the work. Rubau Polska will build a 7km section while a 14.8km stretch will be built by IDS-Bud and Mota-Engil Central Europe will build an 8km portion of the link.

Plans are proceeding on Paraguay’s project to construct the country’s new bi-oceanic corridor. The tender process to construct the 227km route from Carmelo Peralta to Loma Plata has attracted bids from four consortia. The four consortia are: China Machinery Industry Construction Group (Sinoconst); Consorcio Corredor Vial Bioceanico; Jose Cartellone Construcciones Civiles; and Consorcio Bioceanico. The project is expected to cost US$400 million.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport is to prioritise construction of the new North-South Expressway. The project will provide a much improved connection between the country’s north and south, speeding transport and boosting safety. It will feature from four to six lanes and have speed limits ranging between 80km/h and 120km/h. The cost of the project is expected to be US$13.75 billion, with 17 of the 20 work packages being carried out under the build-operate-transfer model.

Revisions are being put forward for the ring road project around Czech capital Prague. An alternative route has been proposed and this has received initial approvals, so that further analysis of the plans can be carried out. The 10km stretch of ring road will now cost around €1.53 billion, a reduction of around 33% from the original alignment. The project for the new route will include the construction of a number of bridge sections and will be shorter than the first plan. A study will be carried out into t