Road Structures

The first prototype of an innovative new sensor device and its data acquisition system has now been developed. This move has come during the first 18 months of the 42-month Horizon 2020 SENSKIN (SENsing SKIN) project, a research partnership being implemented by 13 partners from 7 countries. A key objective of the SENSKIN project is the development of a skin-like sensor that offers spatial sensing and can monitor large strains, for use in monitoring-based maintenance of transport infrastructure. The syste

Construction work on Colombia’s landmark Yati-Bodega bridge is already 50% complete. The 2.3km Puente de la Reconciliacion Bridge spans the Magdalena River and when complete, will be the longest in the country. The project is challenging however, due to the river’s flow rate as well as the underlying geology. Once the bridge opens to traffic, it will connect the municipality of Mompox with the rest of Colombia’s Bolivar department. At present Mompox and Magangue are difficult to reach by road due to the lac

A huge budget for transport development has been set by the authorities in China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region. The US$3.2 billion (RMB 22 billion) budget for 2017 represents a 13.8% increase over the figures for 2016, revealing the extra focus being given to upgrading the region’s transport network. Of the budget, $1.454 billion will be used to boost the region’s network of highways. The Ningxia Hui autonomous region is located in the north of China and has a comparatively low population density, so this

A US$1.5 billion Interstate project is being put forward for approval in the US State of Texas. The LBJ East project is being proposed the city of Dallas and will be an 18km stretch of Interstate 635 that will connect Central Expressway with Interstate 30. The project has been planned by the Texas Transportation Department and is intended to boost capacity in the areas around Lake Highland, Garland, Far East Dallas and Mesquite. The proposed route calls for two of the seven lanes on the widened Interstate s

Uzbekistan is introducing a new road development programme. The majority of the necessary funding for the work is being provided by the World Bank (WB). The financing for the projects is being delivered in the shape of a series of loans worth a total of US$200 million, although the specific terms of deal have not so far been released. In all 394km of roads are being rebuilt under the programme, which is intended to boost transport in the country. Some $240 million is required in all to pay for Uzbekistan’s

Strong interest is being reported in two road project tenders in Brazil. The tenders are being handled by Artesp, the transport agency for Sao Paulo State. So far as many as 140 interested parties have registered for the tenders of two roadway stretches. The first of these tenders will be auctioned on the 22nd February 2017 while the second will be auctioned on the 25th April 2017. These interested parties include at least 30 road operators and 15 banks, and include firms from Europe, Asia and the Middle Ea

A new tunnel project in the Philippines is to be constructed with the help of Japanese funding. The project calls for the building of a new tunnel section connecting the centre of Davao City with its southern tip. Necessary funding for the work is being provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The official development assistance (ODA) loan being provided by the JICA is worth US$232.74 million. The new Davao City bypass construction project in 2015 will be developed using Japanese exper