Road Structures

Argentina is receiving a loans from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) worth US$300 million for road improvements. The loan will be used to widen and improve roads across the country and is for 25 years with a grace period of 4.5 years. The Argentina Government will provide a further $200 million for road development projects. Planned projects include a new 120km dual carriageway as well as work to a 35.4km section of National Route 19 in Cordoba Province. Meanwhile around half of Salta Province

The German state of Bavaria will invest around €35 million in a road tunnel under the Englischer Garten in Munich. The city of Munich will have to find the rest of the expected €125 million construction cost for the 380m tunnel that will replace a motorway that splits the park. German media reports say that city authorities will look toward some form of private sponsorship for tunnel that would likely be a cut and cover design that would follow closely the current alignment of the highway. Englisch

The name of Istanbul’s new 14.6km tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait will be chosen form on-line poll run by the federal transport ministry. The US$1.25 billion tunnel will officially open this month, around eight months ahead of schedule, according to the state-run news agency Anadolu Agency. Often referred to as the Eurasian Tunnel, it will shorten a 100-minute vehicle journey between the European and Asian sides of the strait to around 15 minutes. The mega project consisting of a railway and two

Tendering is commencing for the final portion of works to complete Colombia’s La Linea tunnel project. Around 12% of the work on the tunnel still has to be completed, with the work expected to cost US$68.5 million. The tender is being carried out by Colombia's National Road Institute (Invias). The tunnel project has been delayed for a series of reasons. Colombian contractor Constructora Carlos Collins was constructing the tunnel but did not meet the necessary deadline. As a result, Invias opted to open the

A new highway project in Nepal will benefit from a loan provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The loan is worth nearly US$187 million. It will be used to help upgrade the country’s East-West Highway. In addition, the loan will will also be used to improve other key sections of Nepal’s road network. Key stretches of the 45km Bhairahawa-Taulihawa road as well as the 115km Narayanghat-Butwal road will be upgraded. Separate funding from the ADB will pay for technical assistance to Nepal’s Department of

A new road and viaduct project is planned for Bizerte in Tunisia. The project will be paid for through a loan worth €123 million agreed with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The project includes building a 9.5km road section and a 2km viaduct that will span the entrance to Lake Bizerte. Once the link is in place it will help reduce congestion as well as exhaust pollution close to Bizerte. The existing bridge is no longer able to meet traffic demands but the new structure will feature two lanes in either

Construction work on the Central Section of Russia’s Western High-Speed Diameter (WHSD) in St Petersburg is complete, with some small detail work now being finished off. The WHSD connects the Southern, Central and Northern sections of St Petersburg and will open to traffic at the end of December. VTB Capital was a key participant in funding the construction of the Central Section and is a major shareholder in the consortium that will operate the entire WHSD route.

A loan from the China Exim Bank will help pay for a new road project in Kenya. The loan is being offered to Kenya’s Government and is worth US$227.2 million, around 46% of the sum required for the whole 472km road project. The project is being handled in three phases, with this loan being sufficient for the first 192km stretch that will connect Kibwezi with Kitui, running through Mutomo. This first section will be constructed by Chinese contractor Sinohydro. The second stretch of the project will measure 16