Road Structures

Funding has been found for a major highway project in India. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a substantial portion of the US$846 million of financing required for the 800km Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC). In all the ADB will provide $631 million in the form of a series of grants and loans, which will be delivered in stages. Meanwhile the Indian Government will provide $215 million. The VCIC itself forms part of the 2,500km East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC).

Work on a new road project worth US$102.6 million is now underway. In all the highway will be 140km long, connecting Al Faya, Razeen and Al Quaa. The work is being carried out by contractor Musanada. The project is being carried out in two stages, with the 88km stretch from Al Faya to Razeen and a 52km stretch from Razeen to Al Quaa.

An amended loan agreement will help with the construction of a major highway project in Serbia. The funding for the project is being provided by Azerbaijan. The loan facility for the work on the Corridor 11 highway project has now been extended for an additional two years. The total loan for the project is €308 million. The project is now due for completion in May 2018. The work is being carried out by Azerbaijan-based contractor Azvirt.

A new highway is being planned for Vietnam that will run from north-south and feature four traffic lanes, with two in either direction. The project has been put forward to the Vietnam Government by the country’s Ministry of Transport (MOT). The route of the highway has still to be revealed but the link would improve travel connections between capital Hanoi in the north of the country and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Running for some 1,372km in all, the highway has an estimated cost of US$10.25 billion to

Funding sources have been found for a major transport corridor for East Africa. The US$1.91 billion project will improve transport connections from Lamu Port to South Sudan and Ethiopia. Funding for the project is being provided by the state-run Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA). The 537km road link is called the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia (LAPSSET) transport corridor. The project will connect Lamu on the coast of Kenya, with Garissa and Isiolo, providing a through route to the landlocked nations

A Chinese contractor is building a new highway in Montenegro. The 40km highway will include a tunnel stretch as well as a bridge. China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) is the contractor carrying out the construction work, which is costing around €800 million. The project features a number of challenges as the route passes through difficult terrain. It is due to the number of mountains and valleys along the route that the tunnel stretch and bridge are required so as to ensure that the highway will

A new bridge is planned that will span the Okavango River in northern Botswana. The bridge will feature a cable-stayed structure and will be 1.2km long in all, with a 400m central section. The project also includes the construction of 3km of roads to connect the new bridge to existing road infrastructure, as well as installing necessary lighting and drainage systems. The project is expected to cost in excess of US$93 million and take three years to complete.

Funding is being sought for a major highway project in Pakistan. The country’s National Highway Authority (NHA) is looking for international investors for the project to construct a 296km highway. Located in Pakistan’s Sindh Province, the route would connect with other highways being developed with the benefit of Chinese funding. For the Sindh Province highway project, Pakistan is hoping to source funding from various countries including China, Malaysia, South Korea and Turkey.

Construction work is proceeding ahead of schedule for the new Delhi expressway project in India. This US$862 million project now looks likely to be ready for traffic by August 2017. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), originally planned for the Delhi Eastern Peripheral Expressway to be completed by July 2018. Work on the 135km project started in May 2016. The highway project is a novel development for India as it will be the first in the country to be solar powered. It will also feature around