Road Structures

Romania’s road network is developing to meet demand. Data from country’s National Institute of Statistics (INS) reveals that the total length of highways in the country grew by 9.4%, or by 64km, in 2015 compared to 2014. Meanwhile highways now account for 4.2% of the total length of Romania’s road routes. At the end of 2015, public roads totalled 86,080km, of which 17,606km, or 20.5% of the total, were national roads, 35,316km, or 41%, were county roads and up to 33,158km, or 38.5%, were communal roads.

Poland has set out an ambitious programme for road development to expand its network. The programme of works is running from 2014-2023. The country’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) has revealed that some 157 tenders have so far been announced within the National Road Construction Programme during this time period. The projects involve the construction of around 2,089km of roads. The total value of this work is around €15.67 billion. So far around 90 of the tenders have resulte

Funding has been secured for a major highway project in Pakistan. Some US$100 million is being provided by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for work on Pakistan’s M-4 Motorway project. The investment will take the form of co-financing for the Shorkot-Khanewal section of this major road project. AIIB is based in China and has commented that there is major potential in Pakistan for infrastructure development.

Major highway projects have been given approval in India. The work is worth some US$667.12 million in all. The projects are for new highways in Himachal State and Uttar Pradesh State. The new highways have been approved as part of the fourth stage of India’s National Highways Development Project. The first of these new highways will see land being acquired, along with rehabilitation and resettlement plus the construction of a total of 128km of roads. This includes the main highway itself plus the access roa

A number of major bridge projects in Chile are now delayed.

Major highway improvement works are being proposed for Queensland, Australia. The aim of the work will be to reduce congestion along a 4km stretch of highway that suffers long delays during peak periods at present. Some US$129.5 million (A$168 million) of federal funding will has been proposed to widen the highway connecting the Gold Coast with Queensland capital Brisbane, with work possibly starting in 2017. However the project hangs in the balance and depends on the results of an upcoming election process

A highly innovative bridge project is planned for Indonesia. A specialist firm from the Netherlands, Tidal Bridge, has been contracted to construct the new Pancasila Palmerah Bridge in East Nusa Tenggara. The project involves constructing a 1.3km suspension bridge that will span the Larantuka Strait and connect Flores with Adonara Island. The project is expected to cost US$400 million and construction work is due to commence in December 2016. Of the bridge's 1.3km total length, around 800m will span Larantu