Road Structures

The Peruvian investment promotion agency ProInversion says that it will not award contracts for all of the projects programmed for 2016. These are worth a total of US$1.29 billion and focus on transport and communications. Peru’s Association for the Promotion of National Infrastructure (AFIN) says that a reason for the delay to the works may be attributed to the impending end of term for Peru’s present administration. An incoming government may then opt to launch tenders for projects on the list for 2016 as

A key bridge link is due for completion in Colombia shortly. The new Moravia bridge forms part of the Santa Madre Laura road project and should be complete in April 2016. The bridge is over 500m long and has cost some US$46.8 million to build. The work is being carried out by construction consortium Bermejal. Once open to traffic the bridge will help to reduce traffic on the existing Barranquilla and Mico bridges by providing an alternative route to west Medellin.

The Czech Republic is looking to cut construction costs for a 32km stretch of the D4 Pribram-Pisek highway between Milin and Mirotice. As a result the route will be constructed under public-private partnership (PPP) model. The total investment in the project is some €919.92 million. The construction work is expected to commence in the second half of 2016. The 32km stretch will take five years to complete. The road will be built under a concession model with the concession lasting for 25 years. The Czech Tra

Work is now underway on the Lo Te-Rach Soi Highway in Vietnam. The new link runs for 53.34km and connects Kien Giang with Can Tho. The first stage of this project is costing in the order of US$298.62 million. Work on the project will take 30 months to complete.

A new approach to tunnel inspection technology in Japan could yield major benefits in determining quality and safety. A team comprising specialists from Japan’s Institute for Laser Technology and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency is having evaluating the use of lasers for upgrading tunnel inspection methods as part of a two year research programme. The new technique is said to allow inspectors to examine tunnel wall conditions at a higher frequency of 25 times/second. The technology also allows tunnel wall

The planned Penang project is postponed in Malaysia. This major road tunnel project will be delayed. The project is expected to cost US$1.42 billion and the work will be carried out by the Consortium Zenith BUCG (CZBUCG). For the first phase, three highways with a combined length of 21.2km will be constructed. They are the Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass, the Gurney Drive to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass and the Jalan Tanjung Bungah-Teluk Bahang paired-road. The delay has been attr