Road Structures

The tunnelling sector remains one of the most active segments of the construction industry worldwide, fuelling demand for equipment However, there have been issues with the efficiency of the selection process for the most suitable tunnelling method for a project in the past. With this in mind, the Italian hydraulic breaker manufacturer Indeco has been working on a new algorithm that allows a contractor to optimise the tunnelling method selection. The firm said that this system has been developed becau

A Positioner-Actuator-Manipulator (PAM)machine on hire from UK dealer STM of Tring has been able to cut concrete removal time for Bam Nuttall on its €116.2 million tunnel refurbishment contract at Heathrow Airport. The 18-month contract involves major work on the main and cargo tunnels serving Terminals 1, 2 and 3 in order to comply with the latest European standards and also to extend the life of the tunnels for a further 60 years. As part of the project, some 206m2 of concrete repairs were needed to be

A new bridge has been built in China that now spans the Yi River. A crane from XCMG has played a key role in the work, being used to erect the two 100m-high towers for the structure. The bridge is made from prestressed concrete and is a cable-stayed structure, with two towers providing support for the necessary cables. Building this large bridge required the use of sophisticated technology and the project team opted to use a 100m-high tower crane to help lift key elements of the structure into place. The c

Plans are being considered for a new road crossing route for the River Thames in London. Transport for London (TfL) has launched a consultation process to evaluate new crossing proposals. The first suggested route would link Beckton and Thamesmead through a link at Gallions Reach, while a second proposed crossing at Belvedere would link Belvedere and Rainham. The consultation is seeking views about potential public transport links for the proposed river crossings in east London.

Funding from the World Bank (WB) will help finance a key Kenyan road project. The US$440.61 million credit line is being provided by the WB to the Kenya National Highways Authority. This will be used for upgrading the Lodwar-Nadapal Road in Kenya. The upgrading will involve construction of bridges, culverts and other drainage facilities.

Morocco is planning to upgrade and widen several of its major road links during 2016. The aim of the works will be to boost capacity as well as to improve stretches of road that suffer from regular flooding or which have an unacceptably high rate of crashes. In all around 825km of roads will be improved by the programme of works, while there are also plans to improve 16 bridges.