Road Structures

The tunnelling portion of India’s Chenani-Nashri tunnel project has now been completed. This 9.2km tunnel is of major importance for India as it will improve the transport connection between the Kashmir Valley and Jammu, reducing the distance by 30km. The tunnel is expected to open for traffic in May 2016 and will feature modern safety systems, setting a precedent for India. Advanced technology will be installed to handle ventilation, communications and traffic management, as well as safety systems such as

Construction of the Russian stretch of the highway connecting Europe with China should be complete by 2018. This section of the project is costing close to US$22.6 billion. The international transit corridor from Europe to Western China is of key economic significance. The first sections of the Russian portion of the route form part of the new high-speed federal highway M-11 from Moscow to St Petersburg. About 40% of the highway will run through the Volga federal district. The 8,400km long international tra

Construction of the 392km highway running across Honduras is currently underway. The Canal Seco project will link the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the country. Discussions regarding the bypass around the city of San Pedro Sula as well as other municipalities in Valle de Sula are being held. The bypass will prevent traffic congestion. The bypass is costing an estimated US$120 million and a consortium has looked at six possible routes. Funding for the route has still to be sourced.

A novel move in India by the government will see waste materials being used in road construction. The new legislation requires plastic waste to be used in asphalt by road construction firms. The aim of this new legislation is to overcome the problem of plastic waste disposal in India’s major urban areas. Road construction firms will be required to incorporate waste plastic within hot mix when building bitumen roads within 50km of any city with a population of 500,000 or more. The contractor is now required

Balfour Beatty has been awarded a €147.72 million (£104 million) road scheme by Norfolk County Council to complete works on the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (NNDR). The new road will serve Broadland, Norfolk, and improve access to North Norfolk and Norwich International Airport, with better links to Great Yarmouth and the south of the region. It will also bring relief on congested and unsuitable roads around the north and east of Norwich and improve capacity for future growth in jobs and housing.

Proposals are expected for widening work to two major highways in Paraguay. In all seven consortia look likely to submit their proposals for the PPP widening project for Route 2 and Route 7. The Directorate of Strategic Projects (DIPE) of Paraguay's Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) has reported that seven of the eleven pre-qualified firms have shown string interest in the work. The project is due for completion after 2019 and will cost close to $400 million. Bidding for the project will no