Road Structures

Bolivia's state-owned road operator Administradora Boliviana de Carreteras (ABC) has an ambitious road building programme. This will see the construction of a further 3,172km of roads, of which almost 1,000km will be completed in 2015. The 1,000km of roads on track for completion comprise some 16 projects in seven departments. ABC has budgeted US$1.17 billion for its programme of works, an increase over the $995.4 million for the previous financial year.

Work to construct a key bridge in China has been aided by a crane supplied by XCMG The crane was used to erect 100m high twin bridge supports for the structure. The bridge is a dual-cable, pre-stressed concrete cable-stayed bridge featuring two towers. The bridge is located in Shandong and was recently opened to traffic. The project was not without its challenges. Building such a large bridge spanning the Yi River required sophisticated methodologies and use of the latest technology. Mounting the cab

New machines from Italian supplier Barin are now being used to help maintain bridges in Thailand. The Department of Rural Roads ordered one of the Barin AB range of bridge inspection machines for use by its Bridge Construction Bureau. This machine was installed on a suitable truck chassis to cope with the 24tonne GVW and as with other units in the Barin range, is able to operate from a single lane. The AB 13/S unit offers a bridge barrier clearance height of 3.6m and a sidewalk clearance of 3.2m. Ho

XCMG is broadening its range of lifting machines with the introduction of a new telehandler and a new crane. The XC6-4517 telehandler has been developed in-house and is now being exported, with units having been supplied to Qatar. Although based on existing models, the new XC6-4517 features better ergonomics and a new FOP and ROPS cab that offers good all-round visibility. High off-road performance is claimed while the machine is also manoeuvrable, with a minimum turning radius of 3.8m. The machine is d

A series of major infrastructure projects in Malaysia are attracting strong interest from prospective bidders. The series of infrastructure projects forms part of the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP). Firms keen to participate in the tender process include UEM Edgenta, Bina Puri Holdings and Nexgram Holdings. One of the biggest projects planned is for the Pan Borneo Highway. In all this is expected to be worth some US$7.18 billion. The start of the works for the 1,663km road has yet to be defined but the route sho

Proposals to construct the Sunda Strait Bridge are not feasible, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia. Safety risks from earthquakes, tsunami, high tides and extreme weather conditions make the project impractical. A US$75.46 million feasibility study was carried out for the project. This pointed out that the bridge is at a high risk from earthquakes and tsunamis due to its vicinity to the Anak Krakatoa volcano.