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French contractor DSD Démolition was one of three firms that worked on the recent demolition of the A55 highway flyover in Marseilles, France. The 20-year-old flyover stood near the harbour and formed part of a main route through Marseille leading to Lyon and Avignon. However, it was an ugly structure and spoiled the city's landscape so as part of the wider regeneration taking part in Marseille's harbour, the 1.3km bridge had to be demolished within three months. DSD Démolition had two operators for each of

Modern satellite technology is making life easier for everyone on the construction site and in the office. Most major equipment manufacturers are now integrating GPS machine control systems into the design of excavators, bulldozers, pavers, and motor graders. For stake-less work it is a major component for automatic grading, surveying, and excavating systems, with contractors and construction companies using GPS machine control systems to improve operations.

The road accident rate in France looks to be on the increase as a result of changes in laws, which have softened penalties for offences.

Atlas Copco says that its medium-size MB1500 hydraulic breaker is both versatile and productive. Robust and sturdy in design, this hammer can be used for demolition, trenching or quarrying work. Straightforward and reliable, the MB1500 is said to have low maintenance needs and is not fitted with a high-pressure accumulator, reducing the number of moving components it features. However the unit is equipped with Atlas Copco's StartSelect and AutoControl packages, which allow start-up and shutdown to match th

Work will start in the second half of 2011 on a new stretch of Hungary’s M3 highway between Vasarosnameny and the number 49 Highway.

Huge investments are being made in major road construction projects for North Africa. The biggest is the 'Autoroute Transmaghrébine' highway, which is also Africa's largest ever road construction project. Once complete, the highway will connect the Maghreb states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya and will have a total length of 3,200km.

Klaruw RMS has won Safety Project of the Year for a joint submission with Area 10 managing agent contractor A-one+ in the recent Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation North-Western Branch 2011 Awards.

Elliott Equipment is offering a versatile and mobile, crawler-mounted off-road crane and excavating unit. Called the 30105DT, the machine features a maximum capacity of 27tonnes, a telescopic boom that extends to 32m and a 35m tip height.

Roadtec is offering a new cold recycling machine, the RT-500, aimed at duties in projects using the recycling train concept. Electrically powered by a Cat C9 generator set, the RT-500 can handle up to 600 tonnes/hour of material and is designed to crush and screen the recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) produced by an RX-900 cold planer. It has a JCI double deck screen that sorts milled material provided by the RX-900's conveyor. Any oversized material is fed back into the RT-500's Telsmith 3048 impact crusher

The University of Birmingham's internationally renowned Highways Group links with IRF to host this year's premier Forum for Advances in Sustainable Roads, from 12 to 24 April, 2010. For over 15 years, the Senior Road Executives Programme (SRE) has provided continuing professional development for road practitioners

A high production paving job has been achieved by German contractor Rask Mecklenburg on a site in Stockelsdorf, Ostholstein. A Volvo ABG7820 asphalt paver was used by the firm to surface a new road link providing construction access to a housing development.

The Skanska Balfour Beatty Joint Venture has been selected by Autodesk to receive an Autodesk BIM Experience Award.

A worrying report in Germany has revealed that up to 20% of the country’s bridges on its Federal Roads need refurbishing or rebuilding.

Following a fire at a scrapyard under the motorway (one of Britain’s busiest) in April, extensive investigation, assessment and structural reinforcement work has taken place non-stop.

With economies booming in the BRIC countries and other regions, spending on infrastructure is at a high - Patrick Smith reports As economic crisis grips much of the world, many countries are still spending billions on infrastructure to improve transportation. While the USA and Europe struggle with debt problems (and this has affected much of the rest of the world) the development of highways, airport, ports and other infrastructure is gathering pace in other regions to boost economic developments.

An array of innovative mix designs and special processes have been introduced to the paving market in recent years. These are now being used in many site applications and are offering contractors the benefits of fast application and high surface quality while providing safe, cost-effective and hard wearing solutions with long life for clients.

A UK pensioner took on a gang of six masked and helmeted robbers attempting to smash their way into a jewellers to steal valuable items. The thieves drove up on scooters and used hammers to try and break the glass windows of the shop in a bid to take watches and jewellery. Passers-by watched in alarm as the robbers battered at the glass, however the female pensioner showed no fear as she sprinted towards the thieves and began hitting them with her handbag. At this, the thieves realised their plot had been f

A Trabant-based tank tour now tempts tourists travelling to German capital Berlin. A firm offers visitors a guided trip around Berlin in a replica of a tank, which is based on the chassis of the East German-made Trabant car. The replica tank is intended as a joke given the diminutive size of the vehicle and it sports a mock-up of a weapon on its roof. Some locals have found the joke somewhat less than amusing however. The firm runs a total fleet of some 50 Trabants in all, which it uses to provide tourists

In the UK delays were caused on a busy highway when a lorry caught fire. The truck was carrying a load of feathers, which were then released by the blaze. In its aftermath the scene of the incident resembled a snow storm, with some of the congestion arising from drivers on the other carriageway slowing down to see what happened. The traffic on the side of the dual carriageway where the blaze occurred was reduced to a single lane. It is not clear if police gave out allergen warnings to drivers over the prese

A truck driver is now regretting having trusted his satellite navigation system after having been stuck three times in a single day in the same village in Wales. The man was attempting to drive his delivery truck from Bangor to Aberystwyth. However he found the village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd a barrier to his journey, with the truck proving unable to negotiate a narrow bridge. Police managed to escort the red-faced driver and his over-sized vehicle to an alternative route.