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Christophe Nicodème, ERF's Director General, explores a missing link in the road safety chain

Peab Asfalt of Sweden primarily handles major road and highway projects in the inland portion of the country, but the company was willing and able to take on a new challenge when an airport runway needed to be paved in its own backyard. The work was done in Jönköping, which has a relatively small airport but which is still crucial to the inland area of Sweden. Flights were typically rerouted during the project, with the exception of two per day in the late afternoon or evening. This enabled Peab Asfalt t

With capital expenditure plans being reduced, many quarry operators are using the funds available to improve on productivity with their existing equipment fleets. Claire Symes reports. The economic downturn has had a big impact on the aggregates production sector with many quarry operators looking to reduce costs and rationalise operations. The impact of this can be seen in the reduction of capital expenditure plans but the investments that are being made are focused on efficiency.

Turkish manufacturers are important trading partners in the worldwide aggregate production sector, Mike Woof reports

A novel resin alternative has been used to repair roads in North Wales in the UK. The product, supplied by Ultracrete, has been used to provide a durable, high-strength ironwork reinstatement. The cement-based resin alternative material, Envirobed HA104, was tested by the North Wales Trunk Road Agency. Resins have traditionally been the first choice for ironwork reinstatement, due to their high performance and rapid set times. However this new product is a revolutionary, next generation, environmentally fri

The concrete paving market has provided stable ground for existing players, though key market developments are in hand. US manufacturers have long dominated the concrete paving sector with well-known firms such as GOMACO, Guntert & Zimmerman, Power Curbers, Power Pavers and Terex all being based in the US, while German firm Wirtgen is Europe's leading contender in this market. However there is some jostling for position in the concrete paving sector, with some of the players looking to enter new segments. T

The authorities in the Russian city of St Petersburg are setting aside funds for road construction and repairs for 2012.

Contractor Marti Tunnelbau has carried out work on the A16 road construction project in the Swiss canton of Jura with help from its Liebherr LB28 and LB36 piling rigs.

A key road project is now commencing in Peruvian port Callao. The work is costing some US$186.4 million and is being carried out by Brazilian contractor Andrade Gutierrez.

A Herrenknecht S-574 Earth Pressure Balance Shield is being used on a major highway project in Italy.

Two Caterpillar 14M graders equipped with AccuGrade dual GPS systems with cross-slope capability are providing accurate finish for road construction and upgrading work on projects in the Republic of Burundi.

Chinese contractor Shanghai Sheng Xin Construction Co is using an Atlas Copco XAS 67 compressor on a new road bridge project in Shanghai. The new bridge is at Dan Ba Road, one of the main arteries in this older part of the city.

In Estonia, Novotrade Invest, which produces hydrocarbon resin HCR-105, has carried out research work on the material that can be used as a bitumen modifier.

A round-up of some of the major transport-related meetings that have been held in Europe. Compiled by Patrick Smith. Europe has hosted a number of annual events over the last few weeks, where important matters of transport were discussed, reports produced, and decisions taken. ASECAP (the European Association of Tolled Motorways, Bridges and Tunnels Infrastructures Operators); International Transport Forum (ITF); Arena (TRA); International Road Federation (IRF), and the European Construction Industry Federa

Trimble says that its Construction Manager version 2.5 package offers polygon site management and better support for CAD map overlays, using imagery provided by Google Maps. This advanced remote construction asset management solution combines GPS technology with wireless communication and Internet capabilities. The package can supply quantitative information to analyse and improve asset productivity, saving time and cutting construction project costs. The software features interpret charts, reports, and das

Danish contractor Holbøll & Sønner has recently bought more construction machinery from Hitachi, having bought its first excavator from the company more than 25 years ago.

Efficient and effective lighting is possible using the new Tornado bollard from US Architectural Lighting. This unit is said to offer a modern approach to public area lighting, along with significant energy-savings, while featuring a micro-prism lens, the unit produces a soft lighting effect.

RDS Technology says it is pushing the boundaries of weighing technology with its advanced Loadmaster i range of on-board weighing scales

Case Construction Equipment introduces three new F Series wheel loaders to European customers, which are said to offer faster acceleration, reduced cycle times, higher travel speeds, increased productivity and up to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption.

Topcon Europe Positioning has released SurveyMaster Lite, a new CAD-based desktop application for surveying and job site information editing and plotting. Mark Contino, TPS (Topcon Positioning Systems, Livermore, USA) vice president of product marketing, said: "SurveyMaster Lite is a cost-efficient surveying office software package perfect for the cadastral surveying and construction stakeout professional."