Turkish connection
The tender process is being opened for a new bridge across the Bosporus in Turkey. Turkey's Ministry of Transport is running the tender for the project.
Sprayed tunnel waterproofing reduces build costs
Sprayed waterproofing: 'hot topic' Sprayed waterproofing is a hot industry topic, and a paper presented at the recent North American Tunnelling Conference not only discussed this method for achieving a dry tunnel but also how it can reduce build costs and construction time.
South Africa's secondary road repairs
South Africa's Transport Ministry has set out plans for a new road improvement programme.
Building the Pfänder tunnes
The second tube of the Pfänder Tunnel, Bregenz, Austria, where the new main tunnel has been excavated using a tunnel boring machine (TBM), is being constructed by Alpine BeMo Tunnelling.
Tubbings have been installed as the inner tunnel lining, and as part of concreting for the inner shell, the FQ 1 crosscut, suitable for vehicles, is being constructed using a tunnel formwork carriage designed and supplied by PERI.
Rural roads important to global development
Maryvonne Plessis-Fraissard highlights that the key importance of rural roads in the context of global development is only now being fully recognised, is not receiving enough attention and is facing vital new challenges
LED road studs provide tunnel guidance
Safety in tunnels is of paramount importance, and in 2014 the European Union will be introducing new safety rules for such structures. As in other parts of the world, many tunnels under construction will be built to high standards incorporating the latest technologies.
Many others are being upgraded, including the Elbetunnel, Hamburg, Germany, where the first tunnel under the River Elbe was built in 1911.
Accurate testing
The latest PFM Tester Series from Flo-tech now features an internal safety pressure relief disc. The proven PFM products have a long track record for measuring flow, pressure, temperature and power on mobile hydraulic equipment. However this improved version now features and internal burst disc designed to ensure that in the event of over-pressurisation, fluid is safely allowed to bypass the load valve and remain within the hydraulic system. The feature means that no fluids will escape from the tester, redu
Faster patching
Ennis Prismo is introducing a new pothole reinstatement product called Repair and a novel temporary line marking system. The pothole product is said to be quick, easy and safe to use, as well as being inexpensive to purchase. This product requires little training to use and is said to be ready to carry traffic soon after installation, reducing delays and disruptions. It is also said to provide a long-lasting repair even on roads with high traffic volumes. Meanwhile the temporary line marking system is said
India plans major infrastucture investment
India says it turned its Commonwealth Games into a world-class success, and now it aims to do the same with its infrastructure. Patrick Smith reports. On October, 2010 India put itself on the world stage, and disaster appeared to loom as a catalogue of problems dogged its biggest ever sporting event. Costing nearly US$2 billion to stage, the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever were, according to some, in doubt.
Efficient surveying
According to Spectra Precision, its latest outdoor data collectors can optimise surveying operations. The sophisticated Ranger 3 data collector series and the Nomad 900 series are designed to operate with Spectra Precision Survey Pro field software and offer advanced surveying capabilities. Spectra Precision now offers three Ranger 3 models, the 3L, 3XC and 3RC. These data collectors come standard with an 800MHz processor, 256MB of memory, a full VGA display, integrated Bluetooth, GPS, compass and 802.11 Wi
Increased use of reclaimed asphalt, reduced emissions
Reducing emissions and increasing the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement is among the key aims of plant manufacturers. Patrick Smith reports. Lower emissions and the use of recycled materials coupled with reduced costs are the aims of manufacturers of modern asphalt plants.
MARS marches on in safety
A new automatic cone laying and removal system, designed to provide total safety for highways operatives, has successfully undergone testing in Switzerland. The advanced Mobile Automatic Roadblock System (MARS), developed by Dutch designers and manufacturers, Traf-IQ, has been operated during highways maintenance work on Amsterdam's A9 and A10 motorways. MARS automatically places a rumble strip, a light arrow and an attenuator as well as the miles of cones, and then automatically, safely and efficiently rem
3M boosts border security
Travellers between participating nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) can now enjoy faster travel due to a novel border security programme designed by 3M Security Systems. CARIPASS, the world's first multi-lateral border crossing programme, is a voluntary travel card programme that provides secure and simple border crossings for citizens and legal residents of ten CARICOM nations (Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis; St Vincent and the Gren
Tunnels eliminate bottlenecks
Some of the bottlenecks on the multi-lane Mittlere Ring, Munich, Germany, one of the main arterial roads circling the city centre have been eliminated by the addition of new tunnels. The Luise-Kiesselbach Square, the last section of this road improvement effort, is an important traffic hub south-west of the city where motorways A96 from Lindau and A5 from Garmisch meet, causing long delays in daily rush-hour traffic, writes Patrick Smith.
Financing safer, more sustainable European roads
The future financing of the European road network has again become a hot topic in Brussels
Bilbao benefits from major tunnel project
The northern Spanish city of Bilbao looks set to benefit from a major tunnel construction project aimed at reducing traffic congestion on its vehicle clogged streets. The city is building a new underground metro section, Line 3, which will help carry commuters to and from the city's commercial centre and help reduce vehicle journey times on the surface.
This project is also making use of the latest piece of tunnelling equipment from Sandvik, the MT520 roadheader, a powerful machine designed and built at
PPP highway project for Vietnam
In Vietnam the public-private partnership model is being used for a new 32km highway project in the Keokong Delta.
Danube bridge takes shape
A new bridge over the River Danube between Bulgaria and Romania is expected to benefit to the economies of both nations. Krasimir Krastanov reports
Versatile articulated dump truck
Articulated dump trucks offers a versatile solution for earthmoving needs, Mike Woof reports.
The articulated dump truck is now used worldwide in a huge array of earthmoving applications. The market for these versatile machines was developed largely in Northern Europe at first, before spreading to other areas of the world and ADTs can now be regarded as pieces of equipment with global appeal for earthmoving and extraction applications.
Projects under scrutiny in Mexico
Close scrutiny of projects awarded to contractors MCC and OHL is being carried out in the Mexican state of Puebla.