'Five innovations in one'
The new ZRM 6014 road marking retroreflectometer from Zehntner is said to incorporate five innovations in one go: telescope handle and wheels as standard, colour touch display, camera, level meter and compass.
Major advances in asphalt paving technology
Using the latest paving technology has allowed contractors to carry out difficult projects
Contractors in Germany and Italy have been able to carry out very difficult asphalt paving applications, using the latest machines from Vögele and Volvo Construction Equipment respectively. In both instances these projects benefited greatly from the use of the latest generation equipment and it is debatable as to whether such high quality results could have been achieved with older machines.
ARTBA reacts to US transportation budget
The US-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has revealed its response to plans by the US Government to invest in infrastructure. According to ARTBA, the current US Administration has proposed investing a total of US$128 billion in transportation for 2012 financial year.
Mobile measuring of road markings
Road markings and raised pavements markers (RPMs) are important tools in securing efficient and safe traffic flow, and the high visibility of both is an important task in road maintenance, says DELTA.
Canadian road upgrades
Canada's Ontario Province is budgeting US$138.5 million for road and bridge projects.
Taiwan's coastal highway upgrade
Taiwan's Suao-Hualien highway is being upgraded in a project worth US$1.26 billion. The work will reduce congestion, improve safety and cut journey times on the link.
Testing high performance road markings
High performance markings are among the safety products used to guide traffic safely, but they must be tested and checked. Patrick Smith reports. Road construction zones, zebra crossings, tunnels and areas with frequent fog are particular focal points with regard to road user safety. This is why manufacturers, authorities and contractors are always eager to use innovative road markings and special studs or, where necessary, lane control devices to assist both drivers and pedestrians in all conditions, parti
Innovation in asphalt paving solutions
This year has seen a wide array of innovative additions to the asphalt paving market - Mike Woof reports. The worldwide asphalt paving market is both competitive and complex, with an array of important players jostling for position. At the same time, paving controls have taken a great leap forward with the development of accurate 3D systems that can use a combination of laser and GPS positioning. Leica Geosystems, Topcon and Trimble have all introduced new packages for the asphalt paving sector and these
Underground identification
Improved detection of buried objects can be achieved with the latest RD7000+ utility cable and pipe locator range from Radiodetection.
Major advances in compaction technology
Both soil and asphalt compaction technologies will see key advances in 2010, writes Mike Woof. With each phase of regulations coming into force for engine and noise emissions, as well as operator vibration, manufacturers have been forced to improve, upgrade and update their compaction machines.
Developments in site survey solutions
Trimble is widening its portfolio of Connected Site survey solutions for the field and office. These upgraded tools allow surveyors to collect, share and deliver data faster to improve accuracy, efficiency and productivity.
Water removal
Strength and resilience are claimed for the BluTop range of small diameter ductile iron water pipes from Saint-Gobain PAM UK.
Building india's new Hyderabad-Bangalore motorway
The first motorway connecting the cities of Hyderabad-Bangalore will be approximately 600km long, with three lanes in both directions. It will represent an important change in India as the country will benefit from a fast and greater flow of communication, transportation and commerce networks, which up until now have been carried out mainly by sea.
Muscat Airport contract for Cooper
A huge project in Oman will see a proposed new terminal at Muscat International Airport, which has been budgeted at US$1.17 billion, completed by 2014. It will have the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually, and further expansions planned by The Ministry of Transport and Communication in three subsequent phases will ultimately boost the airport’s capacity to 48 million passengers annually by 2050.
Brazilian project due
Work on the eastern section of Sao Paulo's Mario Covas orbital highway is being given the official go-ahead. Approval has been given by Sao Paulo's state environmental agency Consema for the 44.5km extension of the highway.
Upgrade for Mumbai airport
Work is continuing to upgrade Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), India's largest airport in Mumbai, the country's largest city.
US DOTs in critical funding battle
In the US, state DOTs are preparing for the upcoming reauthorisation battle in a tough economic and political climate. Set to expire by the end of the year, the bill is a critical funding source for many transportation projects in the US. However transportation officials in the US are facing a tough battle as the political and economic climate has changed considerably since the last reauthorisation was passed, shortly after President Obama's inauguration in January 2009. Since then, the recession has contin
Wider range of survey software functionality
Leica Geosystems is offering a broad spread of new packages and hardware that will deliver improved performance to users. The firmware 2.0 product is said to add powerful new capabilities to the Leica ScanStation C10, the industry's most popular 3D laser scanner for as-built and topographic surveys. This further increases the productivity and versatility of the fully integrated, cable-less ScanStation C10. A new Setup facility lets users take advantage of known survey points and backsighting, while remote,
Advanced surveying
Personnel using Spectra Precision FOCUS solutions can now benefit from a more robust set of tools. This field software provides a wide array of tools to cope with an array of survey and construction projects. One key new feature is the LandXML Road support for laying out engineering and road profile elements, as this can improve dataflow and efficiency on site. In addition, external data streaming for the output of measurement and positional data from Survey Pro in an XML output means that data can be adapt
Dana and Bosch agree on technology partnership
Dana Holding Corporation and Bosch Rexroth are planning to establish a joint venture partnership operation to co-develop and manufacture advanced drive transmissions for the off-highway, construction equipment market.