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Winter weather often brings traffic chaos, and authorities have to be ready to tackle it as Patrick Smith reports Good winter maintenance is rarely noticed, and it is only when things go wrong that it becomes a public issue. "When sudden bouts of cold weather bring traffic chaos, icy roads receive high-profile coverage and local authorities are criticised, often unfairly, for not affording greater protection," says the Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA), the UK's top trade body for road mainten

Turkish firm Hidromek is serious about its plans for the future and is gearing up production of its excavator range. High performance is claimed by the firm for its machines, which feature sophisticated electronics and hydraulics as well as the latest low emission engines.

Forty-four state agencies currently rely on Daktronics for a total of more than 3,500 dynamic message signs (DMS) to provide important information to motorists. As soon as a new construction project begins, approaching motorists need to know exactly what to expect. Permanent DMS provide the information ahead of time, ahead of the congestion.

Three Slovenian contractors, Primorje, Vegrad and GPG, are well placed to win key construction tenders in Libya. The contracts are worth a total of ?300 million and include a highway project as well as general construction work.

Plans are now in hand for Australia's US$223 million (A$240 million) project to upgrade Brisbane's Gateway Motorway. The work includes widening the Gateway Motorway from four to six lanes.

ISO-certified excavator ROPS cabs are coming for excavators. Mark Cherrington writes. It has been a long time coming, but certified ROPS cabs on excavators are now a reality. This follows the release of an international ISO standard that sets out laboratory tests and performance requirements for protective structures on excavators weighing from 6 - 50tonnes. In addition, an update to the EU's Machinery Safety Directive (MSD) took effect at the end of 2009 and brought in a number of changes, including a requ

The road linking Uganda with Sudan is being rebuilt with loans coming from the Japanese Government and the US-based World Bank. The cost of improving the road between Gulu and Atiak in Uganda and Nimule in Sudan is expected to be around US$245 million.

An ambitious plan to boost transport infrastructure in Africa is being unveiled at the inaugural Africa Roads & Rail Infrastructure Summit 2010 is being held in Kigali, Rwanda from 22nd-23rd April. International transport specialists will focus on the region along with key decision makers from African governments, the World Bank and economic communities.

Hidromek believes its HMK102B backhoe loader will be a “major attraction” at Intermat 2012. The company, headquartered in Ankara, Turkey, says the HMK102B is the result of long studies, customer interviews and market research.

Investment in China and India continues unabated, but other nations on the continent are eager to attract companies as Patrick Smith reports Asia is still booming despite the current economic crisis, and new infrastructure programmes are constantly coming on stream. Powerhouses China and India, with their double-digit growth figures and huge infrastructure plans (in scope and cost), are leading the way and are still magnets for businesses wishing to expand, both in terms of facilities and customers. But oth

Colombia's Ministry of Transport is suggesting that the Avenida Longitudinal de Occidente (ALO) road project in Bogota should be carried out by Colombian energy company Empresa de Energia de Bogota (EEB).

The innovative LABEL project lays the foundations for reducing cargo theft and promoting greater transport security on Europe's road networks. In Europe, cargo theft is a criminal phenomenon that has an important economic impact. Research has put the total loss caused at approximately €8.2 billion yearly. The calculation includes costs such as the re-production and the re-packaging and resending of the stolen goods. According to data from the International Road Transport Union (IRU), one out of six drivers

The UAE Government is planning improvements to the Emirates Road in Sharjah, work which is expected to cost over US$231 million.

China Hosts Major International Convention on Rural Roads. Given the crucial importance of rural roads in the global development context, IRF is according the issue priority focus this year by co-hosting its 2nd International Convention on Rural Roads. This will be convened in Jinan City, Shandong, China, from 26-29 October 2010, in association with the global Transport Knowledge Partnership (gTKP) and the China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS). Following the landmark success of the inaugural IRF g

For the past two decades, road safety advocates have faced an uphill battle of convincing governments of the very real epidemic of road fatalities and to invest resources to combat the carnage. And after several years of awareness campaigns, most, if not all, public road officials now agree that the world's roads must be safer.

Honduras intends to spend US$400 million on upgrading its road network. The World Bank will provide $110 million

Raising awareness of safety in highway work zones is a global issue, and various initiatives highlight this as Patrick Smith reports. So seriously is work zone safety taken in the United States that each year since 1999 a special week has been set aside to highlight it. Each year in April, National Work Zone Awareness Week is held to bring national attention to motorist and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones.

The state Government in New South Wales (NSW), Australia is making a major investment designed to boost road safety. Some US$156 million (A$170 million) is being set aside.

Soft engineering techniques, used to prevent soil erosion and stabilise steep cuts and embankments, have allowed engineers to successfully widen the M1 motorway in the UK. Over the 50km length of the work (25km northbound, 25km southbound) on a busy section of the motorway near the city of Nottingham, a total of 48km of slopes had to be modified, split roughly between cutting and embankment. The UK Highways Agency requirements for the work meant that wholesale widening of the corridor was not possible: the

The International Road Federation (IRF), founded in 1948, is the only world forum advocating better and safer roads through better road design and construction bearing in mind the user. It is a unique institution that brings together members active in road infrastructure from both the private and public sectors.