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Susanna Zammataro, IRF Geneva, writes: The China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS) – an esteemed member of IRF – will be hosting a special Session on the Belt and Road Initiative during the IRF World Meeting in Delhi, 14th-17th November 2017. Last May, president Xi Jinping welcomed 28 heads of state and government to Beijing to celebrate the “Belt and Road” initiative, an ambitious plan in terms of infrastructure development, but also in terms of foreign policy. Launched in 2013 as “One belt, On

A massive highway project in Kenya will boost transport for the country as well as its neighbours - Shem Oirere reports. Kenya has commenced the process of rehabilitating, expanding and tolling of 657km of East Africa’s Northern Corridor that is anchored on the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and which links the gateway with landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and parts of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The alternatives to diesel fuel as a power source continue to grow as firms move to cut emissions - Mike Woof writes. Only the most myopic could have failed to notice that times are changing in terms of engine technology. In the on-highway automotive sector as well as for the off-highway construction machine segment, manufacturers are looking to lower tailpipe emissions. Similar technologies have been employed in both on-highway and off-highway sectors, although those solutions have been adapted to better

India is setting out ambitious plans to further develop its infrastructure, with a renewed focus on the north east of the country. A budget of US$22.35 billion has been set out by the Indian Government for infrastructure projects, for which highway construction will play a major part. The states in line for this infrastructure development are: Arunachal, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Pradesh and Sikkim. Details of the individual projects being planned have yet to be released however.

Volvo CE is bullish and claims a strong financial performance in its third quarter sales figures. The company claims it has made market share gains in key segments while its financial results have also benefited from good cost control and growing demand in most areas. Volvo CE says it has had an especially strong third quarter for 2017 with sales up 34% to US$1.847 billion (SEK15.1 billion) compared with $1.41 billion (SEK11.54 billion) for the same period in 2016. Meanwhile order intake for the third quart

IRF Geneva is collaborating with Shell India to improve road safety in the Hazira Port Area in India. The Hazira port area is an industrial area that is home to large companies such as Shell, Reliance Petrochemicals, Essar Steel, Larsen and Toubro, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). This area is also the location for a port operated by Adani, and this port is one of the most important ports in India for the handling of containers. The area also supplies almost 80% of the total demand for gas in India

“With two months to the WRM 2017, I invite you to this global event which promises to be an excellent forum to hobnob with senior professionals in the industry and forge promising associations,” Kiran K Kapila, IRF chairman. This global event scheduled to be held in Delhi, India on November 14-17, 2017 is shaping up as a high profile event with confirmation of the participation of senior professionals from the road and mobility sectors of a number of countries. These include Abu Dhabi, Australia, Bangladesh

The tender process will remain open for nine major highway projects in India until the 9th January 2018. These are all for national highway projects, with the work being managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The roads will measure a total of 700km and will be constructed in Andra Pradesh State and Gujarat State. These new tolled highways will be constructed and operated under the build-operate-transfer system.

Construction of the new highway in India connecting Mumbai with Nagpur will commence in early 2018. The highway will be one of the largest construction projects in India as it will measure 701km long, running through 10 districts. It will cost US$7.09 billion to construct, with $5.4 billion of the funding necessary being provided in the shape of a loan from South Korea. The work is expected to take 36 months to carry out with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corp (MSRDC) managing the project.

A series of road projects are planned for India’s Gujarat State, with the work including the construction of a major new bridge. In all the work is expected to cost US$913.5 million. One key portion of the planned work is for the widening the 201.3km stretch of the NH-47 highway running from Ahmedabad to Rajkot to six lanes. The 116.2km NH-51 route from Porbandar to Dwarka will be widened to four lanes. A new cable-stayed bridge will be built from Okha to Beyt Dwarka on the NH-51 route.

The Yarga to Kalewa road link connecting Myanmar and India is set for a major upgrade, following discussions between the two nations. The project will be managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which will handle the role of as Technical Executing Agency. The work is expected to cost US$181.5 million and the project forms part of a wider plan to improve road connections between India, Myanmar and Thailand.

The tender process for the Mumbai-Nagpur expressway project in India has received strong interest from bidders so far. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is at present reviewing 33 bids for the project. Indian firms account for the majority of the bids but international companies also number amongst the bidders, with several joint ventures having entered the tender process. The Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway project will be handled under the engineering

Huge numbers of construction machines as well as plant and equipment are working overtime, backed by mammoth manpower, to meet the targeted completion deadline of March 2018 for India’s Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE). The 135km arterial route is being built with six lanes and surrounds India’s National Capital, Delhi, its National Capital Region (NCR) and the industrially developed North Indian states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Fayat has now completed its acquisition of Dynapac. French firm Fayat has acquired the Road Construction Equipment Division of Atlas Copco, which manufactures rollers for asphalt and soil applications, pavers and planers. These products are known under the Dynapac trade name. The agreement includes sales and services operations in 37 countries, production units in four countries: Sweden, Germany, Brazil and China and a production partnership in India.

A major road construction programme worth a total of US$2.31 billion is being planned for Arunachal Pradesh in India. The planned work would see the construction of around 800km of roads, with the programme having been set out by the Indian body, National Highways & Infrastructure Development (NHIDCL). The programme would account for around half of NHIDCL's total investments for India as a whole.

India’s road fatality rate saw an increase during 2016 compared with the previous year. There were around 150,000 road deaths reported in India during 2016, an increase of 3.2% from the previous year. The number of road crashes did fall however by 4.1% to 480,000. Uttar Pradesh State saw the biggest increase in road crash deaths, which grew by 12.8% in 2016. Tamil Nadu State saw an 11.4% increase in road deaths while Maharashtra State saw an increase in road fatalities of 8.6% in 2016.

A new highway project worth US$184 million has been awarded in Myanmar to a joint venture comprising Punj Lloyd and Varaha Infrastructure. The project will see the construction of an improved road link measuring 120km connecting Yagyi with Kalewa. The work is expected to take three years to complete and will include the construction of three large bridges as well as two small bridges.

A report by Off-Highway Research suggests that worldwide construction machine sales could increase 16% this year. On a global basis, sales of construction machines are expected to exceed 810,000 units in 2017, with a value of more than US$80 billion. The report says that most major territories will see growth during 2017. However China’s resurgence will be crucial, as crawler excavator sales in the country have more than doubled in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period last year.

Plans are being drawn up for a new bridge connection that will link Nepal with India. The bridge will span the Mechi River and will connect India’s Panitanki Bypass with Nepal’s East-West Highway. The project has been the subject of discussions between the two countries and is now moving forward following the successful conclusions of talks. The aim of the project is to boost trade and transport between the two nations. Construction of the 1.5km bridge link is expected to cost US$24.8 million

A new agreement has been settled for bauma CONEXPO INDIA, the International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery. Under the new deal the organisers of the show will cooperate closely in the future with iCEMA, the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers’ Association. The agreement was signed in Delhi by Bhupinder Singh, CEO of bC Expo India, and Arvind K Garg, president of iCEMA).