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The UK’s CEA - Construction Equipment Association – has appointed David Bell, a director of JCB, as the trade association’s first honorary president. Bell joined JCB in 1974 as a graduate trainee, following an engineering apprenticeship at Rolls Royce in the city of Derby. During his 43-year career at JCB, Bell has held a variety of senior roles, including managing director of JCB sales and service, JCB agriculture, JCB’s backhoe loader and telescopic handler. He was also group human resources direct

India’s Maharashtra State is setting out a massive programme for infrastructure development. In all some US$47.08 billion of infrastructure works will be carried out. Transport development is a key priority, with a series of major highway construction projects now being planned.

India’s road safety problem continues to worsen. This has been revealed by new data from the Road Transport and Highways Ministry. The country’s road crash rate increased 4% over the last three years, according to the Road Transport and Highways Ministry. India has around 400,000 road crashes/ year while around 150,000 people are killed on the country’s roads. The problem is worsening as India’s vehicle population is also growing, increasing in size by 22% over the last three years. The news is a cause for

Bidding has been strong for a major tunnel project in India. The project, to construct the Zojila Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir, is expected to cost in the order of US$1.56 billion. A low bid for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the Zojila tunnel project was received from IL&FS Transportation Networks (ITNL). Other bids came from Reliance Infrastructure, Jaiprakash Associates, and Larsen & Toubro. The bidding process for the project has been managed by India’s National Highways &

Major road and highway development will be seen in India as the country boosts its network. Meanwhile plans are also moving ahead for a major new bridge project in India. The highways development programme will see 15,000km of National Highways being built across India in the 2017/2018 period. This is a key increase from previous years. So far, 2,269km of the National Highways road construction links targeted for the 2017-2018 period have been built. During the 2016-2017 period, 8,231km of National Highways

India is helping with funding for Nepal’s infrastructure development programme. In particular this funding will be used to help expand and improve Nepal’s highway network. The move has been highlighted by the recent presentation of a US$2.31 million cheque by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri, to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management, Nepal. This financial assistance will be used in the construction of the Postal Highway, the Maisthan-Gaushalabazaar-Samsi Road and

The Indian Government has plans to redevelop road infrastructure links in the north east of the country. Planned spending of US$31.1 billion will be used to improve and upgrade the road network in the area by 2019. Plans have been drawn up by India’s National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd (NHIDCL) and by the Public Works Department of states.

The Italian construction machinery builders association, UNACEA, reports a resurgence in demand for equipment during 2017. According to UNACEA’s latest report, the first six months of 2017 have seen 5,109 machines sold in the Italian market, an increase of 6% compared to last year. Looking more closely, sales of earthmoving machines grew 6% with 4,910 machines sold, while sales of road equipment increased by 9% with 199 machines sold.

New data from India shows an improving situation with regard to road safety. The country’s annual road death toll is enormous but the latest figures available show that for the first three months of 2017, there were reductions in both road fatalities and road crashes. The figures suggest a drop of 7% in both road deaths and road crashes. Karnataka showed particular success in road death and crash reduction, with Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu also seeing significant improvements in road

Global design and civil engineering consultancy Stantec has appointed Gord Johnston as its next chief executive and president from January 1, 2018.Johnston, who is executive vice president of Stantec’s infrastructure business operating unit, takes over from Bob Gomes, who retires.

New elevated expressways will improve transport in Bangladesh. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing US$1.2 billion in financing for the new Dhaka-Northwest international project. This will be managed by the country’s Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry's Road Transport and Highways Division.

In India, more than 11% of all fatalities from traffic accidents, or over 16,000 lives, involve commercial vehicles Given the loss of life, and the costs of damage to goods and property, there is an urgent need to reduce, and eventually eliminate this unnecessary loss of life. Shell, Michelin, and IRF Geneva have come together with a new initiative "Drive Safe India" (www.drivesafeindia.org) to improve all aspects of safety associated with transport of goods on Indian roads. The goal of the Drive Safe Ind

A 21-year concession deal has been agreed for the widening project for a 114km stretch of road linking Gujarat and Rajasthan states in India. The route will be widened to six lanes, with three in either direction. The project financing is worth over US$226 million, with a group of lenders having agreed the terms for the project with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The agreement has been achieved by Udaipur Tollways, disclosed IRB Infrastructure Developers, which owns the special purpose veh

A new rural road development programme is being planned that will improve transport in India’s Gujarat State. A budget of US$329 million has been set to boost access to some 4,000 villages across the state that currently have inadequate connections to the transport network.

India’s Rajasthan State is benefiting from new financing for its Highways Investment Programme. A loan facility will pay for highway development work in the state. Approval has been given from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Widening work for a key highway link in Bangladesh will commence shortly. The work will be carried out on the 41km link from the Akhaura logistics centre to the river port of Ashungaj.

India’s road network development programme is facing a series of delays with several major projects now well behind schedule.

The economic boom witnessed in India in the last two decades has led to an exponential increase in motorisation, urban traffic congestion and a dramatic deterioration of air quality. ITS can potentially alleviate many of these urban transport problems. IRF Geneva is organising a series of four roundtables on Intelligent Transport Systems, over a 12-month period, in India. These roundtables are a collaborative effort between companies and Indian government bodies and agencies to improve market conditions for

A survey of drivers in 13 countries found that UK drivers are least likely to say that they have used a phone while driving. Just over 10,000 drivers in Europe, North America and Asia were questioned in Aviva’s latest Consumer Attitudes Survey.

India’s massive Zojila Tunnel project in Jammu & Kashmir is attracting new bidding. The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) is asking for new bids for the project. A number of Indian and international firms are expected to enter bids, with some planning join ventures for the work, which is expected to cost US$1.55 billion.