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Construction work is underway once more for Croatia’s Peljesac Bridge project. The 2.4km bridge is being built by Chinese contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation. The structure should be complete in 2021 and is expected to cost €420 million, of which €357 million is being provided by the European Community. When complete, the bridge will connect the Croatian mainland with the Peljesac Peninsula. This will improve transport in the country as it will provide a direct route between Dubrovnik and the rest

Funding has been sourced for Colombia’s Autopista al Mar 2 fourth generation (4G) highway project. In all US$652 million has been secured for the work, with the China Development Bank providing $418 million. Other banks involved in the financing are Colombia’s Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional (FDN) and Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

Tadano has announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Demag Mobile Cranes business. The Tadano Group says that its long-term goal is to become the global leader in the lifting equipment industry, with the Demag Mobile Cranes acquisition being a key step to achieving its aim. The firm says that Demag’s transition into the Tadano Group will be seamless. For the most part customers will continue to work with the same Demag sales, service and parts contacts as up until now. This change serves as

Canadian motorway concessionaire 407 ETR, in partnership with 3M Canada, is testing 3M's pavement marking tapes for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems on 2.5km of lanes. The initiative is part of the 407 ETR Living Labs programme of innovation to promote safety and next-generation transportation along the 140km route that opened in 1997 and was extended last year. King's Highway 407 is a tolled 400-series highway in the province of Ontario comprising a privately leased segment and publicly owned segm

Cross-linking agents can vastly improve the stability and performance of polymer-modified bitumen (PMB), according to additive specialist Iterchimica. Modified bitumen can become unstable when it is stored inside a tank because the polymer rises to the top, meaning that the rheological behaviour of the bitumen varies through the tank. Cross-linking agents modify bitumen through a chemical action that stabilises the bitumen inside the tank to create a homogenous PMB and, hence, a homogeneous asphalt conc

Formwork specialist Doka has signed a distribution deal with South African firm Waco Africa. The agreement allows Waco Africa sole distribution rights for the Doka product range across sub-Saharan Africa as well as the Indian Ocean Islands. The agreement which came into effect on 01st August 2019 will see Waco Africa become one of the largest formwork providers on the continent in terms of presence and capacity through its subsidiary Form-Scaff, however will continue to work with Doka as its technology and

A huge surplus of waste tyres and a strengthening commitment towards sustainability from local authorities has prompted asphalt supplier Tarmac to invest in technology to add crumb rubber to its mixes. Around 40 million tyres are worn out every year in the UK. Some are burnt as fuel for cement kilns, others are turned to crumb rubber for use in sports fields and yet more are incorporated into items such as car mats. The surplus – sometimes as much as 120,000 tonnes annually - is often shipped abroad for

New concrete slipforming technology is said to offer increased performance over earlier generation equipment - Mike Woof writes

The Canadian Atlantic province of Prince Edward Island will invest around US$170 million over four years to improve roads, including resurfacing 270km of highways. Projects will include the replacement of 18 bridges, according to a statement from Infrastructure Canada, a federal agency through which the central government will funnel $83.5 million towards the work. The province will provide $86.5 million, noted the agency. PEI is one of the three maritime provinces and is the smallest province of Cana

Sandvik says its new drilling tool system Alpha 360 is a reinforced and amplified version that complements the company’s Alpha 330 system. It can last twice as long as a standard thread in the industry. Its hole accuracy also enables higher productivity in tunneling and mine development, says Robert Grandin, product manager for underground top hammer, at Sandvik Rock Tools. The Alpha 360, with its strong tread design, is designed for hole diameters of 48-51mm in face drilling and bolting. The short thread

Biral’s VPF-730 unit is designed for effective weather detection in areas of maximum corrosion risk. It is suitable for installation on coastal highways or on bridges crossing tidal estuaries for example. The firm claims that the unit provides accurate visibility and present weather measurement and suits use in many tough installations due to its efficiency, reliability and performance. The sensor is a compact and robust package with an exceptionally long service life of 15 years or more. It suits use i

A leading civil engineering firm and road contractor, Socogetra, has upgraded three of its asphalt plants, boosting efficiency. The key to the upgrade has been the revamp of the control system, which allows the firm to produce mix specifications more accurately and effectively than before. This is crucial given the increasing requirement for higher quality asphalt mixes for road construction purposes. Socogetra said that it had been using its proven Ammann AS2000plus Control System for many years. Howeve

Hitachi is offering novel versions of its latest ZX210 excavator model. One version is available with a sophisticated machine control package, while another provides an extra long reach capability. The ZX210X-6 ICT variant comes with advanced machine control technology from Trimble. This is Hitachi’s first ICT excavator and the firm claims that the technology will help boost efficiency by 30-50%, as well as improving safety. The package allows the machine to dig to grade more quickly. The bucket angle r

Poor asset management will often lead to “wrong decisions regarding replacements and improvements” or “uncertainty in decision-making”, according to recent research. The result - 28% - is from a poll of 400 members of the UK-based global Institute of Asset Management (AIM) commissioned by technology company Yotta. A further 26% highlighted “improper financial decision-making criteria for investment decisions and maintenance” as a major consequence of poor asset management. The research also indicat

Since Egypt’s tourism sector is booming and the north African country transports 90% of goods by road, improving the highways is a high priority.

Concrete paving is now benefiting from the use of sophisticated machine control tools to deliver accuracy and high-quality surfaces Heavy use of concrete roads and runways over time will reveal any flaws in workmanship, the invasion of water, or the wear from use. Discolouration, scaling, crazing, cracking, or curling will sometimes occur due to a poor ready-mix batch, inadequate curing procedure, subgrade settlement, or improper bonding of the finish layer. Concrete surfaces are generally very durab

An innovative surface treatment approach by Foster Contracting Limited has been developed for use on a £745million roads project in Aberdeen, Scotland. The specialist contractor, Foster Contracting Limited (FCL), has played a key role in a major project, to build the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie-Tipperty (AWPR/B-T). AWPR Construction Joint Venture, the contractor appointed to design and construct the project, approached FCL to provide a customised treatment to remove the latency from the sl

A Swiss-designed system for the diversion of traffic away from road maintenance crews could be revolutionary, reports David Arminas Switzerland will soon tender for companies to build and supply a mobile system for physically shifting traffic away from bridge and road maintenance crews. The federal highways agency - FEDRO - will be asking manufacturers of heavy equipment to submit bids starting this summer for the Astra Bridge system. The system will be two lanes wide and include ramp sections at e

An array of advanced earthmoving machines are coming to market, offering increased performance, lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions The global market for earthmoving machines has been particularly strong over the last year. Demand for new equipment has been at a high, with sales of crawler excavators proving especially robust. Manufacturers have responded by increasing output, while tempting customers with new models offering major performance gains. Dozers In the market for dozers, Caterp

Meeting in Costa Navarino (Greece) in the margins of the ASECAP Days, the General Assembly of the International Road Federation (IRF) has unanimously elected Bill M Halkias, PE, F.ASCE, F.ITE as new president of IRF. He takes over from Kiran K Kapila at the end of his third and final mandate as IRF chairman. Halkias brings to the IRF 38 years of experience in transportation and road infrastructure works gained both in the USA and in Europe. Currently managing director and CEO of Attikes Diadromes SA, the