Search

New Zealand’s Mount Messenger bypass project has attracted some controversy and opposition. The 5.2km route will cost around US$129 million (NZ$200 million) to construct and will include two bridges as well as a tunnel section. The alignment has been selected from five options as it minimise environmental damage. However there are complaints from environmentalists that the project will damage a 44ha area that includes forest and wetlands as well as posing a threat to some endangered bird life.

Building the North East Link in Melbourne, Australia, is expected to improve transport and reduce chronic congestion in the city. This will be Victoria State’s largest road building project and will cost US$11.14 billion (A$15.8 billion). The proposed alignment runs through the existing Bulleen Industrial Precinct, which will be relocated as a result.

The tender process is opening in Bosnia for a key tunnel project. The new Racin to Ivan Tunnel section will form part of the important Corridor 5C route. Financing for the project is being provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The work is expected to cost €50 million and the project will be managed by Bosnia’s state-owned road business, Autoceste FbiH.

The tender process is opening for a new road link to connect with Sydney International Airport in Australia’s New South Wales State. Called the ‘Sydney Gateway Project’ the new road link is expected to cost in the region of US$1.55 billion (A$2.2 billion) to build. The new route would improve transport connections between Paramatta, on the city’s western side, and the airport, located to the east. Building the new road connection is expected to help lower peak time congestion and journey times for drivers.

India is said to be the fastest developing countries today only after China. Although India is doing excellently well in fields like education, industrialization, infrastructure, health, agriculture and fashion, there are still certain areas where the country is lagging behind. India's road network is gigantic and said to be only after the United States of America. But one of the striking underlying facts is the condition of the roads, around 30 percent of the country’s population lacked access to all-weath

GSSI is now offering a compact ground penetrating radar (GPR) package. The StructureScan Mini XT is the newest generation of the firm’s proven concrete inspection GPR system. To instruct users on how to get the best from the unit, the company is offering a short instruction video. The video segments include: getting started with simple steps to get the StructureScan Mini XT up and running; how to use the StructureScan Mini XT LineTrac accessory, which adds the ability to detect AC power and induced RF energ

A key event is being planned for Europe’s asphalt industry. The European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA) will hold the 1st EAPA Workshop on the Use of Rejuvenators in Asphalt Mixtures on the 10th and 11th September 2019. The workshop will be held in the Italian city of Padova at the Caffe Padrocchi (Rossini room) - Via VIII febbraio, n. 15 - 35122 Padova. It will take place in the afternoon of 10th September 2019 and the morning of 11th September, followed by the 5th International ISAP Symposium on A

New data shows that Europe’s rural roads have seen a major improvement in safety levels. For the 2010 to 2017 period, road deaths on rural roads decreased more quickly than those for urban roads. Urban road safety is now becoming a key concern. Of particular concern for urban traffic is the high casualty rate amongst vulnerable road users (VRUs), which represent around 70% of those being killed. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists still face unacceptably high risks of being killed or seriously injured o

Two giant US-made 21m-long mobile barriers are now keeping highway maintenance workers safe in England. The 16tonne barriers were made in by Mobile Barriers, based in Denver, in the state of Colorado. They have been deployed in the West Midlands region of England in collaboration with UK highways maintenance contractor Kier. With yearly operating costs of US$17,000, the MBT-1 can pay for itself with nominal usage, according to the manufacturer. This could be in less than two years with 10-15 lane clos

Mählers, best known globally for its snow ploughs, has broadened its range of attachments with the addition of a vehicle-mounted hydraulic rotating sweeper. The SOP-LB2800 sweeper is intended for use on trucks and wheel loaders and features an "active" float mode to give balanced pressure on the ground and especially when following contours of the road surface. Active float gives the right brush pressure evenly across its full width, regardless of its position relative to the host vehicle. This also c

Studies are underway for a major road upgrade project in Honduras.

Discussions are in hand for two major bridge projects in Indonesia. The larger of the two bridges would be a 13.5km structure to connect Bangka Belitung Province with Sumatra Province. The new Selam Bangka Bridge would improve transport between Sumatra, Belitung Island and Bangka Island, boosting the tourist trade as well as agriculture and fisheries. Meanwhile a new 6.4km bridge is planned that will connect Bintan Island with Batam Island. This project is expected to cost around US$198 million, although

Construction work is underway in Uganda for a new expressway project. The 24km Busega-Mpigi Expressway project is being handled by the Chinese contractor China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCEC). The contract is being overseen by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA). Financing for the project worth US$143 million has been provided in the shape of a loan from the African Development Bank (ADB). Around 9km of the route has already been built, with completion expected in 4 years-time.

Bentley Systems is now offering its innovative SYNCHRO XR app. This tool is designed for immersively visualising 4D construction digital twins with the new Microsoft HoloLens 2. Bentley has been selected as a Microsoft mixed reality partner and says that using SYNCHRO XR for HoloLens 2, users can interact collaboratively with digital construction models. Users of the tool can utilise gestures to plan, visualise, and experience construction sequencing. Project digital twin data is visualised with the

Changsha - one of China’s megacities - welcomed the global construction fraternity to the recent and first Changsha International Construction Equipment Exhibition

A well-maintained road bridge network is vital to Denmark’s economy. David Arminas caught up with Niels Pedersen, head of bridges at the Danish Road Directorate Denmark, being a country mainly of islands, relies on its bridges and tunnels to help unify the nation culturally. It also means that they are vastly more important to the economic well-being of the nation than in most other states. The World Bank has classified Denmark as a high-income economy. In 2017 it ranked 16th globally in terms of gros

PolyBitumens, a polymer-modified bitumen and emulsion facility in Thurrock, England, has taken delivery of the first road legal mobile storage tank in the UK. The made-to-specification road-going tank enables the storage of bitumen emulsion at remote sites around the country. The 55,000-litre unit is part of an almost US$940,000 investment by PolyBitumens – a Eurovia UK company – to expand its fleet during the next two years. The tank has been designed specifically to a reduced width of 2.55m so that

IRF Expands Operations in South East Europe Close to 300 delegates, including representatives from key Bulgarian road agencies, took part in the 2nd Road Safety & Innovation Forum on May 15th at the joint invitation of the International Road Federation, EuroRAP and the Bulgarian Branch Association for Road Safety. “We had designed this event with the idea that countries such as Bulgaria, currently lagging behind in meeting their traffic injury reduction targets, could seize technological enablers that

A new programme of works will see huge jump in the number of road bridges in Russia’s capital, Moscow. At present there are just 35 main road bridges in Moscow, but the building plans will see a further 24 being built, bringing the total to 59. The plan is costing over US$450 million. A number of new bridges will be built to span the Moscow River. Bridges will also be built to span the Yauza River and Skhodnya River. Construction work is already underway for a number of the bridges.