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A major upgrade project is to be carried out for Montreal’s Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel in Canada. The work is expected to cost US$386 million (C$500 million) and will commence in 2020. New fire protection technology will be installed, along with more modern signage and lighting. Better emergency provision will also be installed, to meet the latest safety requirements. A dedicated lane will be for car-pooling or buses only, in a bid to reduce peak time congestion while the improvements are being carr

Drivers using the M6 motorway in the UK are in the unlucky situation of facing the worst congestion in the country. The latest official data reveals the M6 to suffer more congestion than any other route in the UK, taking over this unfavourable record from the M25 motorway running around London. The M6 is the UK’s longest motorway and runs from Rugby to Gretna in Scotland. The data shows that drivers using the route will face delays to some 210 million journeys when the current three year period of roadwork

Learning record A young driver in Germany managed to be banned from driving a mere 49 minutes after passing his test. Perhaps in jubilation at having passed the test, and no longer having to rely on his friends or ‘dad’s taxi' for transport, the 18 year-old driver inadvisedly pressed pedal to metal. Officers in the town of Hemer, near Dortmund, used a laser unit to determine the vehicle’s speed, seeing that it was travelling at 95km/h in a 50km/h zone. Perhaps he was trying to show his driving skills to hi

Improvement work worth US$116 million will be carried out on Highway 59 in Texas. The 10.6km stretch being upgraded lies between San Jacinto County and Cleveland. The improvements will include provision for emergency hurricane evacuation, effectively allowing this section of road to meet Interstate standards.

New Zealand-based Gaddum Construction is using two TA300 Terex Trucks articulated haulers to move end material and metal for road building as well as shifting logs. The firm has been carrying out a hauling project on the steep slopes and slippery surfaces of Omaio Forest, on the east side of New Zealand’s North Island, around 57km east of Opotiki. The company, which specialises in the construction of infrastructure on challenging terrain, has been using two TA300 articulated haulers from Terex Trucks on th

Engcon has developed a new sorting grab specifically for mini excavators. The new grab, the SK02, is suited to use with mini excavators in the 1.5-3tonne class. The new, smaller grab has been in demand for a long time by Engcon's mini excavator customers who find the larger SK05 too big for their machines. With a weight of only 109kg, a width of 400mm and a maximum grab strength of 5.7kN, the new SK02 is ideal for mini-diggers. Like most of Engcon's hydraulic tools, the top bracket is bolt-on and can

KINSHOFER is now offering its D-Series grapples with a new light, compact and flexible shell, ideal for sorting and demolition. The attachments feature 360° rotation for precise positioning to give construction, demolition and recycling contractors optimal control when grabbing materials. The D-series grapples are available for mini excavators weighing from 2tonnes to heavy-duty excavators weighing up to 80tonnes. The firm says that the D-Series offers jobsite versatility to customers. The units allow ex

Alternative fuel and automated vehicle issues occupied minds at PIARC’s first international road tunnel safety conference. David Arminas reports from Lyon More than ever, tunnel management must done in a wholistic fashion, said Andre Broto, president of PIARC, the World Road Association, based in Paris. With those sentiments, Broto kicked off PIARC’s first International Conference on Tunnel Operations and Safety. One of the first speakers, Sandrine Bernabei Chinzi, head of transport infrastructure at Fr

New systems developed for the road milling machine market will boost safety and efficiency

Formwork specialist Doka recently rose to the challenge on Turkey’s Eyiste Viadust, the country’s highest bridge with piers up to 155m tall. The Eyiste Viaduct will be part of a route between Central Anatolia and Turkey’s Mediterranean region, shortening travel time between the cities of Konya and Alanya. Cantilever forming travellers and Doka’s automatic climbing formwork Xclimb 60 were part of the construction solution. The viaduct is nearly 1.4km long and carried by two abutments and eight piers, stret

The South African branch of the Italian construction company CMC di Ravenna again teamed up with formwork specialist Pilosio to take advantage of Pilosio's solutions. This time it was for construction of a new bridge in the city of Durban, a project named N2/Cornubia Interchange. The overpass will streamline traffic by linking the Umhlanga industrial zone with the Cornubia new development area Tongat. Cornubia is a multibillion rand integrated settlement near Umhlanga, north of Durban, in KwaZulu Natal,

As part of Highways England’s A14 upgrade project from Cambridge to Huntington, Cleveland Bridge installed two 1,050tonne pre-assembled bridge decks in just 11 hours. Months of detailed planning and client liaison ensured the 47.5m-long bridge decks, each containing 330tonnes of steel and 720tonnes of concrete, were successfully travelled to the site and lowered onto the abutments. On-site civil engineering works were undertaken by the A14 Integrated Delivery Team, a joint venture between Costain,

Aggregate Industries is supplying its Lytacrete secondary aggregate solution for the US$6.5 million Nene Bridge structural refurbishment project near Peterborough, England.

A variety of complex factors are involved in the production of hot asphalt mixes, with the process vulnerable to sudden stoppages of the equipment. The problems caused by a need for unplanned maintenance are high, as the cost of a plant stoppage is high. In order to minimise disruptions to production, new technologies can be used for wear components. Electronic monitoring of asphalt plant motors during production can boost efficiency, replacing corrective maintenance with preventive and predictive maintenan

A new plan by the Lithuanian Road Administration (LAKD) has been set out in a bid to revamp the nation’s roads. The plan will run until 2035 and includes rebuilding 400km of the country’s worst roads as a priority and unsurfaced roads will benefit from asphalt surfaces in a plan worth €1 billion. The Via Baltica route running from the Latvian border to the Polish border will be rebuilt in eight stages and is expected to cost €684 million. Improvements will also be carried out connecting capital Vilnius with

Marini is offering new versions of its Xpress plant. The first version was the Xpress 2500, but the range is now being widened with the addition of the Xpress 1500, 1500P, 2000 and 2000P models. Andrea Zanoletti is in charge of this range and explained that the plants are designed for maximum mobility. He said, “With only two trailers, you have a complete asphalt plant.” The existing Xpress 2500 model offers an output of up to 250tonnes/hour. However, the new Xpress 1500 and 1500P offer outputs of 150

A loan will help pay for a new highway project in India’s Chhattisgarh State. The US$350 million loan is being provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In all the highway is expected to cost $521.7 million, with the remaining $171.7 million being provided by the Indian Government. The new highway is expected to boost trade and transport in the state.

Construction work on a major road bridge project is commencing in Germany. The new bridge will be located in the Upper Moselle area in Germany and is expected to cost €483 million. The bridge will carry the B50 route and its construction will improve transport connections with Belgium and the Netherlands. However the project has not been without controversy, not the least of which has been that it is being built in the Moselle Region, Germany’s major wine producing area. Although planned long ago, resistanc

Road safety improved in France during 2018, compared with 2017. There were 3,488 road fatalities recorded in France during 2018, a drop of 5.3% compared with the previous year. This comes in spite of a gradual increase in traffic volumes in France, up 7% from 2013 for example. The data comes from the official body, Sécurité Routière. According to Sécurité Routière, the reduction in speed limits on France’s secondary road network has had a key benefit to overall road safety. The highest risk roads in France

Road safety improved in France during 2018, compared with 2017. There were 3,488 road fatalities recorded in France during 2018, a drop of 5.3% compared with the previous year. This comes in spite of a gradual increase in traffic volumes in France, up 7% from 2013 for example. The data comes from the official body, Sécurité Routière. According to Sécurité Routière, the reduction in speed limits on France’s secondary road network has had a key benefit to overall road safety. The highest risk roads in France