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Western Australia is planning a series of transport upgrades across the state. Road projects will be prioritised, with US$2.96 billion (A$4.2 billion) being planned as a budget. Around half of this budget will be used to develop regional roads in the state. Major works are being carried out include the $1.41 billion extension of the Tonkin Highway to connect with the South Western Highway and also to reduce congestion at Swan River. It also includes work on the Bunbury Outer Ring Road worth $600 million, t

A concrete producer in Ukraine has boosted its output following the purchase of a new plant from Ammann. The firm, ready-mix supplier Betonbud, expanded its production capacity with the addition of an Ammann CBT 60 SL Elba. After six months of operation, the company has a positive view of this addition to its production capacity. The firm was considering an expansion of production capacities at the plant in Lviv, a convenient location for transportation in the heavily urbanised region of Western Ukraine

The Australian project to build the East West Link in Melbourne, Victoria State now looks to be revived. Financing worth US$2.82 billion (A$4 billion) is being provided by the Australian Federal Government. The project is expected to cost $4.93 billion (A$7 billion) in all. The link will connect the Eastern Freeway with the CityLink, carrying an expected 80,000-100,000 vehicles/day and cutting congestion in the east of Melbourne. The project was previously halted in 2014.

Eurovia UK, part of the Eurovia SAS and ultimately VINCI SAS, has invested £7 million in a new polymer modified bitumen and emulsion plant in Thurrock, by the River Thames in South-east England. Having drawn on technology and experience from other plants around Europe and in the US, Eurovia claims that the plant is the group’s most advanced yet. “It is very automated, there will be a very small team required to operate the plant,” said Paul Kimber, divisional manager – PolyBitumens, Eurovia UK. PolyBitumen

South Korean company Hansoo Road Industry has developed an ultra-thin hot mix asphalt pavement layer, Recover asphalt, designed to overlay cracked pavements at a depth of between 10 and 20mm. “Our company has been studying asphalt modifiers since 1999 and has know-how on research and development of asphalt modifiers,” said Yulia Min, manager at Hansoo Road Industry. “Recover asphalt was developed through a four-year study based on the previous studies of asphalt modifier technology.” Recover asphalt has

Brazil’s Sao Paulo state is seeing some road projects being delayed due to a shortage of funds.

Shell Bitumen has developed molecular technology that cuts 40% of air-polluting emissions -Kristina Smith reports Shell Bitumen is launching a new technology which drastically reduces the amount of harmful air pollutants produced when asphalt mixes are manufactured and laid on the roads. Called Shell Bitumen FreshAir, it reduces six of the seven pollutants produced by at least 40%. The seventh, ozone, is produced in too small an amount to measure changes. “The World Health Organisation has said that 90%

Funding has been secured for a major highway project that will help revitalise Bosnia’s economy. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has signed a deal that will supply a finance package worth €210 million. Coming in the shape of a loan, this will be utilised to help pay for the Doboj ring road, which will form part of the Corridor 5C highway link.

Automation in transport was the theme of the high-level segment (HLS) that opened the 81st session on the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva on 19th February. IRF was invited to share its view with the Ministers and 400 other representatives of governments and key transport stakeholders from over 70 countries present at the meeting. The HLS concluded with the adoption of a resolution on Enhancing Cooperation, Harmonisation and Integration in the

The theme of the 2019 ITF Summit which will be hosted in Leipzig (Germany) on 22-24th May has as its theme “Transport Connectivity for Regional Integration” and will gather as usual top decision-makers from the public and the private sector. IRF will be hosting together with China Highway and Transportation Society and the Black Sea Economic Commission (BSEC) a high-level debate on “The Belt & Road: Bridging the gaps for sustainable transport and growth in Eurasia”. Launched in 2013, the Belt and Road

The nearing-end of the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020) calls on all of us to step up our efforts. The upcoming ministerial meeting, which will be hosted by Sweden in February 2020 and marks the start of a new decade, further offers the opportunity to renew our commitment by bringing to the table concrete action. As a member of the International Road Federation (IRF), Total Foundation is partnering with IRF for the launch of a private sector road safety coalition in Tanzania. Total Founda

Mobility services are expected to undergo spectacular changes within the next two decades with the introduction and widespread use of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology. However, the transition phase from human driving to self-driving will be gradual, requiring incremental interventions on the physical and digital road network to allow it to cope with mixed vehicular traffic. Cities such as Dubai have embraced the challenge by setting a target to reach 25% driverless trips by 2030 as part o

Public procurement can be leveraged to deliver long-term value for money, and promote innovation and sustainability, according to a new White Paper published by the International Road Federation in consultation with key international specialists. “When procurement guidelines are not enforced with a high degree of professionalism, there is a much higher risk of sub-optimal delivery,” noted Eric Cook, co-chair of the IRF Committee on Alternative Financing & Procurement, who convened the stakeholders for a h

Rebuilding a runway requires special attention to detail to maximise efficiency and safety Airport runways face special challenges with regard to the loads they carry on a daily basis, particularly when aircraft are landing. A modern jet aircraft will typically land at speeds of around 240-260km/h, with a laden 747 weighing as much as 265tonnes at the end of a long flight. The stresses these large aircraft place on runway surfaces are enormous and not just with the massive impact forces exerted during

Roads everywhere are becoming high-pressure workplaces for millions of gig economy workers, meaning traffic police need a new way to regulate how highways are used. Geoff Hadwick reports from Manchester, UK The way in which the world’s highways are designed, built and used needs to change fast as the gig economy becomes a global phenomenon. Millions of low-paid and badly-trained freelance drivers are now using road as their workplace, all of them working hard under huge amounts of pressure. The tren

Kirk Steudle, longtime Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and a globally recognized authority on the development of connected and automated vehicles has been nominated to receive IRF's most distinguished individual honour. According to IRF Chairman Eng. Abdullah A. Al-Mogbel "This accolade crowns an exceptional career and a highly respected voice on innovation in transportation, at a time when road sector stakeholders everywhere are embracing creative thinking in anticipation of ne

A series of major road projects in Brazil have had their budgets cut. Construction works for 56 motorway projects have seen budgets cut, and in some instances removed altogether. The Brazilian national department for transport infrastructure (Dnit) had a previous budget of US$1.59 billion for road development projects. This has now been cut to $1.04 billion, less than 33% of the budget for 2014. Projects to have been hit include widening the BR-316 in Piau State, widening the BR-364 in Rondonia State, build

Bentley Systems continues to expand its operations through acquisitions. The firm is now further developing its portfolio with the acquisition of Keynetix, a UK-headquartered provider of cloud-based software for capturing, visualising, modelling, and sharing of geotechnical data. The company says that the addition of Keynetix software expands its geotechnical offerings and allows it to develop subsurface digital twins for infrastructure projects and assets. According to the company, subsurface digital twi

A series of major road projects in Brazil have had their budgets cut. Construction works for 56 motorway projects have seen budgets cut, and in some instances removed altogether. The Brazilian national department for transport infrastructure (Dnit) had a previous budget of US$1.59 billion for road development projects. This has now been cut to $1.04 billion, less than 33% of the budget for 2014. Projects to have been hit include widening the BR-316 in Piau State, widening the BR-364 in Rondonia State, build

Indonesia has further plans to expand its toll road network. By 2024 1,500km of toll road projects will be complete. And by 2030, around 4,480km of toll roads will be complete. This programme of works will require US$44.33 billion to complete. Funding will be provided from a combination of government and private sources. The work will be carried out across Indonesia, including Nusa Tenggara, Java, Bali, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.