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Key sections of Indonesia’s important trans-Sumatra highway project are nearly ready for traffic. A 350km stretch that will connect with the city of Palembang should be open shortly. Meanwhile construction of the 141km Bakauheni to Terbanggi Bedar stretch is now starting, with this work being carried out by contractor Hutama Karya. The plans for the 2,765km trans-Sumatra toll road project call for the route to be complete by 2024. This will connect Aceh at the northern end of Sumatra with Lampung on the so

A huge transport infrastructure budget has been set for 2019 by China’s Shandong Province, with the aim of improving connections. Roads and highways as well as ports, airports and rail will all benefit under the budget, which tops an impressive US$23.6 billion. Rural roads and bridges are amongst the transport links being prioritised for development. In all 61% of the budget will be targeted at road construction and improvement works. This follows on from a similarly high budget set in Shandong Province f

Italy’s highway operator Autostrade intends to invest in developing the country’s highway network. A budget of €7.7 billion has been set for improvements in the network for the 2019-2020 period. Of this budget, €6 billion would be for work planned to commence during 2019 and with the remaining €1.7 billion for projects expected to start in 2020.

The tender process for the second section of Paraguay’s bi-oceanic highway project is commencing in mid-2019. This 573km stretch of highway is being offered in two sections, with financing likely to come from international banks. The consortium Consorcio Corredor Vial Bioceanico is handling the first section of the project, which is costing around US$443.4 million. The second section of the route is expected to cost $800 million. The third stretch of the route will be complex as it includes a new bridge spa

The contract for the US$200 million Vientiane Expressway No 1 project in Laos has been awarded. The 15km road will connect the Thatluang Marsh Specific Economic Zone on the outskirts of capital Vientane with Dongmakkhai, which lies to the north of the city. The build-operate-transfer road concession was awarded to Vientiane Expressway Number 1 Sole Company of Laos and is for a 50 year period. The deal comes with the option of an extension to the period. The new expressway is intended to improve journey time

Wacker Neuson is bullish with its latest financial results, showing record revenue for fiscal 2018 with. The firm saw double-digit growth in group revenue to reach €1.7065 billion, a jump of 11%. The firm benefited from even faster EBIT growth to reach €159.7 million, a jump of 22%, while EBIT margin improved to 9.4%. The firm’s new strategy includes initiatives reduce complexity while its revenue is expected to grow by 4-8% in 2019 The Wacker Neuson Group says that business grew across all regions and bus

A new bridge is to be built in Malaysia’s Sarawak State at a cost of US$112.5 million. The work will be carried out by a joint venture comprising the Chinese contractor China Communications Construction and local firm PPES Works, itself part owned by Cahya Mata Sarawak. The new bridge will measure 1,048m-long and will be a cable-stayed structure, carrying two lanes of traffic in either direction. In addition to the Bintulu Jepak bridge, work will also be carried out on a flyover across the Jalan Tun Razak

A major road development project for Mongolia will be carried out on the AH-3 route.

The bridge spanning the Bijaypur River in Nepal has been closed to traffic due to serious structural problems. The bridge forms part of the Prithvi Highway and connects Bijaypur with Chauthe. Major cracks have been detected in structural members of the 74m-long steel girder bridge, which was erected in 2011. The bridge carries around 6,000 vehicles/day and repairs to the link are expected to take at least one month to complete. The local Road Division office is erecting a temporary structure upstream of the

Ammann is 150 years old this year and the Swiss manufacturing group is celebrating in style with a special edition of its company magazine and an impressive stand at bauma 2019 in Munich. Please click on this link to find out exactly what is happening:http://digital.ropl.com/2019/AmmannGroup/home.html The Ammann story began in 1869 when founder Jakob Ammann set up his first workshop in Madiswil in Switzerland and it wasn't long before his brother Ulrich refocused the business from traditional millwork i

Sales of construction machines continue to be strong across Europe, due to steady growth in construction starts. This has been highlighted in the CECE Annual Economic Report 2019. The report shows that 2018 was the strongest year for the European construction equipment market since the economic crisis in 2008/09. Sales of construction machines in the European market grew by 11% for 2018, and the absolute market level is now 10% below the 2007 peak. There was a considerably growing momentum during 2018: a

Financing from the US now looks to have been secured for a major road project in Argentina. The US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) intends to provide US$400 million for Argentina’s National Route 7 project. OPIC agreed a package worth $800 million for infrastructure projects in Argentina at the end of 2018. The 700km National Route 7 project will involve building new sections of highway as well as upgrading existing stretches of road.

Major new highway projects are now progressing in Russia, with more detailed plans being drawn up. Two key projects are for the new Black Sea Coast Highway and the M-4 Don Transport Corridor. The Black Sea Coast Highway has seen some changes to the original proposals, with the high cost of the initial design having been a major factor in the revisions to the plans. The length of the new route will be 80.5km under the new proposals, with the work now costing around US$15 billion, some 2/3rds of the original

Funding has been secured for two motorway widening projects in Morocco.

A tunnel has been proposed for a highway stretch in the German city of Frankfurt. The proposals put forward by the city authorities call for a 1km stretch of the A661 Autobahn to run in a cut and cover tunnel. The project would cost around €350 million and would allow housing to be built over the top of the route. A substantial portion of the funding would have to be sourced from the German Federal Government and the Hesse State Government for the project to go ahead however. If the proposals are accepted,

Contractors and utilities companies in the UK could be guaranteeing roads to be pothole-free for five years, according to new proposals. At the moment, the guarantee is two years but the Department for Transport is conducting an eight-week public consultation on the subject. Street Works UK, which represents the utilities sector, argues that the an increase is not needed. The department is also seeking more innovation into how to better repair potholes, such as using asphalt with a higher bitumen c

Volvo CE is starting trials on the use of remote controlled machines using the latest communications.

Slovakia and the Italian-Slovak consortium of Salini Impregilo and Dúha will reportedly end construction of a D1 highway stretch including the Višňové tunnel. The planned 7.5km twin-tube Višňové Tunnel is part of the 13.4km section of the D1 between Lietavská Lúčka and Dubná Skala in northern Slovakia. Work started on what will be Slovakia’s longest tunnel in in June 2015. It is also part of the Corridor 5 of the Trans-European Networks (TEN) which links Bratislava with Uzhhorod in Ukraine and is financed

Work has started on a geological condition field study for a proposed 6.5km three-deck road and rail tunnel under the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Average daily road traffic through the Great Istanbul Tunnel is expected to be 120,000 vehicles and the rail line will move around 75,000 people daily. The tunnel, announced in 2015, will be nearly 19m in diameter and have two road levels and one rail level. It will run between Gayrettepe on the European side and Küçüksu on the Asian side. The ci

Funding from the African Development Bank will help finance infrastructure development work in Côte d'Ivoire. In all US$483.56 million in financing will be used to improve transport infrastructure between capital Abidjan and the border with Ghana. Roads and urban transport will be improved as part of the programme of works. A new bridge will also be built betwee the Abidjan suburbs of Yopougon and Attécoubé.