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A motorcyclist in the western province of Rajasthan in India had a rather unwelcome surprise when he was knocked from his motorcycle, suffering injuries in the process. The cause of his mishap was somewhat out of the ordinary as the man had been struck by a part from an Indian Air Force MiG-27 fighter bomber as it crashed into a field nearby.

The state government of Maharashtra in India has named BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as preferred bidder for construction of Mumbai’s Coastal Freeway worth around US$1.36 billion. The 35.6km freeway, subject to clearance from the central government in New Delhi, will run from Mumbai’s business district, called Nariman Point, to the northern suburb of Kandivli. Coastal Freeway, which runs beside the sea, on reclaimed lands, landfill sites and some small bridges, is the alternative to the mor

Swiss mechanical engineering company Ammann is increasing the frequency of its successful global paving campus training courses in the Czech Republic. These four-day-long expert knowledge sessions are run at the Ammann International Training Centre (AITC) in Nové Město nad Metují and, according to after sales projects manager and training centre boss Martin Sedláček, the idea is “to ensure that Ammann has a globally consistent (approach) to presenting, selling and servicing” the company’s fast-developing r

LiuGong Machinery, a major Chinese maker of heavy construction equipment, said it will invest around US$38 million in manufacturing in Brazil. The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of its first factory in Brazil, in the city of Mogi Guaçu, around 180km from São Paulo. LiuGong expects to produce 1,500 wheel loaders and excavators annually at the facility in the first three years of operation.

An ambitious road improvement scheme has been proposed by the Mozambique Government. The programme of works calls for the paving of 2,100km of roads by 2019. The scheme will address both national and regional roads across the country between 2015 and 2019, covering around 420km/year of roads on average. Also included within the programme will be repairs to 57 bridges. Meanwhile a further 2,800km of roads will be repaired, an average on 560km/year, by 2019. The, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

The Nepalese Government is now moving forward with its plans for the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track highway project. The Indian firm Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) has been awarded the contract to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the project. Following earlier issues with regard to sourcing suitable financing, the Nepalese Government now plans to construct the highway link using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model. The maximum cost of

While demand in some parts of Asia is strong, other countries such as China have been suffering from oversupply - World Highways reported from the Argus Asia-Pacific and Middle East Bitumen Conference in Singapore. Asia overtook the Americas as the world’s largest consumer of bitumen in 2012, with China accounting for the lion’s share – nearly two-thirds – of consumption. However, attendees at the Argus Asia-Pacific and Middle East Bitumen Conference held in Singapore on 24th-26th September last year heard

SANY Road Machinery says that its machines offer customers a very good return on investment - Mike Woof writes. SANY Road Machinery looks set to boost its profile outside of China. The company has been focussed on the Chinese home market in recent years, due to the massive highway expansion programme in the country. However with 80% of the country’s highway construction programme now complete, SANY Road Machinery is looking to further develop its export business. Wang Zuochun is senior vice president at SAN

A major new cable-stayed bridge is being constructed in India - Partha Bratim Basistha reports. In India the construction of a major cable-stayed bridge is underway that will boost connections from capital Delhi to its surrounding areas. The bridge is being built in a bid to ease growing interstate traffic movement between Delhi and the surrounding North Indian states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Named Signature Bridge, this is a landmark structure due to its design aesthetics and

The financial crisis may be easing but the geopolitical situation will continue to hamper heavy equipment sales for some years yet, according to David Phillips, head of Off Highway Research, based in the UK. Gone are the heady days of pre-2007, “when it was unbelievably easy to get credit” to buy machinery, Phillips told delegates during his presentation on day two of the Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Paris this week. North America alone counted for up to half of world demand for equipment w

A motorcyclist in India has posted videos online of himself practicing yoga while riding his bike at speed. The man rides at speed of 64km/h, while leaning back on the bike practicing his yoga moves, with his hands completely away from the controls. He also stands on the seat and the fuel tank while practicing yoga and regularly covers distances of up to 5km in this fashion. When asked, he said that he is aware of the dangers of his particular brand of yoga but enjoys the thrill. His son too is said to be i

Road freight’s share in global trade will increase from 6% to 10% by 2050, driven by increasing intra-regional trade, according to the latest report by the International Transport Forum. This growth is especially likely in Asia and Africa where efficient rail networks are and could remain underdeveloped, noted the report ITF Transport Outlook 2015. Hit hard by the global crisis in 2009, road freight volume grew 3% annually from 2010-12 in member countries of the OECD – the Organisation for Economic Co-opera

German manufacturers of construction equipment reported an 8% rise in sales, amounting to €8.4 billion. The level was higher than expected and equal to sales in 2006, according to the Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Association (VDMA). However, the VDMA, part of the German Engineering Federation, suggested that company profits may not have risen along with sales and tough times remain ahead. “Turnover is one thing, profit is another,” Joachim Strobel, deputy chairman of VDMA, said.

A new coastal highway is being planned in India that will connect the north and south of Mumbai. The project is being planned jointly by the Maharashtra State Government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The US$1.38 billion Nariman Point-Kandivli road project will stretch some 36.5km. The work includes the need to reclaim some 110ha of land, for which a proposal by BMC has been approved by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority. The agreement requires that this area of land can on

Work on four new road projects in India will be carried out by Spanish contractor Isolux Corsan. In all the work is worth US$306.5 million. The 130km stretch of road connecting Talcher with Chandikole in Odisha is costing $124.9 million to construct. One stretch is for a 160km road between Phalodi and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The other two sections of road being built are in Assam.

The Indian Government has plans for massive investment in road and transport infrastructure. The country’s Road Transport Ministry has announced it will spend some US$ 80.65 billion in developing its road network between 2015 and 2019. Contracts for some 40,000km of road in all will be awarded during this period. The country also has a strategy of supporting private investment in transport through lower interest rates on loans for PPPs, providing partial funding from central government for local road safety

The Indian Government has announced plans to build 7,300km of roads and 48 bridges. The programme is being handled by India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and is called the Road Requirement Plan (RRP) Phase-2. The new roads will be constructed in the so-called ‘red zone’. The project is expected to cost some US$1.72 billion, and it will include the construction of roads, highways and 48 bridges. The ‘red zone’ areas have been affected by left wing extremism, namely the Naxalites. As of January 20

In India an animal rescue worker has saved the life of a depressed dog, sitting at the roadside where its owner was buried after being killed in a crash. The canine mourner stayed at the site near Chennai for 15 days, despite being unfed. The animal rescue worker saw the dog repeatedly during her commute and realised that the canine was staying in the one spot. After much persuasion the animal was persuaded to eat and drink and has since been returned to health.

The cost of the first section of Vietnam’s Bien Hoa-Vung Tau highway, a 47km stretch in the Southern Key Economic Zone, will be around US$355 million. Vietnam’s transport ministry said the total cost of the entire 70km motorway will come in at $1.03 billion. The government considers the zone to be the country’s engine of growth, accounting for 60% of Vietnam’s industrial production by value and 70% of export revenue. The zone consists of eight localities - Ho Chi Minh City (formerly called Saigon), Bi

Manitowoc’s Grove cranes are helping transform a major highway in north west India, writes Mike Woof In India a fleet of rough terrain cranes has played a key role in constructing a major highway project.