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A new report from Germany’s federal transport ministry has highlighted the problem of bridge wear in the country. According to the report, just 13% of Germany’s road bridges and bridge sub-structures are in good or very good condition. The report evaluated the condition of 39,600 road bridges and 51,600 bridge sub-structures and in 12% of cases, these structures do not have sufficient load-bearing capacity for the stresses they have to cope with. The report highlights also the worsening condition of the bri

Concern is being expressed in Australia over the cost of the new highway connecting Sydney International Airport with the city. The M12 highway project was originally expected to cost US$881.65 million (A$1.25 million). However some reports suggest that the work may now cost as much as $973.34 million (A$1.38 billion). New solutions are being sought in a bid to reduce the cost of the project. Additional financing solutions are also being looked into for the work, including revised tolling options.

Caterpillar is now offering two new variants of its 36tonne class excavator for the emergent market. The Next Generation models are said to offer increased efficiency and lower operating costs in the 36tonne size class. The 336 and 336GC variants are aimed at customers in South America, Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Eurasia, China, South East Asia and India. According to Caterpillar, the 336 and 336 GC offer increased operating efficiency, lower fuel and maintenance costs, and improved operator comfort comp

Caterpillar is now offering two new variants of its 36tonne class excavator for the emergent market. The Next Generation models are said to offer increased efficiency and lower operating costs in the 36tonne size class. The 336 and 336GC variants are aimed at customers in South America, Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Eurasia, China, South East Asia and India. According to Caterpillar, the 336 and 336 GC offer increased operating efficiency, lower fuel and maintenance costs, and improved operator comfort comp

Aggregate Industries says that it finished work on a major road improvement scheme in Leeds, UK ahead of schedule thanks to meticulous planning. Located immediately off the M1 Junction 44, the A639 from Leeds Road to Pontefract Road connects the motorway slip road and a number of local distribution centres, including one for the Royal Mail. The carriageway required extensive planning and adjustments as well as replacement of ironwork and kerbs. A key requirement was that it needed to be completed quickly

German contractor Kieswerke Silzen Peissen has purchased three new Doosan machines for the company’s Silzen-based operations for gravel extraction above and below water. The new machines comprise the Doosan DL420-5 wheeled loader, a custom-made long-reach 60 tonne DX530LC-5 excavator and the state-of-the-art wheeledloader DL420CVT-5, with CVT, denoting a continuously variable transmission. Silzen Peissen’s two plants in Silzen comprise about 70ha of approved mining area, of which around 20ha - called Plan

Trimble and HCSS are partnering to couple estimating and bidding workflows to field operations. The firms say this collaboration will include product integrations to Trimble's construction software portfolio, helping boost productivity and quality for construction. The companies plan to develop solutions to improve current workflow and real-time visibility for customers by connecting bidding and estimating processes to developments onsite. Trimble and HCSS are currently exploring how best to bring HCSS's co

Trimble is expanding its range of machine control technology options for users of graders and excavators with key new releases. One is for the LOADRITE Payload Management system, which can now be utilised on excavators already equipped with the Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform. The other systems are new versions of the Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform that can be used with graders or deliver automatic guidance for tiltrotators. These are key developments for the firm, boosting its ran

A new report highlights the importance of recycled aggregates for the global construction market. The report has been compiled by research specialist Fact.Mr and shows that prospects remain bullish for the recycled construction aggregates market. According to the report, there were sales of recycled aggregates in excess of over 3.7 million tonnes estimated in 2018, with a 5% growth expected for 2019. The report highlights that the recycled construction aggregates market is influenced by various factors, ra

Renovation and widening of the A1 motorway in the Netherlands will start this month, according to the Dutch environment and infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat. The section covers 65km, between Apeldoorn and junction Azelo. Work is expected to take around 10 years and cost about €400 million. The A1 – 199km long - connects the capital city Amsterdam, near the interchange of Watergraafsmeer, with the German border near Oldenzaal and Bad Bentheim, and the German Autobahn BAB 30. On its way, it crosses

The UK’s Plantworx 2019 exhibition in June will be celebrating the heritage of the machines that have laid the foundation for today’s construction industry. In the outdoor arena at the heart of the show, near Peterborough in southern England, visitors will step back in time, revisiting the equipment that inspired modern day machines. Equipment – much of which was made long before the invention of hydraulics - will include vintage dumptrucks, excavators and loading shovels, explained Jeff Schofield,

The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has highlighted key problems with road safety. According to the ARRB, these issues must be addressed if Australia’s road casualty rate is to be reduced. Road death tolls are being reduced as he latest results show, but more work needs to be done. According to the ARRB, the road death tolls in Victoria dropped 20% for 2018 when compared with the previous year. This is a major improvement, showing the gains made by Victoria’s road agency VicRoads and the state’s Tr

Interest is strong in the project to complete Colombia’s key tunnel construction contract. In all 23 firms have shown interest in the package of works to complete the La Linea tunnel project, according to the Colombian national road institute (Invias). The Colombian Government is providing US$204.5 million to complete the project. The current target is for the tunnel to be completed by 2020, although the link was originally supposed to be ready for traffic in late 2016. Construction work on the link commenc

Several major road projects are underway in Paraguay at present, though issues are afflicting some. Although the Rute del Este consortium comprising Sacyr, Mota Engil and Ocho A was awarded the PPP contract to upgrade Ruta 2 and Ruta 7, the necessary funding has yet to be delivered. The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the US Bank have both said that they would give the necessary funding. A new deadline has been set for the funds to be delivered at the end of March 2019. Meanwhile there are also d

Puerto Rico is setting out plans for its road repair programme, which is intended to upgrade links right across the island.

A new highway is to be built in North Korea, connecting Hamhung with Wonsan. The 112km highway project is being split into five sections for the tender process, which is being handled by a Chinese firm. Funding is being supplied by China for the project. Construction is expected to start in the second quarter of 2019, with the completion date set for the second quarter of 2022. The project does face a number of challenges however, not the least of which is how equipment will be provided for the work give th

China has set out a programme of works intended to boost rural road connectivity in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Some 4,500km of roads will be either built or improved as part of the plan. The aim of the work is to link all of the region’s towns and villages to the road network by the end of 2019. This is the continuation of a plan to improve transport in the region, boosting economic activity. In 2018 34 towns and 533 villages were connected to the road network by links surfaced wither with asphalt or conc

Hlidac Statu, the Czech government spending watchdog, criticised the slow pace of motorway construction, saying it lags behind other EU states in the eastern region. But Czech prime minister Andrej Babis hit back, saying that his government has overseen an unprecedented level of motorway construction and investment. Radio Praha reported that Michal Bláha, founder of the watchdog, said data from Eurostat shows that only 300km of new motorway has been built in the Czech republic since 2000. Eurostat, ba

Work has started on a 5km extension, including a 1.1kkm tunnel under the Weser River, to Germany’s A281 motorway. The project around the northwestern city of Bremen will connect the A281 with the A27 by 2024 and cost around €345 million. Bremen will contribute €1 million.

Almost €348 million will be needed for a 32km extension to Poland’s A2 motorway from Biala Podlaska to Terespol, near the border with Belarussia. A tender for a design and build contract is expected to be called in 2020. But funding is still not for certain under the National Road Construction Programme that looks at work until 2023. Recently, a €1.3 million contract was signed with Multiconsult Polska to prepare an investment plan. The A2 runs from west to east through central Poland, from the Pol