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Metalgalante says that its new Carmix Bagger offers high productivity, while reducing environmental impact at the worksite. The firm’s new Carmix Bagger is compatible with all of the Carmix machines and is said to help increase their productivity at the worksite. The unit is a steel mini-silo with a capacity of 3m3 and is intended to speed up the cement loading process and ensure accuracy for the mix design. The machine includes a load-cell container that weighs the quantity of materials loaded, helping t

Komatsu Europe is now offering the versatile and compact PW118MR‐11 wheeled excavator. This midi excavator has a short tailswing and is powered by a low emission Stage IV engine, offering a 6% fuel saving over earlier models. The machine is said to be rugged and stable, with a class‐leading performance for its compact size. The machine is said to combine power, precise control and compact dimensions, suiting it to use for excavating tasks in narrow alleys or on road‐construction sites for example. The firm

A legal dispute has arisen regarding some of the materials testing processes carried out for the landmark Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project. The argument is focusing on whether or not 12 technicians manipulated the results of testing concrete samples taken from the bridge during construction. It is alleged that managers of the test facility told the technicians to change the time settings on the equipment carrying out the tests, due to samples not being tested within the eight hour time period require

New EU rules covering road infrastructure safety and minimum vehicle safety have been given approval in the European Parliament. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) is now calling for the EU to reach a final deal on both pieces of legislation. The European Parliament’s Transport committee voted to approve an update to rules governing road infrastructure safety management. The existing requirements ensure governments carry out regular road safety audits, identify high-risk sites and prioritise s

Machines from Liebherr have been brought in to carry out a piling job in Colombia in tough conditions. The road network between Mosquera and Balsillas is being upgraded at a cost of some US$199.15 million. Mosquera lies on the outskirts of the capital, Bogotá, while Balsillas is to the south-west and close to the borders with Ecuador and Peru. Work started on the project to improve the 230km route in January 2016 and is expected to take until December 2021 to complete. One of the contractors involved in th

Using advanced vehicle to vehicle communications, this data could be shared between cars and trucks using the same stretch of road. Multiple alerts over road surface issues could also be used to highlight the need for debris removal or road repairs to road authorities.

Colombia has set a new date for the completion of the La Linea tunnel project of May 2020. The project has been subject to a series of delays due to issues such as insufficient financing, unexpected geological problems and even the wrong type of insurance cover. The completion date for the main tunnel stretch has been moved back several times, but it is hoped that it will finally be completed on the date, which was announced by Colombia’s president, Ivan Duque. The completion of the entire project, whic

Colombia’s San Rafael road concessionaire is using its first VSB Macropaver 12B unit to maintain a road carrying heavy traffic volumes – Enrique Saez writes The use of bituminous slurry for road maintenance works in Colombia is taking a new step forward with the purchase of equipment from VSS Macropaver by road contractors in the country. Engineer Ezequiel Romero, manager of the concessionaire San Rafael, explained that the application of bituminous grout has delivered major benefits for the firm. The c

Construction is underway for Argentina’s new Mendoza-San Juan Highway – Mauro Nogarin reports The rehabilitation and maintenance works of more than 3,300km of routes is now underway in Argentina. This followed on after the takeover of six new road corridors under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, which took place in August 2018. The rehabilitation and maintenance works are being carried out prior to the start of the main projects, which will include the construction of highways. Building these

Construction is underway for Argentina’s new Mendoza-San Juan Highway – Mauro Nogarin reports The rehabilitation and maintenance works of more than 3,300km of routes is now underway in Argentina. This followed on after the takeover of six new road corridors under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, which took place in August 2018. The rehabilitation and maintenance works are being carried out prior to the start of the main projects, which will include the construction of highways. Building the

Six steps for closing the UK funding gap Plenty of private money is seeking UK investment opportunities. The government and the infrastructure sector in general must make projects more attractive, writes David Barwell* It is widely acknowledged that the UK faces mounting economic, environmental and social problems if the nation's infrastructure fails to meet present and future demands. Government estimates propose that almost €561 billion is required to bridge the infrastructure funding gap. As part o

A global summit of road mobility thought-leaders and innovators was convened in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 7th-9th at the invitation of the IRF Nevada DOT director Rudy Malfabon, ASCE president 2018 Kristina Swallow, AASHTO executive director Bud Wright, Dubai Traffic & Roads Agency CEO Eng Maitha bin Adai, Bechtel engineering operations manager Steven Curtis and Jacobs Highway/Bridge director Susan Martinovich were all present. They figured among 200 leading international specialists who shared best

More than 3,900km of roads in England and Wales will need essential maintenance within the next year, according to the annual ALARM survey* Cash-strapped local governments are reporting that the gap between the funds they received and the amount they needed for repairs and maintenance was almost €639 million. This equated to an average shortfall of €3.75 million for every authority. It would take 14 years to get local roads back into a reasonable steady state, but only if adequate funds and resources wer

A BESIX joint venture is giving the royal treatment to the new Kronprinsesse Marys Bro across Roskilde Fjord, writes David Arminas It was announced in September 2016 that Belgian group BESIX, in a joint venture (RBAI) with Italian firm Rizzani de Eccher and Spanish company Acciona Infraestructuras, had been chosen for the €133 million project. The award, by client Vejdirektoratet (Danish Road Directorate), marked the entry of BESIX into the Scandinavian market. Vejdirektoratet praised the winning bid as

Italian construction machinery exports reached nearly €2.2 billion for the first nine months of 2018, up 6.2% on the same period 2017. Imports were also up, rising 14.4% to hit €710 million, according to the latest surveys made available by the SaMoTer - Prometeia Observatory based on the information input from Unacea, the Italian construction equipment manufacturers’ association. Italian-built earthmoving machinery and equipment took the largest share of orders from abroad, worth more than €1 billio

Mexico is setting out an ambitious programme of infrastructure development to the Tehuantepec Isthmus area in Oaxaca State in the south of the country. The work will include widening and upgrading the Salina Cruz-Coatzacoalcos road link, as well as building the Matias Romero bypass and the Acayucan-La Ventosa road section. This infrastructure development plan is expected to cost just over US$425 million in all and also includes improvements to rail connections and ports in the area. Road maintenance works

Mexico is setting out an ambitious programme of infrastructure development to the Tehuantepec Isthmus area in Oaxaca State in the south of the country. The work will include widening and upgrading the Salina Cruz-Coatzacoalcos road link, as well as building the Matias Romero bypass and the Acayucan-La Ventosa road section. This infrastructure development plan is expected to cost just over US$425 million in all and also includes improvements to rail connections and ports in the area. Road maintenance works

The fallback option for a major road and tunnel project in Australia now includes the possible payment of compensation should construction delays hold back its opening. The potential compensation package is being planned by the Victoria State Government to Transurban for Melbourne’s massive US$4.73 billion (A$6.7 billion) West Gate Tunnel project. The size of the compensation fee remains as yet unannounced, although some estimates suggest it could be as high as $1.27 billion (A$1.8 billion). Transurban expe

Murphy Plant, a rental company in England, has expanded its fleet with the purchase of 45 X-ECO LED lighting towers from Trime UK. The units delivered to Murphy Plant are dressed in the company’s “Murphy green” livery and are ready to be sent to sites throughout the country. Murphy Plant offer everything from small electrical drills to a 135tonne crawler crane, or even specialist equipment within rail, pipelines, tunnelling, marine or ground engineering. Trime has calculated that the X-ECO LED uses nearl

Just over a quarter of UK adults in a recent survey said they avoid driving after dark because of poor street lighting on their local roads. The research, commissioned by technology company Yotta, polled 1,000 UK adults. The results found that many people are also put off from walking or cycling through local green spaces after dark by poor lighting. Nearly one-third (30%) said they are less likely to visit them because of the quality of the lighting. In addition, more than one quarter (26%) of respondent