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The emergence of Brazil as a major economic force and its need to improve infrastructure is proving a magnet for investment. Patrick Smith reports Brazil is now the sixth biggest economy in the world according to its Finance Minister Guido Mantega. The largest country in South America with a population of 190 million and one of the BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Brazil’s economy grew 2.7% in 2011 and is now worth $2.5 trillion, having overtaken the UK. With big oil and gas reserves stil

A one-eighth scale model of Astec's Six Pack portable asphalt facility and a full-size Double Barrel Green System will be on show at the 2009 Excon in India, when the company will take part with its agent/licensee, TIL of Kolkata, India. Excon is being held in Bangalore from 25-29 November, when the model of the Six Pack will be shown to visitors. The Six Pack facility was introduced in the early 1980s as a truly portable facility available to hot mix asphalt producers, while the Astec Double Barrel Green s

An overcrowded Indian flyover was removed in record time using specialist demolition equipment, as Patrick Smith reports Demolition of the landmark Lalbaug flyover south of central Mumbai has been completed and work on a new bigger bridge has started in India's largest city. Although the 38-year-old Sant Dnyaneshwar (Lalbaug flyover) two-lane, one-way traffic artery was serviceable and used by to 15,000 vehicles/hour, there were daily traffic jams and environmental consequences. Despite the complex and dema

Modern weighing equipment helps road operators tackle the costly business of road damage caused by overloaded trucks as Patrick Smith reports. Overloading of commercial vehicles has a major impact on the life expectancy of road networks. The cost of premature road failure and repairs is a major burden on many governments particularly in developing countries where this problem diverts vital funding that could otherwise be spent on health and education.

Research into driver behaviour has identified that driver safety and decision-making can be positively influenced by clearer and higher performing road markings. Patrick Smith reports. Bare roads will lead to total vehicular confusion. Markings are painted on the road to direct, guide and regulate the road user, and include all lines patterns, words and colours applied on or attached to the road surface or kerb for these purposes.

Airport runway, taxiway and parking areas make high demands on paving requirements, both with concrete and asphalt techniques. Mike Woof reports. High quality surface finishes are required in airport environments for runways, taxiways and aircraft parking areas. Because of the speed at which aircraft take off and land and the massive forces exerted due to the weight of the aircraft, particularly during landing, runway structures need to be incredibly strong. The surfaces also have to be constructed to very

The International Road Federation is pleased to invite you to participate in the IRF Seminar on Public/Private Partnership (PPP) and Road Safety to be held on 12th and 13th October in Cairo, Egypt. The seminar will address major challenges facing the road industry today. Over two focused and specifically tailored days - one on Road Safety issues and the other on all aspects of Public/Private Partnership (PPP) - industry experts will cover topics ranging from earliest target setting and planning, constructio

Volvo graders have made an important contribution on upgrades to a 150km stretch of the NH7 highway, one of India's most important road links. The NH7 highway is an impressive 2,369km in length, linking the town of Kanyakumari, perched on the southern-most point of the Indian mainland where the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean meet, with the north-eastern holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the river Ganges.

Netherlands-based engineering consultants Royal Haskoning and DHV are merging. The new business will be called Royal HaskoningDHV. The company is based at Amersfoort in the Netherlands and is a leading project management, engineering and consultancy service provider. Bertrand van Ee chairs the Executive Board of Royal HaskoningDHV, with Erik Oostwegel as vice-chair. Jaska de Bakker (CFO), Piet Besselink, Frank Heemskerk and Henry Rowe complete the Executive Board. Joop van Oosten chairs the Supervisory Boar

Despite the economic downturn, India looks to be pressing ahead with its major infrastructure projects to further boost its incredible growth. Patrick Smith reports India, which like most countries has been affected by the current economic climate, although not to the same extent, is pressing ahead with its ambitious highway construction plans. Each week new projects are completed, started or awarded as the nation seeks to improve its transportation requirements. These are needed to meet the aspirations of

With new roads to be built and existing ones to be maintained, one company is predicting a big increase in asphalt production Asphalt plant manufacturer Ammann says that four factors in particular will shape the future of the asphalt industry. The company, which has sold its first JustBlack asphalt mixing plant to Costa Rica through its Spanish distribution partner, EMSA, says that many more roads have yet to be built in the world. "Building the global road network will provide work for many generations to

Highway sector experts in India are calling for tougher enforcement on helmet use, to boost safety standards for powered two wheeler riders. The country’s accident statistics show worryingly high levels of deaths and injuries for powered two wheeler riders. India is the world’s second largest producer of two-wheelers and these constitute nearly 70% of the country’s registered vehicles. According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), some 28,234 persons (21.1%) of two-wheeler riders have been kill

Messe München International is further expanding its international network of events to include a new trade show in India for the environmental technology sector. The first IFAT INDIA will take place from October 24 to 26, 2013 at the BCEC in Mumbai). Messe München and its subsidiary MMI India are expecting the event to attract around 100 exhibitors and 6,000 visitors, and to take up 6,000 square meters of exhibition space.

India’s new Formula 1 motor racing circuit, with its tight construction tolerances, demands considerable driving skill. More than 500 million people worldwide watched the first Formula 1 motor race in India's history. The drivers were thrilled by the new asphalt circuit with its numerous bends and the peripheral area around the new race track at Greater Noida near the capital New Delhi, which were built by machinery from German company Vögele (a member of the Wirtgen Group). Working with four Super 1800-

Mott MacDonald has been appointed design consultant for the proposed Raipur–Bilaspur national highway 200 in India. Part of the National Highways Development Programme Phase IV, established by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the new road will connect Raipur in Chhatttisgarh to Chandikohole in Orissa, passing through areas including Bilaspur, Raigarh and Jarsuguda. Costing US$244.2million, the 127km long road is primarily made up of four lanes, with 34km of the highway comprising six lanes

The Tamil Nadu state government in southern India aims to build a 162km road connecting Chennai suburb Ennore and the town of Mamallapuram. State chief minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa said that a detailed report on the US$266.62million peripheral road project will be carried out soon. Meanwhile, the state government said that it intends to upgrade all 78.6km of existing roads, while another 83.2km of roads will also be laid soon.

Lafarge has opened a Construction Development Laboratory (CDL) in Mumbai, India to strengthen its product development capabilities. It will design building solutions and systems adapted to the needs of the growing and ever-moving Indian market, where Lafarge hopes to seize opportunities.

With the dust now settled after the INTERMAT 2012 exhibition, it is clear that this event proved a success. For INTERMAT 2012, attendance figures grew throughout the week, with many firms reporting very busy booths. Of note is the fact that INTERMAT received a high percentage of international visitors, with over 34% of attendees coming from countries other than France. Attracting some 200,000 visitors in all, 145,082 were identified as proper trade visitors and this represented an increase of 15.8% over the

The Indian Government has granted approvals for 32 highway construction projects during the 2009-2010 financial year. These routes have a total length of 3,600km but this falls below the targeted 126 projects stretching for a total of 11,928km in total for this time period. For the 2010-2011 financial year, the plan is to build highways totalling in excess of 15,000km.

Work is now underway on India’s Rohtang tunnel project, located in Himachal Pradesh. The 9km long tunnel is expected to cost US$365.75 million and with work having just started, is due for completion before 2015. The project was first suggested back in 1983 but it has taken until now for the work to get underway. When complete the link will reduce the travel distance between the Lahaul Valley and the green Kullu Valley by 46km. The link will improve India’s transport connections to China. The 11m wide link