Features

The latest road marking systems have been used to reduce potentially fatal wrong-way driving and promote the recent EURO 2012 football tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Guy Woodford reports According to statistics quoted by leading road marking firm Geveko, a total of 1,753 people were killed in the United States in wrong-way driving accidents from1996-2000. Wrong-way driving is also a significant issue across Europe and other parts of the world. Work to combat the potentially lethal activity took place re

Protecting road users, with barriers, crash cushions or access control systems, is crucial for network safety - Mike Woof writes Tough regulations are now in place in Europe and the US, requiring road authorities to provide safer road infrastructure than in the past. Technologies to reduce the severity of vehicle impacts against obstructions or redirect vehicles into the roadway should help cut injuries amongst drivers and passengers alike. The specifications for the use of crash cushions and barriers can v

Manufacturers continue to innovate with sophisticated new soil compaction machines - Mike Woof reports This year has seen the introduction of a series of new soil compaction machines, as manufacturers develop their product ranges. Meeting emission legislation requirements in Europe and North America has helped drive firms to install the latest engine designs. Meanwhile machines have also evolved as companies further refine operating features. The global market for compaction machines has been dominated by

Military-style planning and overwhelming demolition firepower ensured that Armac Group avoided financial penalties and the wrath of drivers on one of the UK’s busiest motorway intersections. Demolition & Dismantling reports. 6 January is traditionally known for the visit of the three wise men to Bethlehem. However, on 6 January 2012, three wise demolition engineers from Armac Group was tasked with dismantling the monumental structure known as Catthorpe Viaduct: the main overbridge of the M6/M1/A14 interc

UK-based Macleod Simmonds Ltd (MSL) has launched a GPR (Ground Probing Radar) consultancy providing both a survey service and software package which, the firm says, takes the output from multi-antenna surveys to a “whole new dimension”. The firm says it can now provide survey capability for almost any type of terrain, application or location that end users might require. For the existing roadway or smooth surface terrain survey location, MSL has a Carriageway System based on a multi-antenna set up from Ital

An urgent need to improve and extend its road network means that Brazil is open to innovation and new ideas - the timing looks good for Kraton and its highly modified asphalt. Kristina Smith reports On 15th August Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff announced a US$66 billion (BRL 133 billion) investment package for the country’s road and rail networks. Of that, $21 billion (BRL 42 billion) is earmarked for the upgrade or construction of 7,500km of highways through a series of concessions. “We’re starting an

One of the interesting developments at the recent Hillhead quarry show in the UK, was of a rather more compact machine than usually seen at the exhibition. A UK equipment rental firm, CLS Selfdrive, revealed a US-manufactured compact grader equipped with machine control equipment. This is of note seeing that such machine control technologies are usually fitted to much larger machines. The increasing proliferation of the systems and the reduction in costs in real terms however means that this technology is n

The rapid increase in information availability is transforming the construction sector. Conventional methods used for sourcing geographic data based on maps and localised sampling meant that there was often a lack of accurate information relating to ground conditions at specific areas where work was planned, often resulting in unwelcome surprises for construction companies along with additional costs for projects.

Both LiuGong and XCMG are increasing their manufacturing operations, with a focus on Europe - Guy Woodford reports The near 4,000m² site is situated about 35km from Amsterdam and is said to have convenient access to European cities via air, sea and highway. The European headquarters will serve as the Chinese firm’s sales hub, technical support base and spare parts distribution centre for existing and potential customers. “This new office will strengthen our presence as a top construction equipment manufactu

A major expansion programme is underway at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The work started in the third quarter of 2006 and is due for completion in 2015, with the construction activity being carried out in three main stages. Once the work is complete the airport will be able to handle up to 80 million passengers/ year, compared with 13 million/year before construction commenced. The project also includes three new terminal buildings and a high-speed rail link, as well as airf

In Kansas, specialist contractor Pavers has carried out important work for the National Guard. The aim of the work was to rehabilitate a WWII era hangar apron for the Kansas National Guard. The project required extensive repair work, including pavement patching, dowel bar retrofitting, partial depth patching and joint sealing. Pavers had to overhaul a 305m x 91.5m apron at Army Aviation Support Facility No 2 that suffered from poor drainage. The project included milling 152mm of old asphalt and concrete and

Terex says that its latest Bid-Well 6500 Automatic Roller Paver delivers high performance concrete paving for slabs up to 610mm thick. The machine benefits from a heavy-duty frame design and an 8.9tonne operating weight in standard form. The frame can be configured to meet paving widths from 7.3-18.3m wide, suiting applications in a range of duties including airport runways, taxiways and aprons. Capable of width changes in a matter of hours, the roller paver offers an alternative to slipform pavers for thes

Interview with Dr Essam Radwan, chairman of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida and vice-chair of the 17th IRF World Meeting Scientific & Technical Committee The economic impacts of road transport are undeniable, yet notoriously hard to quantify. The central theme of the IRF World Meeting “Delivering Global Prosperity” has key resonance as Dr Radwan explained, “Today’s world is a mesh of tightly integrated economies, so it’s no surprise that the

Not enough road agencies and highway engineers understand the questions to ask regarding site-specific conditions, design performance criteria and reusability requirements of crash cushions when making purchasing decisions. To address these questions, IRF held a webinar attended by over 170 highway and safety professionals in 18 countries. The webinar reviewed crash cushion applications, described current performance-based standards (NCHRP 350/MASH/EN1317) and presented the recommendations to allow road aut

The Finnish contractor Lemminkäinen is currently working on a paving contract for Finavia, the company which maintains Finland's airports. The contract includes paving milling, as well as paving work for runway 3 and taxiways at Helsinki- Vantaa airport. Lemminkäinen began its operations on the €20 million paving contract in April 2012 and the work is expected to end in the autumn of 2014. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is an important traffic hub for Finland, as well as for the region, with around 15 million pass