News

Bidding has been strong for an expressway project in Poland. The S7 route will connect Olsztynek and Milomyn with the Ostroda ring road. The project is expected to cost in the region of €350.64 million to construct in all. Seven bidders competed for the project with a consortium comprising contractors Intercor, Erbedim and Pozbud making the highest offer at €416.42 million. The lowest offer meanwhile came from another construction consortium comprising the companies Salini, Todini and Impregilo with a bid o

Plans are in hand for a road safety event to be held in the Mexican city of Cancun. The IV Ibero-American Congress of Traffic Safety (CISEV) meeting will be held from September 30th to October 2nd in Cancun (Mexico) under the theme Progress in the Decade of Action for Road Safety Decade. Together we can save lives. The CISEV was established in 2008 with the aim of becoming Latin America’s key event for providing effective solutions to improve traffic safety. The attendance figures and the technical contribu

In the UK a number of road safety campaigning groups are warning that driver distraction from mobile phones will become a bigger killer than drink driving by 2015. While cellphone use by drivers is banned in the UK, penalties are still light and enforcement lax. Drivers still frequently use cellphones while behind the wheel. Suggestions have been made to double the penalties facing offenders, but if this ruling is accepted it will still take time to implement. And some say these tougher penalties are still

China is providing some US$20 billion worth of financing for infrastructure projects in Latin American and Caribbean nations. The money will be available in tranches with the first worth $10 billion and this was agreed following talks between the Chinese, Latin American and Caribbean heads of state. China already has considerable involvement in some major projects in Latin America, according to Business News Americas. This further funding source will strengthen the financial relationships.

Sophisticated automobiles featuring smart control technology look set to help reduce the rate of serious injuries and fatalities on the road network, as well as improving traffic flow. Tests on a new system from Mercedes have shown the technology can avoid an impact with another vehicle. This system brings the vehicle to a complete stop from speeds of up to 40km/h, without the driver having to take any action. The automatic braking package is being fitted to the latest version of the Mercedes C- Class. The

In Indonesia the tender process is commencing for the new Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road. The project had faced earlier delays due to problems over land acquisition along the route. These have now been solved and the project should be getting underway in October 2014. The Indonesian Government is investing some US$215 million in the project, although the inner of the tender will also be expected to invest in the scheme.

Bidding is commencing for a major new highway bridge project in Dubai. The Al Ittihad bridge project is for a 2.7km link, spanning the Dubai Creek. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is inviting contractors to prequalify for the project, with the tender due to be issued in October 2014. The schedule calls for construction work to commence October 2014 and for the new structure to be open to traffic in early 2018. The 2.7km long bridge will feature a 420m long main creek section, carrying 12 lanes o

The Kyrgyz Republic is receiving a loan worth over US$118 million for highway repairs from Japan. The two countries have established a co-operation agreement that will be used to improve highway connections in the Kyrgyz Republic’s Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Talas Provinces. The deal also includes the supply of equipment for road maintenance work. This latest loan is one in a series that Japan has made for investing and improving infrastructure in developing nations in recent months.

Plans are in hand to upgrade a major highway in Mexico’s Sonoro state. A budget of US$1.6 billion has been set in place for the necessary work. The highway will be widened and will feature two traffic lanes in either direction once the work is complete. The plans for the project have been set out by Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT). Funding for the project is being provided by the National Infrastructure Fund (Fonadin) as well as the state-owned bank Banco Nacional de Obras y Servi

Sophisticated temporary bridge technology has been provided by the US to Nepal to help with emergency access. The US Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) supplied four prefabricated modular steel bridges, manufactured by Acrow Bridge. These temporary bridges will be used to allow emergency access to disaster hit areas in Nepal. The country’s tough climate and challenging geography mean it is vulnerable to natural disasters such as landslides, avalanches, earthquakes and floods. Acrow is a specialist i

Road safety campaigners and European traffic police are putting pressure on the EU to speed up the introduction of cross-border enforcement of traffic offences. The modified rules have been published by the European Commission and come in response to a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling earlier this year saying that the existing law, which came into force in November last year, had been adopted on an incorrect legal basis. The ECJ has said the current rules could remain in effect until May 2015 while ne

The MPA (Mineral Products Association) and its members have been taking significant action on a key recommendation in the UK House of Commons Transport Committee Cycling Safety report relating to Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), published today. One of the Committee’s recommendations (16) calls on the freight industry to “create a culture of safety among HGVs” and requests “the establishment of a timetable for the development of an industry-wide code of conduct”. In support of this, MPA had already launched

The MPA (Mineral Products Association) and its members have been taking significant action on a key recommendation in the UK House of Commons Transport Committee Cycling Safety report relating to Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), published today. One of the Committee’s recommendations (16) calls on the freight industry to “create a culture of safety among HGVs” and requests “the establishment of a timetable for the development of an industry-wide code of conduct”. In support of this, MPA had already launched

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded Atkins a major, six-year contract worth US$25 million. This will cover right-of-way (ROW) oversight, compliance review, and utility coordination services for transportation-related public-private partnership projects in the state. The deal calls for Atkins to serve as TxDOT’s management consultant, overseeing projects being hand;ed under development agreements, design-build contracts, and other delivery methods. Atkins has worked with TxDOT on a wid

In Saudi Arabia the go-ahead has been given for a new expressway that will connect Qassim with Makkah. The project is worth some US$1.2 billion and will include the construction of service facilities along the route. Details regarding the tender process or any technical features of the project have yet to be revealed.