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The National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) in Colombia has awarded a contract to the Estructuracion Vial consortium to carry out the designs and studies for six road projects worth a combined US$5.15 billion (COP9.75 trillion). Part of the Fondo de Adaptacion programme, the six road schemes include Bogota-Bucaramanga; Bucaramanga-Pamplona; Duitama-Pamplona-Cucuta; Norte de Santander (including Ocana-Astilleros and Cucuta-Puerto Santander); Transversales Cusiana-Carare-Boyaca (including Puerto Araujo-Tunja-

Research and Markets has added the ‘Local Routes - Applications Used by Local UK Government to Deliver Transport’ report to its offering. The report summarises the status of the UK public sector ICT transport software market. It’s aimed at those currently working with public sector clients, and those considering this market for the first time.

Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyev has sent a letter to the Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov asking for assistance with expansion of the Starosheremetyevskoye highway. The expansion would increase the key highway’s number of lanes to four by 2015. The project is set to cost US$118 million (RUB3.8 billion), with the regional budget to provide $8.96 million (RUB290 million). Sheremetyevo airport bosses opposes the project, arguing that highway expansion will cause traffic jams on approaches to th

Amey has been awarded the €235 million (£200 million) Area 8 contract by the Highways Agency. The contract involves the upgrade and maintenance of major A roads and motorways in parts of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Starting on 1 April 2014, The Asset Support Contract (ASC) is the 5th to be awarded by the agency to date. ASCs have been designed to help the Agency cut road maintenance costs by a quarter by 2015.

Great interest has been shown in tenders advertised by GDDKiA to build three sections of the S3 dual carriageway in Poland. A total of 18 bids were received from firms and consortia for the first section, which measures 14.4km and extends from the Kazmierzow junction to Lubin North. The other two sections, from the Lubin North junction to the Lubin South junction (11.3km) and from Lubin South to the Legnica II junction (22.6km), both attracted similar bidders to the first tender.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) has published a new report on how better regulated Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can improve funding and delivery of transport infrastructure. The ITF highlights how PPPs have become an important tool for governments to attract private finance for infrastructure investments. In the face of tight budgets, PPPs are seen as a means to maintain transport investment and limit public spending at the same time.

The Chinese province of Guangdong is to invest over US$117.5 billion (CNY720 billion) on highway investment during 2013-2017, according to the Guangdong Transportation Bureau. Following the massive four-year investment, the total highway network in the province will increase to 8,140kms. The number of highway with links to other provinces will increase to 24. Construction of the 32.55km Zhuhai's Jindong to Hengqin highway will start at the end of this year.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has seen a strong response for its student video competition, highlighting US infrastructure. The third time this competition has been run, it attracted 40 entrants across a number of categories. First Place in Category II for post-secondary, college or graduate students was awarded to the film; Importance of Infrastructure.

A very strong response has been seen for the 3rd Annual Student Transportation Video Contest run by the Washington, DC-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Illinois high school and University of Maryland college students took top honours in this national video contest on America’s transportation network. The association received more than 40 entries this year in two categories. Sponsored by ARTBA’s Research and Education Division (RED), the contest aims to raise awareness about

Plans are moving forward in Turkey for the construction of a new highway project. Mott MacDonald has been named lenders’ technical advisor by the IC Ictas-Astaldi (ICA) consortium for a 60km section of the Northern Marmara highway. This deal is significant and the stretch forms the first of a number of phases of the highway. The project is being delivered under a 10 year, US$2.5 billion public-private partnership (PPP).

A new road link in the Texan city of San Antonio will help future industrial development in the area. The new 2.7km connection provides a four-lane extension of 36th Street from Highway 90 into the centre of Port San Antonio at Billy Mitchell Boulevard. The new route will allow for the future closure of North Frank Luke Drive, a small road running parallel to the runway at Kelly Field, the port’s industrial airport. This will provide direct access to the airport from the port and the area will be suitable f

A report published by HSBC suggests that global infrastructure-related trade growth will double worldwide economic expansion and will triple in size by 2030. The report also suggests that Brazil and Mexico will drive the rise in imports and exports of infrastructure-related goods in Latin America, according to Business News Americas. HSBC said that between 2013 and 2030, infrastructure-related trade looks set to grow at an average of 9%/year. It will also see a rise in its share of overall merchandise trade

In the UK, Hull-based Spencer Group has won a contract to carry out repair work on the iconic Humber Bridge. The €4.5 million (£3.9 million) contract was awarded by the Humber Bridge Board. Spencer will replace four steel 'A-frames' and strengthen other parts of the near Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire-based structure. The firm won repair work on the famous bridge in 2009 and 2010.

UK road safety charity IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is calling on the Conservative party to take its “once in a generation” opportunity to refresh how people, especially young people, learn to drive by publishing its much promised Green Paper on new drivers as soon as possible. Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people in the Britain today. In 2011, 412 people died in incidents involving young drivers. It is four months since the Government revealed its plans to publish a Green Paper,

The Colombian government's recently unveiled infrastructure programme for highway construction over the next 10 years is tipped to raise demand for surety products owing to government contracts requiring surety insurance to protect public resources. Higher demand of these types of P&C insurance coverage will help insurers absorb their fixed costs, thereby improving underwriting results and reducing insurers' reliance on investment yields to sustain their profitability, Moody's has claimed in a report.