Road Structures

India is busy with plans to expand its highway network. The work is being managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and up to 97 different highway projects are envisaged in the complete programme. Some US$16 billion worth of projects could be awarded in the 2016-2017 period if all the planned projects move ahead as anticipated. These would deliver an additional 6,631km of highways in total. At present there are 250 highway construction projects underway in India, while 400 have already been

Further delays to completion look a possibility for Colombia’s La Linea Tunnel project. A strike by truck drivers meant that supplies of construction materials were halted, adding to previous delays. The country’s National Road Institute (Invias) has stated that work on the tunnel does not look likely to be finished until the first quarter of 2017. The project will only be completed before that date if faster progress can be achieved with the electro-mechanical works currently in hand. Invias has previously

A crane collapsed over the Tappan Zee Bridge in the US on July 19th. Construction work is being carried out on the bridge. The structure is located in Tarrytown, New York State and the bridge is around 40km north of central Manhattan, spanning the Hudson River at one of its widest points. The crane was being used for the construction work and collapsed right across the roadway and in front of vehicles using the crossing. A number of vehicles were damaged in the incident and local news reports suggest up to

Romania’s road building programme is moving forward, but perhaps more slowly than the country’s National Company for Highways and Roads (CNADNR) would prefer. At present a total of 733km of highways are open to use in Romania, but new sections measuring up to 260km in all should be ready for traffic by the end of 2017. A further 22km of the A1 highway connecting Orastie with Sibiu is expected to open in the third quarter of 2016. The Deva to Lugoj stretch of the A1 has also to be completed, while a section

A series of major road projects will be carried out by Portuguese contractor Mota Engil in Angola and Brazil. In all the work is worth in excess of US$419 million. The company is building a 10km section of the Via Expressa around capital Luanda, as well as upgrading another key route in the city. Luanda’s population has grown significantly in recent years and many existing roads are now proving unable to cope with demand.

An Italian roads company will handle the programme for a major road construction and management project in Iran. Anas International Enterprise (AIE), a subsidiary of Italian state-owned firm Anas, is in charge of the work. This contract is for the construction and management of 1,200km of motorways in Iran. The package of works was awarded by the Iranian Ministry of Roads & Urban Development, with a projected cost of US$3.98 billion in all to construct all the routes required. A feasibility study is planned

The opening of a new road link in Nicaragua will reduce journey times between capital Managua and El Guasaule, which lies on the border with Honduras. The road connects La Paz Centro, Malpaisillo and Villa 15 de Julio. Heavy vehicles previously had to take a more circuitous route that was also longer, so the new road will help cut transport costs. Funding for the project was provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). This new road is one of a series of projects Nicaragua’s Ministry of Transpo

A new highway has been constructed on the Caribbean island of Jamaica that will make a dramatic improvement in travel times and road safety for the country

Work on a new €1.7 billion coastal road is underway around France’s Reunion Island This new 12.3km highway (Route du Littoral) will have three lanes in each direction when it is complete in 2018. The new offshore highway connects Saint Denis, the administrative capital of La Réunion, with La Possession.

Funding from China will help pay for key road repairs in Angola. The country will benefit from a credit line worth US$1 billion offered by China. The funds will be used to upgrade 17 important road links, although a focus for the repairs will be a stretch of National Highway 321 connecting Dondo with Maria Theresa. The projects form part of Angola’s National Construction and Renovation Plan and will be offered to Chinese road construction firms.