Finance & Funding

Topcon Corporation has acquired all the outstanding shares of ClearEdge3D for an undisclosed sum. This deal adds a technology leader in the engineering and construction software industry to Topcon’s portfolio. ClearEdge3D’s EdgeWise software is intended to speed as-built modeling workflows by utilising automated feature extraction algorithms and other patented technologies. Its Verity construction verification software compares laser scan point cloud data of recently completed construction work against

Polish contractor Budimex has won a tender to build a 20km-long section of the S61 dual carriageway in Poland. The section runs from the Wysokie junction to Raczki, the national highways authority GDDKiA announced. Budimex bid just over €484 million for the 29-month design-build contract. Last summer, the Italian contractor Impressa Pizzarotti picked up a deal for 24km of the S61 from Suwalki to the border with Lithuania for around €144.6 million, according to media reports. The S61 is part of the

Norway’s public roads administrator - Statens Vegvesen – said it will invest €13.8 billion in new roads over the next six years. The investment is part of the national transport plan - Nasjonal Transportplan. The Administration states that it will require about €4.3 billion in tolling fees, excluding other tolling fees from projects headed by Norwegian road construction company Nye Veier. Terje Moe Gustavsen, road director at Statens Vegvesen, said that around €3 billion will be earmarked for environment

Bosnia’s autonomous Republika Srpska has picked China Shandong International and Technical Cooperation to construct and operate the Banja Luka-Prijedor motorway. Talks with China Shandong start this month for the 25-30 year concession for the 42km motorway. The company will fund construction and then collect tolls as part of repayment, according to media reports. The cost is estimated to be around €298 million and construction finish is expected to be in 2023. In November, Autoputevi RS, Republika Srpska

Major road and tunnel development plans are being set out in Austria. The country’s road traffic management business, ASFINAG, has set a budget of €1.1 billion for new works to be carried out during 2018. A planned 50% of the budget will be utilised for building new roads or for tunnel works. The remaining 50% will be used to pay for necessary road repairs and maintenance works. In addition, Asfinag has set a budget of €100 million to introduce the latest toll collection systems.

Rural roads in Nepal look set to benefit from an upgrade programme, with partial funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Nepalese Government has set out plans for its Rural Connectivity Improvement Project, which targets upgrade work for 388km of rural roads. These links will be surfaced and financial support of US$100 million for the work will be sourced from the ADB.

The names of the contractors offering bids for the new Agua Negra Tunnel project connecting Chile and Argentina will be revealed in March 2018. Several firms have already expressed a keen interest in this major engineering project. Contractors that have expressed interest include CRS, a consortium comprising China Railway Tunnel Group and Benito Roggio e Hijos. In addition, Ingenieria y Construccion Sigdo Koppers and OHL are also interested in the project as are the firms Rovella and Condotte. The project

Work is now commencing on widening a stretch of the A3 Autobahn where it passes through the Bavarian city of Regensburg. The 15km section of the A3 will be widened from its present two lanes to three lanes. The project is costing €270 million and will be carried out on the section from the junction between the A3 and B8 at Rosenhof to the east of Regensburg and running 15km westwards, past the junction with the A93 Autobahn route that connects with the A9 and Munich to the south. This work is needed as the

Plantworx 2019 will be held in England at the East of England Arena and Events Centre in the town of Peterborough on June 11-13, 2019. The East of England venue is a permanent exhibition centre which has hosted other ‘big machine’ events such as LAMMA - for agricultural equipment - and Truckfest.

The environmental study for the proposed Mwenda to Kashiba road project is now starting. Stretching 187km, the road project will improve the transport links between Zambia and Congo DR. The road project will cost an estimated US$475 million and will be carried out under the PPP model. The project includes the construction of a new bridge over the Luapala River, which forms much of the border between Zambia and Congo DR. In addition, a smaller bridge over the Luongo River in Zambia will also be built.