Road Structures

A series of road improvements are to be carried out in New Zealand to help boost road safety. The New Zealand Government has identified 870km of roads that suffer high crash rates and which are in need of safety upgrades. A budget of US$901.5 million (NZ$1.4 billion) has been set for the work, which should be complete by 2021. Rumble strips, guard rail and shoulder widening are planned to be carried out.

Uncomfortable questions are being asked about Australia’s WestConnex toll road project. An inquiry carried out by the New South Wales Parliament says that the transparency of the US$11.85 billion (A$16.8 billion) project has not been satisfactory. Questions have been asked about the operation of the Sydney Motorway Corporation, with regard to its accountability and disclosure methods. Questions have also been asked about the cost of the new highway stretch linking with Sydney’s international airport. The 3

Norway’s Public Roads Administration is looking to boost highway construction in the country. Previously only routes carrying more than 12,000 vehicles/day would be considered for upgrade to highway status. However a new report from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration is looking to upgrade roads carrying traffic loads of 6,000-12,000 vehicles/day to highway status also. This could result in an additional 1,110km of roads being upgraded to highway status. These would feature two lanes in either directi

In Australia a contract worth US$2.75 billion (A$3.9 billion) has been awarded to a consortium made up of John Holland and CPB Contractors. The design build deal includes constructing an interchange as well as a 1km stretch of tunnel that will connect with the Iron Cove Bridge. The contract is due for completion by 2023 and forms part of the WestConnex toll road project. Building the Rozelle interchange will be complex as the work will include construction three levels of tunnels as well as a connection to

A design by Italian architect, Renzo Piano, has been selected to replace the Morandi Bridge in Genoa. The new bridge design was submitted to the authorities in Genoa as a proposal in September. Piano is said to be Italy’s most famous living architect and is originally from the city of Genoa himself. The new structure will be built largely from steel and Piano claims that it will be able to last 1,000 years. The new bridge will be built by a consortium comprising the Italian contractors, Salini Impregi

Work is now complete on a US$33.7 million highway project in Costa Rica. The work was carried out by Eurofinsa and involved upgrading Route 35, including building four bridges and two interchanges, one of which featured two overpasses. The National Route 35 was widened two four lanes between Florencia and La Abundancia and three lanes between Quesada and La Abundancia. According to IBT, part of Eurofinsa, the upgraded road forms part of a new highway that connects the Interamerican North Route 1 to the r

Work to upgrade a section of Paraguay’s Route 8 between Caazapa and Yuty is finally close to completion. The work to improve the 73km section of the highway is some two years behind schedule. The bridge spanning the Pirapo River that forms part of the project is already open to traffic however. The South Korean contractor Ilsung Construction is currently carrying out the paving work for the project. The firm is also building an additional 12.7km of new access roads to provide connections to Maciel, Yegros,

An upgrade to Norway’s E39 and E6 routes is being planned, in a bid to boost traffic flow and also to optimise safety. The projects are being managed by Norway’s state-owned road contractor Nye Veier. The E39 will be widened and improved between Flekkefjord and Ålgård. Meanwhile E6 will be widened and improved between Ulsberg and Melhus. In addition the E6 will also be upgraded from Moelv to Øyer as well as from Kvål to Melhus.

A new road tunnel link is to be built in the Faeroe Islands. The Sandoy Tunnel will be driven by the Swedish contractor NCC. The firm has been working on another tunnel project in the Faeroe Islands. This new tunnel is expected to cost €114.8 million to drive.

A new toll bridge is being planned in Chile to span the River Biobío. Construction of the new bridge has been recommended by Chile’s Environmental Evaluation Service (SEA), following its completion of a study into the project. The project will cost close to US$177.5 million and provide a new connection between Hualpén and San Pedro de la Paz. The new bridge will be the fourth spanning the River Biobío and is needed due to heavy congestion on the main Route 160 crossing. Building the new bridge will cut jour