Road Structures

Ground engineering specialist Uretek has been treating voided soils as part of maintenance following completion of the UK’s M3 Smart Motorway project. Work is between junctions 2 and 4a where Uretek has provided a non-disruptive alternative to conventional underpinning to solve foundation subsidence problems. The focus for Uretek is an old 900mm corrugated pipe, 73m long. The old pipe has had a new 700mm pipe inserted inside. However, the old pipe is rusting and rapidly deteriorating.

Vietnam is considering a major tunnel construction project that would boost connectivity. The project would be for a 1.3km tunnel running underneath the sea at Vietnam’s Cua Luc Bay. This would boost transport for Quang Ninh city and has an estimated project cost of around US$346.5 million.

Chile’s ambitious road development programme is continuing. Work is starting on the Americo Vespucio Oriente (AVO 1) highway project. This is expected to cost US$926 million and will provide an improved connection from the El Salto area to Principe de Gales. The work should be completed in the second half of 2021. However a number of complaints have been made with regard to the project, which could delay the timeframe once more. The project was originally due to open for traffic in 2020. Meanwhile Chile’s

A series of road contracts are due for a road project in Indonesia. The road runs through North and East Kalimantan. Six of the contracts have been agreed already and a total value of US$180.35 million. The Indonesian Army will be involved in some of the work as the improved road link will boost border access for the country.

The recent collapse of the Chirajara bridge continues to be a centre for controversy in Colombia. The enforced closure of the Bogota-Villavicencio road link following the collapse has caused transport problems and the Colombian Government has now ordered that the route be reopened before it causes further economic problems. Temporary measures are being carried out to allow vehicles, and trucks in particular, to be able to bypass the affected stretch safely. The road company Coviandes has commissioned an

Driving work has commenced for Colombia’s Toro Tunnel project. The tunnel will measure 9.8km long and is located in Colombia’s Antioquia Department, with the completion expected in 2022. The project is costing US$650.5 million and the link is intended to provide a link between the Autopista al Mar 1 and Autopista al Mar 2 highways. When complete the tunnel will also cut the travel time between Medellin and Uraba to four hours.

The US is in desperate need of rebuilding many of its road bridges. This comes from an analysis of official data carried out by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). According to ARTBA’s analysis of the US Department of Transportation’s just released 2017 National Bridge Inventory database, 54,259 of the nation’s 612,677 bridges are rated structurally deficient. The work is needed as these transport links are vital, with Americans crossing these deficient bridges 174 million

Construction has been completed for the upgrade of the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed highway, which links the UAE with neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The project cost US$817 million and the work was carried out by the contractor, Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada). The route runs 246km from the Mafraq region in Abu Dhabi to the border with Saudi Arabia. The road has been resurfaced and widened and now features three or four lanes, compared with the two lanes of the original route. The project included

China has plans to build a smart highway in Zhejiang Province. The route will include warning technology and monitoring systems and will be complete in 2022. By utilising this technology the builders aim to boost the speed of traffic by 20-30%, without compromising safety. The 161km stretch of highway will feature three lanes in either direction and will also feature mobile charging systems for EVs. Once the route opens to traffic it is expected to halve journey times from Ningbo to Hangzhou from the

Consultancy firm Michael Baker International has a US$4 million contract from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide safer road links and bridges along the southern gateway corridor into Dallas. This project is due for completion in 2021. It will provide a long-term transportation and operational improvement effort to boost safety, cut congestion and while address roadway deficiencies and system linkage for the critical I-35E and US 67 artery.