Road Structures

Hungary is experiencing a road development boom. In line with the country's New Szechenyi Plan (USZT), some €3.67 billion (HUF 1.1 trillion) is to be made available for road development works. National infrastructure development company NIF says it launched road projects worth a total of €1.5 billion (HUF 450 billion) in 2013. Contracts have been signed for the full amount. Hungary's M4 motorway is to be opened in 2016 between Abony and Fegyvernek. The 29km motorway section will also include a bridge over

The first ‘green’ road in the Middle East will reportedly be built in the United Arab Emirates. The construction of the 5km road is scheduled to start in Q1 2015. The project sees the Department of Transport teaming up with the UAE-based renewable energy firm Masdar, the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi and the Urban Planning Council Estidama Programme Team. Environmental-friendly construction material like scrap rubber tyres and recycled asphalt/concrete aggregates will be used for the construction of the

Poland is set to get around 1,800kms of new roads by 2020 as part of a continuation of the country’s highways development boom. GDDKiA, the Polish motorways and roads authority, is reported to be already advertising tenders for over 700kms of new motorways and dual carriageways. More than €17.81 billion (PLN 74 billion) was spent building Polish roads from 2007-2013, with €11.04 billion (PLN 46 billion) of that amount coming from the EU. At the end of 2013, the overall length of motorways in the country

The World Bank has made available US$160 million of credit for the Rajasthan Road Sector Modernisation Project in west India. Scheduled to finish in December 2018, the ambitious project aims to improve rural connectivity, as well as improving road safety and management in Rajasthan state. In recent years Rajasthan, India’s largest state by area and home to more than 68 million people, is said by the World Bank to have made considerable progress with developing its rural roads under the Prime Minister’s Gra

The significance of this year’s Bauma China exhibition in Shanghai has been highlighted by new figures showing that China invested US$220.27 billion (RMB 1.346 trillion) in civil engineering and infrastructure projects in the first six months of 2013 – with the National Bureau of Statistics of China claiming a year-on-year increase of more than 21%. The largest share of H1 2013 investment went into road-building, with Bernd Schaaf of Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), Germany’s economic development agency, rep

In Brazil plans are being set out for a new tunnel that would connect the coastal cities of Santos and Guarujá. The project is estimated to cost some US$803 million to construct, according to a report by Business News Americas. The tunnel would by 1.7km long, carry six lanes of traffic and be at an estimated depth of 35m. A process for pre-qualification for those firms showing an interest in the project has been started. This is being handled by the São Paulo state highway company Dersa, which states that o

Leading formwork manufacturers have secured some impressive contracts in Africa, as the continent’s transport infrastructure continues to improve at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, other bridgework equipment companies are also seeing their products in demand in Africa, as well as North America and Australia.

The authorities in Russia and the Ukraine are making plans for a new transport link via the Kerch Strait. At this early stage of the planning process, both bridge and tunnel options are being considered. This new bridge or tunnel connection would allow drivers to travel between Crimea and Kuban (South) and improve transport connections and trade, reinforcing the strong economic links that exist between Russia and the Ukraine. The authorities are now setting out feasibility studies, the results of which will

The authorities in Brazil have awarded an important tollroad package for the BR-163 Federal Highway. This route runs through Brazil's mid-western state of Mato Grosso do Sul and the 30 year concession for the 847km of highway was won by tollroad firm CCR, according to Business News Americas. The concession package is worth some US$2.78 billion and was awarded on the basis of the low toll charges CCR will introduce on the route. The project requires widening the road along a 130km stretch within 12 months of

Strong bids have been received for Chile’s Puente Industrial road bridge project, which will be built in Region VIII. Bidders included Spanish firm OHL as well as Besalco Concesiones-Concesiones Viarias Chile Tres and Sacyr Concesiones Chile. Work on the 2.5km bridge is expected to commence in 2014 and the project will cost some US$170 million to construct, with completion expected in 2017. The deal for the four lane bridge includes building access roads and involves a 30 year concession package. The Puente