Features

A Europe without borders is an attractive prospect for the construction and design industries, claim supporters of Eurocodes. For all companies involved in the construction and infrastructure sectors, Swedish company Trelleborg for example, new Eurocode regulations will have decisive importance. So says Professor Haig Gulvanessian, one of the experts involved in developing the codes, which are a series of 10 European Standards (EN 1990-EN 1999) providing a common approach for the design of buildings and oth

FEHRL's fifth SERRP is set to drive road transport into the 21st century

The biggest problem on UK roads is congestion, and there is no shortage of ideas as to how it should be tackled. Patrick Smith reports. Congestion (and how to relieve it), along with safety, are among the top priorities facing those responsible for looking after the UK's roads. Road pricing, car-share lanes, greener vehicle initiatives and alternative methods of transport such as buses, trams and rail are all part of the approach, but prior to the current economic climate the nation's love affair with the c

In March 1991, the International Road Educational Foundation (IREF), through the leadership of Dana Low, John Gehrett and Marion Dietrich, among others, established the Future Fund, an endowment-style funding mechanism to support scholarship awards for IRF Fellows.

Integrated construction software offers an effective planning solution - *Mark Nichols writes. In a world where resources are limited, 20 year designing and building in a sustainable way is more critical than ever. By employing today's software tools it is possible to reduce the total cost of construction of a new highway, while reducing operating costs and environmental impacts. The path to achieving the greatest gains is to take a holistic approach to the plan, design, construct and operate process from t

In emerging economies around the world, rural roads often play a key economic role as the first link in a complex agricultural supply chain.

Asphalt rubber is a medium that solves the problem of waste tyres and at the same time produces a material that is suitable for highway use.

David CA Phillips reports on the changing structure of the global construction equipment industry. In 2007, the year of peak historical demand and before the onset of the international financial crisis, estimated total sales of key equipment types stood at just over 1,000,000 units, valued at approximately US$100 billion. By 2009 sales had fallen to around 600,000 units valued at around $65 billion. The consequences of the global financial recession were dramatic and immediate, and remain with us today, and

An upfront combination of both cost savings and reduced environmental impact are now possible as a result of Kraton Polymers' continued investment in polymer innovation, says the company. "The new polymers enable a reduction in the bound pavement thickness by allowing the use of highly polymer modified bitumen (PMB) base course binders without excessive viscosities or incompatibility problems. The step change improvements in binder strength, flexibility and toughness result in a dramatic improvement in asph

Bitumen has been used for thousands of years, but now a wide variety of products are available that can be added to it to produce blends with improved properties. According to the Refined Bitumen Association (RBA) bitumen is the oldest known engineering material. Indeed, the organisation says that its versatility as a construction material is unparalleled, and having been used as an adhesive, sealant and waterproofing agent for over 8,000 years, its uses include the construction and maintenance of roads, ai

The Kingdom of Bahrain will host the 3rd IRF Middle East Regional Congress & Exhibition which runs January 9-11, 2012.

Recycling materials offers the road ahead for highway construction - * Don Brock writes. Recycling has been used in the US for over 50 years in various industries. Today, steel is 100% recycled, and many other products that we have can be recycled.Environmental groups have aggressively pushed industries to recycle more, but it is either economically driven or legislatively driven.In the highway industry it has predominately been economically driven and discouraged by stakeholders such as aggregate producers

Harsco Infrastructure has provided self-climbing formwork (SCF), which is helping ensure quick and safe access during the construction of a 320m tall pylon for the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge.

Composite bridge specialist falsework, Paraslim, from RMD Kwikform is being used to construct a viaduct and rail over-bridge in Wales. Paraslim is supporting the £35 million (US$55.7 million) A487 Porthmadog, Minffordd and Tremadog Bypass constructed by a joint venture partnership of Balfour Beatty and Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK.

One of the major components of public infrastructure is the transportation group. This group mainly includes the road network, airports, railroads, and ports.