Maintenance

Swedish roads are suffering the impact of climate change. The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is taking steps to address the problem. Roads will have to be upgraded or moved so as to make them more resilient and to prevent future damage. A survey is underway to identify the most vulnerable portions of the network so that these can be prioritised for upgrade work. Research shows that weather patterns have changed and that there is more risk from heavy rains in summer and autumn periods that c

Doosan Portable Power has won a major order for equipment from Saudi Arabia worth almost €2 million. The units have been purchased by the rental business, EJAR, based in Jeddah, through TAMGO, the authorised dealer for Doosan compressors, lighting towers and construction tools in Saudi Arabia. The order is for 50 Doosan 9/235HA portable compressors each providing 23.4m³/min of compressed air at a rated operating pressure of 8.6bar. The 9/235HA is suited to compressed air applications in construction, renta

The concession package for a key road link in Ecuador has been awarded to the contractor Verdu. The firm has a 20-year concession for the 162km road link connecting Guayaquil with Salinas. The arrangement is being handled under the PPP model and is requiring an initial investment of US$72 million. A further sum of $232 million will be required to maintain and upgrade the link.

In the UK, the contractor Kier Group has secured two three-year extensions to it deals with Highways England. These are for the Areas 3 and 9 contracts and are worth a total of £250 million/year. The contracts relate to providing highway maintenance services, repairs to defects, emergency incident response services and severe weather services on the Highways England road network. The Area 3 package covers major roads in Hampshire, Berkshire, parts of Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Dorset. Kier

Successful trials have been carried out of mobile solar lighting for road construction activities. The mobile solar-powered lighting is said to offer cost savings for highways contractors and trials of the Prolectric ProLight have demonstrated its carbon and air quality benefits as an alternative to temporary diesel lighting towers. The technology has been pioneered by Prolectric to deliver year-round solar lighting and optimise winter performance. Temporary lighting frequently has to be deployed in heavi

Doosan Bobcat aims to develop its market presence in key emergent markets, with a focus on the Middle East and Africa in particular. Important launches for the firm are the new backhoe loader and DPP 20-60kVA generator models. The four-model backhoe loader range all has power from a 4.4litre Perkins 1104C-44T diesel that features direct fuel injection and delivers 74.5kW at 2200rpm and a maximum torque of 408Nm at 1350rpm. The models are the B700, B730, B750 and B780 and are said to be highly versatile, wh

Atlas Copco is launching an LED light tower system designed for low noise operation. The firm says that this diesel-driven LED light tower is quiet when running, suiting it to use in urban and residential areas. With operating noise levels as low as 55dBA, the upgraded HiLight B5+ light tower is well-suited to providing illumination at construction sites located near residential areas. “This is the quietest diesel-powered light tower available on the market to date,” claimed Félix Gómez, spokesperson for

Clancy Plant, one of the UK’s largest private contractors, has significantly increased its fleet of Kubota excavators in order to keep its machinery supply in-house. The business is pursuing higher levels of efficiency and more reliable means of operation, said Bernie Stack, Clancy Plant director. As part of this, Clancy Plant requires powerful, durable and efficient machinery that will perform reliably and consistently every time. Having ordered 12 KX015-4s, five KX080-4as and five U55-4s, Clancy Plant a

Kramer’s latest premium all-wheel steer loader, the 8155, has powerful load-sensing hydraulics and a Deutz engine equipped with ecospeedPRO travel drive. With a bucket tipping load of 5,600kg, a stack payload of 3,900kg and an operating weight of 9,150kg, the 8155 model opens up a new size class in the Kramer wheeled loader product portfolio. As with all all-wheel, crab and front-axle steering are available as standard. “When we look at the wheeled loader market, we see that the performance class of the 1

Major road repairs are now required on a busy highway route in Mexico. The Cuernavaca bypass in Morelos State now features a large sinkhole, a mere 300m from the location of another sinkhole that opened up in mid-2017. The Paso Expres bypass cost US$104.4 million and was constructed by the contractors Aldesa and Epcor. The previous sinkhole opening resulted in two fatalities. The project has been criticised for inadequacies with regard to the drainage installed during construction.