Road Structures

An improved road link will boost transport between Norway and Russia. The two countries have already spend around US$160 million to upgrade the road link that connection between the two. A 25km stretch is connecting Norway’s Sor-Varanger municipality with Russia’s Pechengsky District in the Murmansk Region. This is providing a shorter road route between Kirkenes in Norway and the important port of Murmansk in Russia and will help boost transport and trade between the two countries, as well as for Finland.

According to Highways England, real progress is being seen with the Stonehenge Tunnel project. The UK Government recently announced its plans to construct a twin-bored tunnel measuring around 2.9km for the A303, bypassing historic Stonehenge. The project also includes a section of dual carriageway bypass for Winterbourne Stoke. This scheme forms part of a £2 billion investment in the South West's strategic road network. The project is intended to improve connectivity and ease congestion on this key route.

Machines from Sandvik are playing important roles in the construction of a new tunnel connection to Hong Kong. The Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (BCP for short) is a series of infrastructure projects that will see the construction of the latest land crossing between Shenzhen in China and Hong Kong. This project includes the construction of highways and tunnels. The crushing and drilling equipment from Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology being used for the work is being supported by Sandvik’

A loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) worth US$271.3 million will help pay for the construction of road stretches between Kurty and Burylbaytal as well as Uzynagash and Otar. Kazakhstan's state budget will provide a further $47.9 million for the works, with the road sections measuring 85km and 96km respectively and due for completion in 2021.

Vietnam is planning to construct a new expressway in Hoa Binh and Son La provinces in the north of the country. The project is expected to cost US$2.21 billion and will be carried out in two stages under the PPP model. The route runs of 189.5km, with an 85.4km stretch from Hoa Binh to Moc Chau due for completion in 2020. A further 104.1km section will be built later.

Huge numbers of construction machines as well as plant and equipment are working overtime, backed by mammoth manpower, to meet the targeted completion deadline of March 2018 for India’s Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE). The 135km arterial route is being built with six lanes and surrounds India’s National Capital, Delhi, its National Capital Region (NCR) and the industrially developed North Indian states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Plans are being drawn up in Armenia for the new North-South Highway project.

Plans are being drawn up in Armenia for the new North-South Highway project. Measuring some 556km in all, the project is expected to cost in excess of US$2 billion to construct, although there it is possible that the final pricetag will be somewhat higher. The country's Ministry of Transport says that the southern section of the highway between Artashat and Megri will cost $1.5 billion to build alone.