Road Structures

In New Zealand the Government is now considering charging tolls for the use of Auckland's motorways. The proposal would help plug a US$9.5 billion (NZ$12 billion) transport funding gap by charging a toll of $1.58 for using motorways in Auckland between 6am and 7pm on weekdays and 79 Cents between 6am and 7pm on weekends. There will be no toll charges for using Auckland's motorways after 7pm. Another option to plug the funding gap is to charge an annual fuel tax. The government could also opt to increase tol

The Philippines Government plans to reopen the tender process for the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) project. This public-private partnership (PPP) project is valued at some US$791.7 million. The 47km toll road project will feature a 35-year concession covering design and construction, as well as financing and operation. The earlier bid from Optimal Infrastructure Development, a unit of San Miguel, was disqualified due to technical reasons. With this disqualification, Team Orion became the party with the

The German Government has given the go-ahead for planning a new autobahn section in Bremen. The Ministry of Transport says that the work will be carried out to a section of the A281 autobahn that connects the A1 and the A27. The section lies between Bremen-Airport-Stadt and Bremen-Kattenturm. The work is expected to cost some €142 million. A representative of DEGES, the engineering company that is coordinating the project, has said that that work could start in January 2016.

Two new bridge projects planned for Ecuador will cost a total of US$116 million. Studies submitted to the local councils in Guayaquil, Daule and Samborondon determined the cost for building the two bridges to connect these areas. However, an additional $7 million might be needed if another structure is to be built over Samborondon Avenue. Enylic, CPR and Consultola worked on the design studies at a cost of $1.05 million.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has opened new lanes on the New Jersey Turnpike between Interchange 6 and 9.

The Kuwaiti Government has awarded a US$520 million bridge construction contract to South Korean construction firm GS E&C. The deal will see GS E&C building a 12.43km bridge that features eight lanes. The central 7.72km section of the bridge will be constructed over water, in Al Asimah Governorate. The Doha Link Bridge will connect Entertainment City with Shuwaikh Port and is due for completion 36 months from now.

Work on the Trans-Sahara highway is on track with its construction schedule.

The authorities in Uzbekistan have plans in hand to construct some 423km of roads in 2015. Funding for a considerable portion of the construction work will come in the shape of loans. The Asian Development Bank is one of the funding sources and is providing loans being sued for financing 85km of the work required. The country has budgeted around US$1.17 billion for purchasing of road building equipment, an increase of 35% from the previous year.

A new 2.85km bridge is being built in Vietnam to span the Red River at Hung Ha. The Thai Ha Bridge will connect Thai Binh Province and Ha Nam Province with the Ninh Binh highway in Cau Gie Province. The link will be constructed under the build-operate-transfer model and the concession deal means that from 18th October 2016, investors will collect toll revenues from the bridge for 19 years and two months. The highway itself will feature four lanes with a maximum travel speed of 80km/h.