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The authorities in Indonesia plan to invest heavily in infrastructure in 2010 and 2011, with road transport regarded as a high priority. The Directorate General of Highway Construction at the Public Work Ministry has set a budget of US$1.86 billion budget for 2010. According to the Public Work Ministry, 1% of the total budget for 2010 will be used to develop around 536km of roads while 11.5% of the budget will be spent on preservation of 4,400km roads

A huge highway investment programme is planned for China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during July-December 2010. Guangxi Communications Investment will launch eight expressway projects in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. This move will bring the number of expressway projects under development in the region to a total of 22, which are worth over US$22 billion. The 22 expressways will extend some 2,300km in all, while these eight additional projects being discussed extend for 876km.

Vietnam intends to set up an electronic network that will charge vehicle drivers to enter the centre of Ho Chi Minh City. Congestion is a major problem in the city and the authorities wish to help tackle the issue and allow better traffic flow. The electronic congestion charging system will be installed on roads at Districts 10, 3 and 1 and Ho Chi Minh City will the first in Vietnam to adopt such an approach.

Work on the Libyan section of the North African coastal highway now looks set to go ahead. Two consortia from Italy are to tender for the pre-qualifying stage of the US$3 billion project. The highway will run some 1,700km from Libya's border with Tunisia all the way to the border with Egypt. This is the final section in the new highway running all the way from Morocco in North West Africa to Egypt in the North East.

Planning for West Africa's first PPP motorway deal is now moving forward and construction work is due to begin this summer. The ?200 million Toll Highway will run 25km from Dakar, the capital of Senegal, towards the country's new international airport (AIBD) at Diass and the economic development gateway at Diamniadio. The highway will cross a densely populated district at Pikine Irrégulier Sud and forms part of a wider development programme for the Dakar region.

A major loan from Japan will help develop the road transport network in Kazakhstan. The Japanese government will provide a loan to the Republic of Kazakhstan worth US$76 million. The sum will be used to develop the country's road infrastructure and will boost Kazakhstan's access to European and Asian markets. The loan will allow a new bypass to be built on one of the country's main transport arteries in the southern Zhambyl province, as well as the rehabilitation of other existing routes.

Vietnam is seeing significant expansion of its highway network at present, with another three major projects now moving forward and much of the financial backing coming from other Asian nations such as South Korea and Japan. A feasibility study is being carried out for the 94km Nghi Son-Bai Vot expressway and this should be complete by October 2010. The project is expected to cost US$1.04 billion and the expressway will have either six or four lanes, based on Transport Engineering Design's study.

A feasibility study is now in hand for a 10km bridge in Brunei to link Temburong with Brunei-Muara. Ove Arup & Partners has been awarded the contract for the bridge study, a deal worth some US$2.1 million that is expected to take 18 months to complete.

Additional funding is being sought for the third stage of a project that will upgrade the 3,010km Ho Chi Minh Highway in Vietnam. The third phase of the project has an estimated investment capital of some US$14.7 billion and foreign and local investors are being invited to invest in the road through different funding structures. The funding models will include the proven build-transfer-operate (BTO), build-transfer (BT) and build-operate-transfer (BOT) systems, with from 20%-30% of the funding to come from

Two key highway upgrades will be carried out in Australia by Valemus, a subsidiary of German construction firm Bilfinger Berger. In total the work is worth some US$219.4 million. Valemus is building a section of the Pacific Highway in New South Wales. This 8.6km four-lane road forms a bypass around Bulahdelah and is the final link in the southern section of this highway.

Ethiopia is targeting a major investment in transport infrastructure as a means to boost its economy in the long term. The country's government has plans for a road building programme worth an impressive US$8.97 billion. The aim of the programme will be to build 82,500km of roads over a five year period. This will extend Ethiopia's road network from 49,000km at present to a total of 136,000km.

The official opening of the new Corredor Bioceanico Central highway linking Brazil, Chile and Bolivia will be carried out in November of this year. The corridor provides a vital commercial link between the countries and is of particular importance to Bolivia, which is entirely landlocked. Better access to ports in Brazil and Chile and will help Bolivia's economy while also helping trade in those nations. Measuring 3,800 km long, the corridor comprises a number of roads that link Santos in Brazil to Iquique

The authorities in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo intend to invest in new storm drains in the near future. Photo courtesy of World Highways reader Lionel Rajapakse.

Plans are well in hand for a new link that will improve connections between capital Santiago and its fast growing satellite town of Lampa. The US$130 million project will shorten the current journey time of one hour to 35 minutes and is expected to carry some 10,000 - 17,000 vehicles/day when it opens to traffic.

Work will commence on a key new road tunnel connecting in Chile in 2001. The Chacabuco II tunnel will provide another road link between Santiago and the Andes mountain range along the Los Libertadores highway. This will improve Chile's connection with neighbouring Argentina as the highway runs to the border. The 2km tunnel will run parallel to the existing Chacabuco I tunnel, and will carry two lanes of traffic running towards Santiago.

The authorities in Oman are working on plans for a 40km bridge link. This bridge would connect to Masirah Island and would cross over the sea. The authorities hope to open the tender process some time during 2011. The project is expected to cost in the region of US$1.5 billion and faces many technical challenges.

India's Punjab State is amongst the country's leading areas with regard to the development of new road and highway connections. The next two years will see US$1.43 billion of road projects being completed in the state. Seven key projects will link of the state's major cities with four or six-lane highways.

India's Government is keen to ramp up construction of its highway network so as to meet up its own strict deadlines for expansion. The National Highways Development Project (NHDP) calls for tough targets to be met on the distances being achieved/month.

According to the latest figures from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), exports of US construction machinery rose 15% in the January-June period compared to 2009. Exports of equipment increased in the second quarter of 2010, reaching a total value of US$7.4 billion. The AEM off-road equipment manufacturing trade group consolidates US Commerce Department data with other sources into global trend reports for members.

Key rural road links in Romania are to benefit from repairs to address flooding damage. Heavy flooding in 2010 caused extensive damage to many of Romania’s rural roads. The EU is providing €155 million to tackle the repairs, which will be managed by the Payments Agency for Rural Development and Fishing (APDRP). The agency will offer non-refundable grants for 144 projects intended to repair and upgrade roads and bridges infrastructure.