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Plans are in hand in Switzerland for a new highway connection between Locarno and the rest of the country’s national highway network. A study by an engineering consultancy has suggested six options, with costs estimated from €530-€798 million, and all will require tunnel construction.

The Bosnian autonomous entity Republika Srpska recently cancelled a highway contract with Austrian construction company Strabag. The problem arose from alleged “irregularities” that saw the contract being awarded directly to Strabag without the work being put out for tender. Because of this, international financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have said they will not fund the project.

A new study carried out in the US reveals that teenaged drivers taking other teenagers as passengers have a higher fatality risk. The study used national fatality statistics data and was carried out by the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety. It revealed that teenagers sharing a ride with other teenagers have a higher chance of getting killed in a car crash depending on the number of passengers in the car.

The authorities in Taiwan are giving approval for amendments to the road traffic violation regulations in a bid to crack down on the use of mobile devices by drivers. The new amendment to the law will impose a US$34.00 fine for any car driver or motorcycle rider using a cell phone, mobile device or other electronic device while driving. Motorcyclists and drivers were banned from using mobile handsets when they were driving, under the previous rules. But the amended rules now prohibit the use of handheld PCs

Targets are being set for road investment, construction and repairs in Russia. To meet the country’s infrastructure needs, Russia’s National Association of Builders estimates that some 1,500km of roads must be built/year. Meanwhile the highway authorities in Moscow are aiming to repair around 33% of the city’s road surface every year. Some 23.6 million m2 of road surface will be repaired in Moscow during 2012, compared with 24.7 million m2 in 2011.

ZF has celebrated 50 years of developing and producing driveline technology and axle systems for construction machinery at its location in Passau, Germany. The company is also celebrating two world premieres: ZF cPower, a continuously variable construction machinery transmission, and ZF Ergopower Hybrid.

The German government intends to increase spending on transport infrastructure compared to 2008 when €9.1 billion was invested. However, Germany’s road transport lobby group, Pro Mobilität, says that the planned investment in roads will still be too low. It estimates that in 2011 less than €10 billion will be spent on transport infrastructure, including €4.8 billion on roads, which is not sufficient for all projects planned.

Ireland’s government is undergoing a period of belt-tightening, with a string of budget cuts that will directly impact on the transport sector. The country was in the process of spending heavily on its infrastructure but with the tough economic climate it is now facing, a number of road projects are among those facing the axe. The Irish government is slashing its infrastructure spending from €39.6 billion to €22.9 billion between now and 2013. This looks likely to result in 40 road projects, including hig

The Actia Group, an international provider of value-added electronic equipment for the automotive market, has selected Sierra Wireless AirPrime AR Series modules to provide high-performance connectivity for its latest in-vehicle technology platform. The new platform, called the ACU-II (Actia Connect Unit second generation), uses the AirPrime module to allow drivers to connect and manage various functions of vehicles through a smartphone application, giving them the ability to, for example, lock or unlock th

The New Holland Construction plant in Lecce, Italy, has been awarded the international Occupational Health and Safety Management System certification OHSAS 18001 by the prestigious SGS certification organisation. The plant has already received the ISO 9001 for Quality Management and the ISO 14001 for Environmental Management standards.

A five-year plan for infrastructure development is being called for in Italy. Italian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo says that €250 billion of infrastructure work, including road and airport improvements, will help boost the country’s economy. The bank says that private sources could provide much of the funding.

TRL has launched a special website that allows people around the globe to rate their street, using a five-star rating system. The Ratemystreet website is an easy-to-use tool utilising Google maps and Google Streetview, and unlike other wesbites it focuses on a street’s walkability, says TRL. Ratemystreet (www.ratemystreet.co.uk) is a complementary tool to TRL’s successful PERS (Pedestrian Environment Review System) software, an expert tool co-developed with Transport for London, which combines both qualit

Passengers in hybrid-powered cars are about 25% less likely to be injured in a crash than those in their conventional-powered counterparts, according to research released by the Highway Loss Data Institute, which claims that the additional weight of the hybrid engine adds an extra layer of safety over similar, non-hybrid cars. Cars with hybrid engines typically weigh about 10% more than their conventionally-powered twins.

Construction work is now underway on a massive highway project at Wuhan in China. The US$5.5 billion project is due for completion on 2015 and involves the construction of a four ring highway with a total length of 146km. The highway project is being designed with six traffic lanes in either direction and will have a speed limit of 100km/h.

ASECAP has welcomed the adoption of the European Parliament and the Council of the proposal for a directive on intelligent transport systems (ITS), laying down the framework for the deployment of ITS in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other transport modes. “Intelligent transport systems are essential applications for motorway operators to strengthen the efficiency of their networks, to increase safety and to permanently improve the level of service provided to the European citizens,” s

Contractor Mostotrest has finished work on its US$114 million (€88.5 million) project to rebuild the Krestovsky overpasses over the Moscow and Oktyabrskaya railways at Prospect Mira, Moscow. The link is a vital one for Russian’s capital as it is one of the key urban routes linking the Yaroslavskoye Highway with the centre of Moscow. The company started work on the project in 2007 on the decision of the Moscow authorities for CJSC Administration of Capital Development, Utilities, Buildings and Roads (UKSIK

Chilean capital Santiago looks set for traffic gridlock unless major steps are taken. Research predicts that the city will suffer traffic chaos by 2030 due to a rapid expansion in vehicle numbers. Vehicles are being sold at a rate of over 900/day and by 2030, congestion is forecast to reach levels similar to those seen in Latin American cities such as Mexico City, Caracas and Sao Paulo, all of which are notorious for their frequent traffic jams. Currently, there are over 1.3 million vehicles traversing Sant

Albania’s Ministry of Transportation has announced that the northern part of the Thirre Tunnel on the Rreshen-Kalimash Highway is due for completion in October. The 170km motorway linking Albania and Kosovo is estimated to be worth €1 billion although the real costs have not been officially revealed.

The UK’s motorists are facing increased congestion and longer delays due to a steady increase in vehicle numbers combined with reduced spending on transport infrastructure. A report by the RAC Foundation warns that there will be 4,000,000 more cars on the UK’s roads in the next 25 years, while the UK’s Government has not explained what plans it has to cope with the projected increase in traffic. The report predicts a 43% rise in traffic volume by 2035, with the biggest increase in the East Midlands. The fou

The UK’s Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation charity has said that the country’s motorists will face road user charging in the future to avoid traffic gridlock. According to director Professor Stephen Glaister, population growth and further economic gains will result in traffic volumes expanding 33% by 2025. With UK government spending on roads being cut, the charity warns that a new strategy will have to be found.