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In Romania the road authorities have signed a deal for the construction of a 22km stretch of highway in a contract worth €91 million. The Portuguese contractor Monte Adriano will construct the section linking Nadlac with Pecica. Romania has pledged to improve and expand its highway network with the construction of new links, and much of the funding for its highway plans has been provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The Hungarian Government is lining up an impressive plan for infrastructure investment in the coming years. A total of €11.14 billion will be used for developing the country’s road infrastructure from the present until 2027. The plans include building 500km of highway and 1,000km of dual carriageway in all. At present the funding sources have not been revealed. It seems likely that European banks will provide some of the funds but private sources are also likely to be used. The build operate transfer and pu

Iron technology company Saint-Gobain PAM UK has been awarded certification to the world-class, ISO-accredited CEMARS (Certified Emissions Measurement And Reduction Scheme) standard by the Achilles carbonReduction programme. CEMARS certification confirms the company has measured its greenhouse gas emissions in

As the world joins hands to make 2011-2020 the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, the Transport Research Foundation (TRF), the parent of TRL, has been selected as a new Centre of Excellence. It was appointed by iRAP (the International Roads Assessment Programme), a UK charity that co-chairs the work on infrastructure for the UN Decade of Action, and which has established a new way to inspect and measure the safety of roads. It recommends high priority improvements which will save the most lives for the m

The Greek highway sector looks set to receive muchneeded external funding from the EU for key project studies. Co-funding will be provided by the EU for studies into major infrastructure projects. A study investigating a section of the Ionian Highway between the multi-level junction of Egnatia and the town of Kakavia in Greece will receive almost €2 million in EU contribution. This will be provided under the 2010 TEN-T Annual Call. The co-funded study will set the stage for the construction of a four-lane h

A notable partnership deal looks set to provide funding for key Russian highway projects. A memorandum of cooperation has been signed between the state-owned Russian Highways (Avtodor) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Under this deal the EBRD may provide loans to Avtodor, redeem bonds, or co-operate on concession agreements. This funding stream will allow Avtodor to implement its key PPP projects. Avtodor and the EBRD have been discussing the highway linking Moscow with St Pe

German company VITRONIC and VITRONIC Baltica together with the Latvian company SIA Komerccentrs DATI Grupa have won a tender for 130 speed enforcement systems in Latvia. Of this, 100 systems will

Construction work has started on Albania’s latest highway project, which will connect the capital Tirana with the city of Elbasan in the centre of the country. Construction work on a 32km stretch of the highway, including a 4.3km tunnel, is being carried out by Greek contractor Aktor.

In Bosnia, delays have affected the construction work on the country’s key Corridor 5c highway project. So far 37km of the 336km Corridor 5c highway has been built, with 21km under construction and a further 43km section being cleared for work to commence. Construction work on a section of the Corridor 5c highway is set to commence by the end of September 2011. The section of highway being built is located in Ljubuska and Capljina, with work staring on the 4km Kravica-Bijaca and due for completion in 10 mon

Ringway Wiltshire, UK, has secured a seven-year contract for maintenance services on the A417/419 road which runs from the M4 motorway in north County Wiltshire to the M5 motorway in County Gloucestershire. It is worth an estimated

Euro Auctions’ May sale in Dormagen, Germany, saw 1,400 lots (30% up on the February sale) go under the hammer, with 20tonne-plus hydraulic excavators being the most popular type of machine sold. Over 250 Internet bidders registered, and Internet bids were placed on 71% of lots with 27% of all final successful hammer bids being received electronically.

Another stage has been reached in the informal negotiations between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council to revise the Eurovignette Directive. The Directive involves charging heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures, and an informal compromise has to be endorsed by the European Parliament and Council.

New Holland Construction has donated a LS180 skid steer loader to the Italian Red Cross at a ceremony at its headquarters in Legnano, Lombardy. Giampiero Biglia, Italy’s business director for New Holland Construction officially presented the machine, which will become part of the Italian Red Cross earth working fleet used in missions in Italy and elsewhere. He said: “New Holland Construction has always supported public organisations that are committed to civil protection, the protection of our territory a

The European Union has awarded €2 million of TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) financing to a study which aims at finalising the design of 13km section of motorway in Slovenia. It will complete a missing link of the Slovenian road network and positively impact mobility to and from the Balkans and Central Europe.

In Hungary the tender process for the new M3 highway section linking Vasarosnameny and the Number 49 Highway is to be restarted following an unsuccessful bidding process earlier. Meanwhile construction of the section of the M3 highway linking Nyiregyhaza and the 49 highway is now underway.

Arriva Denmark, part of the Arriva Group owned by Deutsche Bahn, has been awarded the 2011 Transport Achievement Award for its Better Bus Ride project. Special mentions were made for Istanbul Rapid Bus Transit, Turkey, and DHL Global Forwarding, Germany, at the International Transport Forum at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), an inter-governmental organisation for the transport sector with 52 member countries.

The contract for Italy’s new Pedemontana Lombarda highway is likely to be handled by a consortium headed by Austrian contractor Strabag. The agreement will be finalised in September 2011. The consortium has a provisional deal for design and construction of the €2.3 billion 75km highway, which will connect Bergamo to Milan Malpensa airport, bypassing Milan. The consortium also includes Adanti, Grandi Lavori and Impresa Costruzioni Giuseppe Maltauro. The Pedemontana Lombarda highway project features a 65km st

A landmark has been reached for the production of mini excavators in Japan, as Hitachi Construction Machinery Tierra (HCM Tierra) celebrates machine number 150,001 to roll off the production line. The delivery of the ZX52U-3 to Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe)/HCME was marked with a ceremony at the Oosterhout mini excavator factory in the south of The Netherlands. The handover celebration was attended by Masamichi Itou, divisional general manager Oosterhout factories;

The cost of the Strait of Messina bridge looks set to climb from original estimates.

After a solid first quarter 2011, Strabag, Central and Eastern Europe’s largest construction company, has raised its outlook for the financial years 2011 and 2012. According to the new forecast, Strabag expects an output volume of €14 billion in 2011 (previous target €13.5 billion), with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) forecast to increase to €320 million, after €295 million had been predicted. For 2012, the company had expected an output volume of €13.7 billion and an EBIT of €300 million, whi