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Following a government decision, a new model for the management and financing of the road infrastructures sector was defined in 2007 and is now being implemented The national road agency (Estradas de Portugal or EP, EPE) was transformed into a state-owned public company, Estradas de Portugal, SA (EP, SA), and a new body, the Institute for Road Infrastructures (InIR), was created with public functions of regulation and supervision of road infrastructures. InIR is now the Portuguese national road authorit

New trials pave the way for smart road pricing using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In recent years, the concept of road charging has been gaining acceptability among Europe's policymakers.

The Portuguese experience with road safety has proved that planning, development, introduction, and hard work do pay off in the end. Paulo Marques Augusto, president of the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), explained that in the last 10 years a decrease of over 50% has been achieved in the number of fatalities on the road network despite a continuing growth in traffic demand (there are five million vehicles in Portugal), and a similar reduction in travel time on most of the connections between Lisbon a

Michelin North America (MNA) has revealed plans for a new earthmover tyre plant in the United States as part of a $750million expansion set to create up to 500 manufacturing jobs.News of the proposed new site in Anderson County, South Carolina, comes after MNA revealed they would also be expanding their existing earthmover tyre plant in Lexington, also in South Carolina. The two projects are in addition to MNA’s promise last year to create around 270 jobs by investing $200million in its existing Lexington p

Twenty years ago Portugal was bottom of the European league in terms of roads and safety. A series of ambitious plans has seen the country rise to the top. Patrick Smith reports on how this was achieved In Portugal, out of 3,600km of main national roads (IP+IC), some 1,500km of motorways/high-capacity routes are financed under public-private partnership (PPP) agreements. These are tolled either using shadow tolls (these are being phased out) or real tolls, and plans are in hand to make routes multi free-fl

For those who have ever wondered just how efficient their plant might be, Ammann can now provide the answer with its EcoView module for the AS1 control system. It shows - at a glance - how efficiently the mixing plant is working, by continuously recording operating data and presenting it in a condensed form to the mixing engineer. The system makes the ecological aspect of the mixing process transparent on a continuous basis by recording all the relevant energy-related data such as fuel and electrical energy

Our series of profiles on winning projects from the 2010 Global Road Achievement (GRAA) Awards continues with the Construction Methodology Category won by Barrier Systems/Utah Department of Transportation With any major road construction project, the disruption of traffic flow is of paramount concern for engineers, workers and travellers, particularly as it relates to increased traffic delays and the safety of those driving through the work zone. In the state of Utah, USA, work was recently completed on

In the Czech Republic there is disagreement over the routes for the R43 and R52 expressways, which are being upgraded.

German company Lintec will present for the first time its specially designed and fully containerised Gussasphalt plant for the European Market, the CDD 1200 GA. The plant has a capacity of 20tonnes of Gussasphalt per hour (optional up to 20tonnes/hour), and was sold to the French company SMAC (belonging to the Colas Group) and will operate in the west of France near Rennes. The plant has a hot bin with one chamber and can take 15tonnes of material while the recuperated filler silo is 11tonnes and one or tw

Conveyors specialist Superior Industries is now offering virtual welder training at its Welding Training Centre. The VRTEX 360 is a virtual reality arc welding training system from Lincoln Electric and allows Superior's welders to practice techniques in a simulated environment. The aim is to boost welding skills while reducing material waste. The combination of a realistic welding puddle simulation and arc welding sounds tied to the welder's movement is said to provide realistic training. The system scores

A new range of tandem vibratory rollers will be launched by Cat at Intermat, which it said will deliver greater operator comfort and visibility. Among the range will be articulated and drum-steer configurations, available with solid or split drums. Optional attachments will allow customers to take advantage of the versatility on offer by customizing the machine for specific applications, enabling customers to improve compaction quality.

IRF BPC bringing GNSS-based road pricing a step closer to maturity. Today, road transport faces major challenges such as the ever-increasing need for safety, as well as for reduced congestion and pollution. These problems are particularly critical in highly populated zones, notably big cities and their surrounding areas. Different schemes are being proposed to improve the situation, including road pricing systems to automatically charge drivers for their use of road infrastructures.

Christophe Nicodème, ERF's Director General, explores a missing link in the road safety chain Road works are an essential part of the work of public administrations and toll operators; aimed at preserving a safe road infrastructure for users, while minimising the disruption caused as a result of unavoidable traffic interventions. Given the essential role of road works, one would assume that well-defined regulations exist at national and European level to determine the best way of conducting them. Yet

A Power Curbers 5700C machine is being used underground in Turkey to slipform the U-shaped concrete platforms on the walls of a new tunnel project.

Maryvonne Plessis-Fraissard highlights that the key importance of rural roads in the context of global development is only now being fully recognised, is not receiving enough attention and is facing vital new challenges Rural roads have only relatively recently received attention in development research. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or World Bank, moved away from the World War II reconstruction mandate during the early 1960s to start, and address, the "Third World" developme

Blastcrete Equipment Company says that its novel new Mason Mate system provides an innovative solution for concrete repair and shotcreting in tunnelling applications.

Volvo latest pavers, the P7820C ABG and P8820C ABG, get independent travel drives and electronic traction control to maintain productivity on slopes and around corners. The P8820C ABG tracked paver from Volvo Construction Equipment can pave widths up to 13metres, while the P7820C ABG paves up to 11metres. Expect up to 900tonnes/hour from the smaller paver and up to 1,000tonnes/hour from the larger machine. Power comes from Volvo’s latest D8 stage IIIB emissions compliant six-cylinder, seven-litre engine. Th

The future financing of the European road network has again become a hot topic in Brussels On 15 October, 2010 in the Belgian capital, the Council of Transport Ministers hammered out a political compromise on the revision of the Eurovignette Directive that paves the way for the imposition of additional charges on road transport as a means of internalising externalities. Whether the imposition of these additional costs is justified or not remains the subject of protracted debate.

Shantui’s SR12-5 road roller is the Chinese company’s most exported construction machine model and will be part of its large exhibition at Intermat. Said by Shantui to be designed mainly for use in the middle layers of compacting, it features DANA hydraulic control systems, and comes with a single front-mounted drum.

JCB is broadening its range of asphalt compactors with the addition of the VMT380 and VMT430 models. These are said to offer high operator visibility, comfort, safety and performance in comparison with other models on the market, according to the firm. Tapered frames ensure good sightlines while both models are powered by 2.2litre Kohler diesels mounted in the front chassis section and rated at 34.6kW, with large fuel and water tanks that are said to be class leading. A novel feature is said to be the trave