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The TRA 2012 transport event, being held in April in Athens, will provide a unique interactive opportunity for attendees to learn about Horizon 2020, the European Commission proposal for a new Research & Innovation Framework Programme which comes into force in January 2014. The transport component of this programme is worth €7.7 billion and delegates to TRA 2012 will be able to take part in a series of 13 strategic sessions covering all modes and tackling the entire spectrum of activities envisaged by the F

In Serbia some million is being spent on developing the Corridor 10 and 11 highways during 2012. The work being carried out by Serbian roads company Koridori Srbije will include the 22km Ipsilon arm on Corridor 10, which will run from Kelebija to Subotica.

Japanese consultants are planning to realign a Kenyan bypass, as Shem Oirere reports. Japanese consultants are resolving an engineering quagmire involving a 17.5km bypass in Kenya's Coast region. The new design realigning the bypass is underway by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) consultants. The road is an alternative link from the hinterland to the south coast and to the proposed Dongo Kundu Port. The 23m-wide bypass would also serve to reduce traffic congestion across the Likoni Channel t

Work is now underway once more on a new bridge link connecting Laos with Thailand. The US$44 million project is being funded equally by the governments of both countries and work is expected to be complete in June 2013.

Cofiroute USA, which introduced toll road automation on the 91 Express Lanes in Orange County, California, has taken its knowledge of toll road technology to a new level with the installation of a fully integrated back office system for the 91 Express Lanes that manages every operating, reporting and customer service detail.

Swiss headuartered power and automation technology group, ABB, has won a tender to build a network of 200 electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations throughout Estonia. The order, from the Estonian government, is Europe’s largest EV charging infrastructure contract to date and creates what is being claimed is the world’s first fast-charging infrastructure with full nationwide coverage.

Infrastructure construction in China is booming as never before, but sealing the world’s longest immersed tunnel is a technically complex engineering project. The impressive Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau fixed link project in China includes an immersed tunnel with a record-breaking length of almost 7km. In 2009 construction began on a project to link the island of Hong Kong with Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. The link will be one of the region’s most technically complex engineering projects ever.

London faces a nail-biting race against the clock to fix Hammersmith Flyover in time for the 2012 Olympics. The flyover, which carries 90 vehicles a day on the A4, the road between central London and the West, including Heathrow airport, has been closed since 23 December after serious defects were found in the 50-year-old structure.

Caterpillar Paving intends to increase sales into the soil compaction sector with its B-series CS and CP single drum machines. The CS68B and CS78B are smooth drum machines while the CP68B and CP78B have a single padfoot drum. The CS68B and CP68B compete in the 14tonne class while the larger CS78B and CP78B are 17tonne class compactors. The machines all share features such as the new high comfort, high visibility, climate-controlled cab.

Chinese manufacturer LiuGong Machinery has finalised its agreement to acquire Polish firm HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola) and its distribution subsidiary, Dressta. The agreement was signed by executives from both companies in Warsaw.

Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology, an existing Scania customer since 2008, has ordered 375 trucks which will be used as a platform for mobile concrete pumps. Said to be the world’s largest concrete machinery manufacturer, the company's largest mobile concrete pumps, which have a span up to 80 metres, are mounted on Scania’s 4- and 5-axle truck chassis with 6-cylinder 420-470 hp engines.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) is providing loans worth US$175 million to Brazil’s Espirito Santo Statew. These loans will help finance the planned series of road improvements in the state.

Some $1.6 billion in funding is being provided from US federal funds to states and territories across the nation to cover the costs of repairing roads and bridges damaged by natural disasters. Funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Emergency Relief Programme was provided by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012.

The annual work programme has a high degree of flexibility to address new demands of projects of common interest which focus on TEN-T priorities. The first is to promote the development of an integrated and multi-modal transport system, with a budget of €25 million.

Mega project of “extreme beauty” receives top award from the IRF, writes Patrick Smith The Sheikh Zayed Bridge, which was constructed for the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, has won the Global Road Achievement Award in the design category from the International Road Federation (IRF). The 2011 Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA) programme is a worldwide contest held to identify and honour excellence, innovation and exceptional achievements in 12 key categories in the transport and infrastructure industry.

The organisers of the BICES 2011 event held in Beijing say that the show attracted 1030 exhibitors from 31 countries and districts. This represents an increase of 35% for international exhibitors. Meanwhile visitors came from more than 100 different countries and districts to join this exhibition.

Infrastructure expansion is the key to China’s continued economic development, according to the organisers of the upcoming bauma China 2012 event to be held in Shanghai. The bauma China 2012 show will take place from November 27 to 30, 2012 in Shanghai. Over 2,000 exhibitors are expected to take part in this “International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Construction Vehicles and Equipment”. And – for the first time – the event will be taking up the entire site at the Shan

Key improvements for Caterpillar’s mid-sized pavers are more screed options and improved fumes extraction systems. Wheeled and tracked models are available and the AP500E and AP555E pavers are designed for global use and in a wide array of jobsite applications. The machines are available with both vibratory screeds and tamper bar screeds with vibration, suiting them to both US and European style paving applications. Independent researchers recently concluded that as much as 92% of fumes are redirected from

Caterpillar Paving’s new AP255E is the smallest paver in the range. With a single operator, the compact AP255E meets all requirements for small and medium sized jobsites in urban centres such as pathways, cycle paths, playgrounds, trench back filling and all maintenance and repair work. The paver is designed to operate in limited spaces, due to its compact design and exceptional manoeuvrability. The AP255E is powered by a Cat C2.2 engine delivering 34kW, weighs 4.5tonnes and has a standard paving width of 1

With funding of road, bridge, tunnel and highway infrastructure a topic of debate in many developed and developing nations at present, different solutions are in the frame for discussion. Funding highway construction and maintenance through taxation is falling out of favour in many countries, simply because the costs of meeting transport infrastructure needs are so vast.