Belarus benefit from Chinese backing
Work on a key road project in Belarus is being financed by Chinese sources.
Grave crime
A British man was sent to prison for four years after being stopped by police while he was in the process of stealing a JCB telehandler. In his attempts to elude following police, the man veered wildly along narrow roads with no thought for other road users. He then drove the telehandler through a graveyard, smashing headstones and damaging graves in his escape bid. This proved fruitless however as a police helicopter had joined the pursuit and was able to direct police cars towards the speeding JCB. The ma
Smart enforcement
Thailand’s Metropolitan Police plan to install intelligent dummies in police roles across capital Bangkok. Nicknamed Sergeant Idly Silent, the dummies will be sited at 13 locations across the city and will keep a close watch for traffic violations using on-board CCTV equipment and ANPR technology. The aim of the dummies will be to aid their human counterparts in tracking those contravening traffic laws. Given the city’s reputation for its ‘spirited’ drivers, it seems like that the dummies will be kept busy.
Cost-saving compact twin layer asphalt paving
Twin-layer paving offers high quality, long lasting road surfaces to be constructed. Paver manufacturer Dynapac is one of the pioneers of the twin-layer paving technique, which it calls Compactasphalt. According to Dynapac this method offers major benefits to contractors and clients alike as roads surfaced using this technique last longer and are cheaper to maintain. To ensure contractors have maximum utilisation of their machines, Dynapac offers a modular paver system that can be operated using the convent
Double trouble
Police in Norway spotted a vehicle travelling at an average 133km/h in a 100km/h zone along the E18 highway, some 40km from capital Oslo and gave pursuit. After the police tailed the vehicle for a kilometre, officers then stopped the car at a service station. The police realised the occupants, a man and a woman, were otherwise engaged but exercised discretion when describing the couple's second offence. However they did add that as the driver's attention was clearly distracted he faces a lengthy ban from dr
Versatile recycling option
A pavement recycling contractor in eastern New York State in the US is using an innovative and versatile Wirtgen machine to carry out very different road rehabilitation tasks. This unit is being used to lay foamed bitumen-recycling pavements as well as carrying out cold-milling.
Slurry paving on South American roads
Colombia's rapidly improving highway network is making a major boost to the country's economy. Though a national roads plan had been in place since the last century, road building and pavement maintenance only became a priority in 2000 when the current administration headed by President Álvaro Uribe Vélez came to power.
Lighting up time for JCB
JCB is broadening its product range by entering the portable lighting tower market. The new LT9 from the firm's Power Products division is a 9m dedicated lighting tower with a hydraulically activated, telescopic mast that holds four spotlights.
Poland plans push-starting project
In the wake of the difficulties in Poland over the withdrawal of Chinese contractor COVEC from the A2 highway project, the country's government is now looking for a way ahead.
IRF Brazil event looks set to beat record
The IRF reports strong interest already in the Brazilian Congress on Highways and Concessions (CBR&C). This is the seventh CBR&C event and has been organised by the Association of Brazilian Road Concessionaires
Accurate instruments
Rugged and durable, the new Rugby 260SG, 270SG and 280DG lasers from Leica Geosystems are said to suit a wide range of construction duties. These multipurpose horizontal/vertical grade lasers can be used for flat and grade applications and are equipped with a large LCD display and a five button key pad.
Indonesian project on track
Plans are now well on track for Indonesia’s new Medan-Kualanamu toll road project.
Heavy tracked loaders
Bobcat is offering three new steel tracked versions of its heavyweight loaders, the T250, T300 and T320. The factory-fit steel track options for the loaders offer an alternative to the conventional rubber tracked configurations for applications such as demolition. The tracks allow the machines to work on rocky and abrasive soils, as well as breaking and clearing concrete/asphalt surfaces, providing better traction and increased ground adherence.
Slurry in-control
The innovative EZ-OP Monitoring system from Valley Slurry Seals (VSS) is said to help boost productivity for slurry seal and micro-surfacing crews. The unit can be fitted to the firm's well-proven Macropaver 12B model to boost performance.
New asphalt compaction technologies boost quality
More sophisticated compaction technologies are now coming to market, offering
a wide range of benefits to users
Stantec wins California roads study
Reduced congestion, better traffic flow and improved safety for road users are the aims of a new project for Orange County in the US State of California.
Malta-Gozo link?
The authorities in Malta continue to examine options with regard to a road link connecting to the neighbouring island of Gozo.
India's Orissa State looks to concrete links
India's Orissa State is continuing with its programme of concrete road construction. The state's authorities plan to build some 5,500km of concrete roads in the 2011-2012 period, to connect rural areas to the highway network. The project is costing US$223 million. The state previously built some 17,000km of concrete roads on the 2010-2011 period. The intention in building concrete roads is to maximise longevity while minimising maintenance costs.
Canada's border link
The tender process for the vital Windsor-Essex Parkway 11km that links highway 401 in Ontario (Canada) with the US border through Michigan State is underway.
Cutting better with Roadtec
Roadtec is improving its line of cold planer cutter drums to provide a better milling pattern and a longer tool and base life. The firm has reworked the drum end ring configuration for better match-cutting and to extend tool life. The impact angle of the tools on the drum has been optimise and this will lengthen the life of the consumable bit. The lacing pattern has been adjusted and this allows for a better texture on the milled surface as well as a more balanced impact when the tools strike the cutting ar