GPS machine control boosts productivity
New technology can allow more productive and more cost-effective earthmoving jobs.
Mike Woof reports
Safety on 'The King's Highway
California State Route 82 in the United States, a major urban arterial, is part of the historic El Camino Real or The King's Highway, connecting the communities of San Jose and San Francisco in northern California. Consisting of two to three lanes in each direction with a median, on level terrain and tangent alignment, the route between Hickey Boulevard in Colma and Mission Road in south San Francisco carries 17,400 vehicles/day
Environmentally approved noise attenuation barrier
The novel SoftSound noise attenuation barrier from Easi-Set Worldwide has passed the flame spread test approval system in the US.
Pavement profile checks
Accurate pavement profiling can be achieved with the new Selcom RoLine 1130 laser sensor from Canadian firm LMI Technologies. It uses laser line sensing for accurate profiling of all pavement geometries on high-speed profilers at any vehicle speed and the unit is said to suit pavement profiling of both concrete and asphalt surfaces on roads and bridges.
Mexico City continues to invest in road links
Mexico's capital Mexico City is to benefit from an upgraded ring road to the east of the metropolis.
Road and tunnel project eases Stockholm congestion
Part of the E20 European highway, the Norra länken aims to make a valuable contribution to easing congestion in central Stockholm. The construction of Norra länken is one of the biggest and most important road and tunnel projects being undertaken in Sweden, certainly in terms of scope and budget. It will be a link in the peripheral route around the Stockholm inner city area and be part of the E20 European Highway.
Energy efficient LED lighting in a range of styles
Sun Valley Lighting's traditionally-styled street fixtures now feature VLED optical modules for energyefficient LED operation.The fixtures feature Philips/ Lumileds Luxeon Rebel emitters and are said to deliver fullspectrum illumination, while minimising light pollution, trespass and glare. The VLED Module reflector-prisms can feature 64, 80 or 120 emitters, depending on requirements.The modules can be field rotated in 90° increments to orient the distribution pattern to the site and are sealed and water-ti
Massive highway project for China
Work is now underway on a key new highway link in China's Guangdong Province.
Improved laser scanning capabilities
Leica Geosystems is broadening its software offering with its new Leica Cyclone v7.2 package, which is said to improve office processing capabilities. The package has been developed to address key market needs and trends in the processing and use of rich, as-built point cloud data from high definition laser scanning technology. According to the firm the package can help reduce laser scanning project costs, including office time, allowing projects to use more scans and higher scan densities.
Vietnam plans new ring road for Hanoi
The Vietnamese Government is moving forward with its project to build ring road No 4 around Hanoi.
Road trains project saves space as well as fuel
A high-tech European project involving cars could reduce fuel consumption by up to one-fifth as Patrick Smith reports. A new EU project, Sartre, is aimed at developing and testing technology for vehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways.
Worldwide success of instant pothole repair system
Ultracrete claims its Instant Road Repair is now proving popular worldwide, having been used in over 25 countries including Australia, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand and Switzerland. The product is being used in an array of duties including airports, footpaths, driveways, road construction and utilities, as well as for in-filling cable ducts, trenches, core holes, manhole surrounds and drains. The firm says that the product can be used to repair damage caused by freeze/ thaw cycles and bre
Kuwait deal
A major road project in Kuwait now has the go-ahead and construction will commence shortly.
Congestion and safety concerns over Serbia’s roads
With traffic flows on the increase, Serbia needs to improve its road network and safety record, reports Gordon Feller. Serbia's road network needs to upgrade its road system against the backdrop of increased traffic flows. Serbia is crossed by segments of the important Trans European network (TEN). Corridor X with its branches Xb (Belgrade-Budapest) Xc (Nis-Sofia), and Xd (Nis-Presevo), represent the most important transit routes in the Republic, connecting Austria/Hungary, Slovenia/Croatia, and Bulgaria/Ma
California uses stimulus funds
The US state of California has been able to take advantage of federal stimulus funds to help improve its transport infrastructure.
In-vehicle system improves driving, reduces fuel
A US firm, SmartDrive Systems, has developed a sophisticated tool that can be used to boost fuel efficiency across vehicle fleets while also improving safety.
Accident prevention leading the road safety fight
ASECAP and its members are among many oragnisations leading the fight to improve road safety
Many European organisations have pledged their support to the goal of dramatically reducing even further the number of accidents, fatalities and serious injuries on roads. And at its annual road safety conference in the Czech capital Prague, ASECAP (the European Association of Operators of Tolled Road Infrastructures), presented EU institutions, national authorities and transport stakeholders "the outstanding resul
Advanced vehicle facility for Japan
A new design and development facility has now been established in Japan that will focus on advanced environmentally-friendly vehicles and traffic technology.
Debating the future of road transport
Mobility is essential for prosperity. How the transport industry will respond to future needs was debated by ERTRAC
How will we travel in 2030? That question was posed in a debate on future scenarios of road transport during the launch of the 'Road Transport futures 2030 initiative,' organised in Brussels recently by ERTRAC (the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council).
In-vehicle alarm combats driver fatigue
UK firm Exeros Technologies has developed a camera and alarm system that can help combat the problem of driver fatigue and distraction. The non-contact system is smaller than most satnav devices and works by using an advanced video camera algorithm. This monitors the driver's eyes and face for signs of fatigue or prolonged distraction. It uses advanced facial recognition techniques to detect and monitor retina and eyelid movement of the driver. Should the driver show signs of fatigue, the camera will recogn