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Changsha - one of China’s megacities - welcomed the global construction fraternity to the recent and first Changsha International Construction Equipment Exhibition

A well-maintained road bridge network is vital to Denmark’s economy. David Arminas caught up with Niels Pedersen, head of bridges at the Danish Road Directorate Denmark, being a country mainly of islands, relies on its bridges and tunnels to help unify the nation culturally. It also means that they are vastly more important to the economic well-being of the nation than in most other states. The World Bank has classified Denmark as a high-income economy. In 2017 it ranked 16th globally in terms of gros

PolyBitumens, a polymer-modified bitumen and emulsion facility in Thurrock, England, has taken delivery of the first road legal mobile storage tank in the UK. The made-to-specification road-going tank enables the storage of bitumen emulsion at remote sites around the country. The 55,000-litre unit is part of an almost US$940,000 investment by PolyBitumens – a Eurovia UK company – to expand its fleet during the next two years. The tank has been designed specifically to a reduced width of 2.55m so that

IRF Expands Operations in South East Europe Close to 300 delegates, including representatives from key Bulgarian road agencies, took part in the 2nd Road Safety & Innovation Forum on May 15th at the joint invitation of the International Road Federation, EuroRAP and the Bulgarian Branch Association for Road Safety. “We had designed this event with the idea that countries such as Bulgaria, currently lagging behind in meeting their traffic injury reduction targets, could seize technological enablers that

A new programme of works will see huge jump in the number of road bridges in Russia’s capital, Moscow. At present there are just 35 main road bridges in Moscow, but the building plans will see a further 24 being built, bringing the total to 59. The plan is costing over US$450 million. A number of new bridges will be built to span the Moscow River. Bridges will also be built to span the Yauza River and Skhodnya River. Construction work is already underway for a number of the bridges.

According to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Seismic Reinforcement Materials Market will surpass USD 40 billion by 2025. Increasing seismic activities across the globe resulting in loss of life and assets is the prime reason influencing the growth of seismic reinforcement materials market. The products are majorly used in buildings to strengthen the structures in order to minimize damage possibilities during or after earthquakes. Increasing awareness and implementation of various buil

The huge Doha ring road project will help decongest the city and improve transport for Qatar

Building work for the toll road connecting Cileunyi with Sumedang and Dawuan in Indonesia will now be complete ahead of schedule. The route will open to traffic in 2020, instead of 2021 as originally planned. The work is being carried out in six separate sections. The contractor Citra Karya Jabar Tol is currently building sections 4, 5 and 6, having completed section 3, with the work costing close to US$555 million. Work is also well underway on sections 1 and 2 for the project.

Gustavo Otero has been appointed president for Doosan Bobcat’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Otero, who previously served as vice-president of the compact and telehandlers division, will be based out of Doosan Bobcat’s EMEA headquarters in Dobris, Czech Republic. He has an extensive 20-year background in the global construction equipment and automotive industries. His positions include vice-president of Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment EMEA business and was general manager at ex

A major programme of road repairs and maintenance is planned for Russia’s Vologda Region. A budget of US$585.5 million has been set for the work. The plan is for 50% of the road network in the Vologda Region to meet necessary standards for quality by 2024. At present just 32% of the road network in the region meets with the required standards. A budget will also be set for building new roads in the region. One of the priority projects to be carried out under the road building scheme is for the Vologda Bypas

A new contractor will take over work for Colombia’s Santana-Mocoa-Neiva road. The project is worth around US$956 million and forms part of the country’s 4G infrastructure development programme. The work will now be handled by Grupo Ethus and involves a series of improvements, upgrades and widening to be carried out along 457km of the route, including building a 54km section. This project will be carried out in seven sections and is due for completion in 2023. The work was originally awarded to a concession

Plans for major improvement works to sections of the Bruce Highway and M1 Pacific Motorway in Australia’s Queensland State have been approved. In all the work is expected to cost more than US$1.4 billion (A$2 billion). The improvements to the Pacific Motorway are intended to boost capacity by as much 50,000 vehicles/day. This capacity upgrade work for the Pacific Motorway will be carried out on two stretches between Varsity Lakes and Tugun as well as Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill. Meanwhile the work for t

A major road safety issue for the UK has been highlighted by a recent study carried out jointly by the Road Safety Foundation and insurance firm AGEAS. This study has revealed that 60% of fatal crashes in the UK for the 2015-2017 period occurred on just 12.5% of the road network. Numerous studies show that rural A roads with no centre divider and just one lane in either direction have the highest rates of fatal crashes. Two roads in particular, one on the Isle of Wight and the other in Derbyshire, have part

A key question has always existed in the infrastructural sector; which material to use in order to reduce the time and efforts spend for maintenance required for construction of a particular structure? Fortunately, a material already exists to provide the necessary results. No surprises here – it’s not a special compound, rather it’s a variation of the most common building material ever used, viz. self-healing concrete. This compound has been embraced on a fairly large scale now, thereby giving rise to a di

In the wake of bridge collapses in Chile, the authorities are considering options for structural monitoring systems. A tender has been opened for an effective monitoring system that could be used to check the condition of bridges or tunnels or other civils structures. An effective monitoring technology is required as Chile’s Ministry of Public Works has revealed that 14 of the country’s bridges are in a critical condition with a further 245 requiring improvement works within the next 24 months. Three bids f

Colombia continues to develop its transport infrastructure, having set long terms plans to develop roads, bridges and tunnels, as well as rail links and airports. The country’s Ministry of Finance is budgeting over US$28.53 billion for transport development works for the 2019-2042 period. One of the key priorities is for the 4G road programme. The PPP model is being used for around 60% of the key transport development projects.

A finance package from the African Development Fund (ADF) will help pay for works on a key road project in Ghana. The US$81.7 million loan will provide con-financing for work on Ghana’s Eastern Corridor project. Measuring 695km in all, the upgraded link will follow the course of the existing N2 route and will provide a better connection from Ghana’s capital, Accra, to the north of the country. Work is due to commence on the 54km stretch of the Eastern Corridor between Jasikan and Dod Pepesu.

A new report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), highlighting the poor condition of many US bridges, is nothing less than a national scandal. According to ARTBA’s report, 47,052 US bridges are in poor condition, while 18,842 Interstate highway bridges have identifiable repair needs. The length of America’s structurally deficient bridges if placed end-to-end would span nearly 1,760km, ARTBA’s examination of federal government data shows. The Brooklyn (NY), Arlington M

Our Skidmarks page is highly rated by readers. Your input could help make this page even more entertaining. If you come across any amusing road-related stories or pictures email me at [email protected] TRAFFIC JAM Police in the South African city of Port Elizabeth recently spotted a vehicle they suspected of being overloaded. The minibus was escorted to a police compound, where the occupants were made to get out of the vehicle. In all, the Toyota HiAce bus had been carrying 48 people, most of them childr

Great Tew Ironstone Quarry in North Oxfordshire in the UK has purchased a new top-of-the-range Doosan DL580-5 wheeled loader to increase production. The DL580-5 carries huge 14-16tonne blocks of Ironstone from the quarry face to a new €1.2 million stone processing plant that recently began production at the top of the quarry. Great Tew Ironstone has a striking brown and blue vein and is only available from this Oxfordshire quarry. A quarried block is often up to 30tonnes. “The new DL580-5 helps