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The first section of the new steel-backed timber guardrail T32 has been recently installed near the city of Dijon, in eastern France. This crash barrier, CE certified in 2018, has been selected not only for its performance but also for its aesthetic quality, perfectly fitting the beautiful scenery of the Bourgogne region, known worldwide for its famous vineyards. The T32 is made of a B-profile steel guardrail cladded with four half-round logs of 16cm. This new system has been tested at N2 containment lev

Concrete barrier expert REBLOC has developed REBLOC 100SFP_8, a powerfully flexible barrier system for new bridges as well as for bridge refurbishment. Tested freestanding, the barrier achieves containment levels H2 with working-width W3 and H4b with W5. It is also possible to achieve H4b with W4 by using an additional position securing system. The safety concrete barrier is part of the REBLOC SWITCH product line which enables the use of the same system as either a temporary or a permanent barrier. All s

Caris Guardrail became the first firm to receive the Innovative Award in the guardrail segment from the International Road Federation last November. Yu Cheol, chief executive of Caris, received the 2018 IRF Global R2T Conference & Expo Innovative Award in Las Vegas. The award was for the South Korean company’s CG10 PVC-composite Guardrail. It has a honeycomb structure for increased strength and the elasticity needed to withstand high-speed vehicle impacts. The fluorescent material enables the guardrail to

Dutch identification technology company Nedap has launched two more cameras for its automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) platform. The advanced ANPR Lumo can be applied in challenging vehicular access control applications, including in regions with license plates that include different font formats. The ANPR Access V2 is the successor of Nedap’s ANPR Access, offering better performance while being fully compatible with existing installations, says the company. Both new cameras easily integrate

A new line of versatile hydraulic attachment tools is being offered by Epiroc. The firm has added three new ranges: ERC transverse drum cutters with integrated hydraulic rotation; ER-L axial drum cutters; and ADU auger drive units based on Erkat drum cutter technology. With models suitable for carriers in most weight classes, these attachments are said to offer reliability and productivity for a wide range of excavation and demolition tasks. The ER range of transverse drum cutters replaces Epiroc's prov

US firm Blastcrete Equipment says that its new Dampcon Rig offers a complete system for pre-dampening and installing dry process shotcrete materials. The rig features a variable speed mixer, conveyor and gunite machine. This is said to suit it to concrete repair and precise refractory gunning installations. The Dampcon Rig features Blastcrete’s 020 Piccola Rotary Gunite machine for precise control of its output. This is said to allow the unit to deliver an output of up to 4.7m3/hour. The firm claims that

Plans to construct a tunnel link for the A303 route past the famous Stonehenge monument have hit further problems.

A new expressway project is gathering momentum in Vietnam with approvals being given for the link between Moc Chau and Hoa Binh. The authorities are considering implementting the project under the PPP model. Building the 85km link is expected to cost US$955.5 million and the work will help reduce congestion on the existing National Highway No6. The work will face some challenges as the topography between Moc Chau and Hoa Binh is hilly. The new route will allow vehicle speeds of up to 80km/h.

Egyptian capital Cairo is already benefiting from the opening of a massive new bridge. features six lanes in either direction, making it the world’s widest suspension bridge. This bridge is one of several forming part of the new highway running across Egyp

Sales of construction equipment in France are at the highest levels ever observed in the country, according to CISMA, the French trade association. In the first quarter of 2019 six new records were set. Compared with Q1 2018, the market is up 10%. This performance can be explained by the rise in sales to rental companies of nearly 13%, notes CISMA. The mobile elevating work platform sales reached a peak of 3,545 units in the quarter – highest ever, beating the previously best years of 2000-2001 an

A new highway link is being planned for Tunisia.

Thailand’s road safety crisis is killing a worryingly high number of its young citizens. The latest data reveals that over 17,000 youngsters are killed in road crashes/year. Most of the road crashes involve the use of motorcycles. Between 2013 and 2017, 17634 youngsters were killed on average every year, according to data assembled by the Road Accident Victims Protection Company, the Public Health Ministry and the police. The lack of helmet use amongst many of Thailand’s powered two wheeler riders is see

Improving road safety is a key development priority for Africa

Improving road safety is a key development priority for Africa

There is a global need for more intelligent traffic management and enhanced road safety, fuelled by data collection and the useful interpretation of that data into real-time information that provides for effective action by traffic engineers. The prevailing transportation paradigm, one-person-one-vehicle, is forcing the multimodal traffic infrastructure to its limits. With continuous congestion, longer commute times, and increased accidents, agencies are tasked with finding solutions without escalating thei

Every day we hear about Mobility as a Service (MaaS), but what about Roads as a Service? Geoff Hadwick reports from the ERF in Brussels The familiar physical asset called the road will increasingly be seen as part of an emerging global services sector. Given that, the role of the road is changing, notes Christophe Nicodème, general director of the European Union Road Federation (ERF). We need to think much more carefully about planning highway infrastructure in terms of people’s needs, said Nicodème,

Caterpillar is offering new machine control packages for use with dozers Caterpillar is widening its range of solutions for dozers with the introduction of the GRADE with 3D system for its D3K2, D4K2 and D5K2 models. This package is an automated grade control system using GNSS technology to position the machine's blade, without operator input, from first rough cut to finish grade. In addition, GRADE with 3D incorporates the Cat AccuGrade Ready Option. This system allows the use of universal-total-stati

Topcon has been striking key deals with manufacturers of earthmoving machines to supply machine control packages. The firm has set up arrangements with both JCB and Volvo CE for its sophisticated packages, which will help customers to optimise operations. JCB's new X-Series excavator is now being offered with a sophisticated machine guidance system from Topcon Positioning, which is said to boost productivity by up to 30%. A result of a collaboration between JCB and Topcon Positioning Group, the Topco

New innovations in machine control are delivering highperformance, with advances to come showing future potential – Mike Woof writes In transportation, the potential for autonomous vehicles that operate without the need for a human driver is now being evaluated. A string of development projects are underway by an array of automotive and technology companies, sometimes in partnership with each other. In the mining sector, autonomous machines have been operating in underground facilities for 20 years and

LiuGong has unveiled the firm’s first-ever intelligent remote-controlled shovel wheeled loader. The 886H is said by the Chinese global construction, quarrying and mining equipment giant to be a combination of intelligent remote control and intelligent technology. The model’s intelligent wheeled loader shovelling system senses material penetration; has one bottom loading and dumping; along with bucket auto levelling and controllable placement of the bucket. Intelligent shovelling enables the machine to