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April 30, 2019

New Colombian bridge to set records

The Pumarejo Bridge project in Colombia will beat records for Latin America when complete at the end of 2019. Measuring 38.1m in cross-section, it will be the widest bridge in Latin America when it opens to traffic and will measure 3.24km-long. The bridge will have three lanes in either direction, as well as provision for cyclists and pedestrians. The construction work is being carried out by the consortium SES Puente Magdalena, headed by Spanish company Sacyr and also including the Colombian contractor, Es
April 30, 2019

New South Wales backpedals over WestConnex cycling bridge

Controversy has again hit Australia’s WestConnex project in Sydney with media reports the a planned cycle and pedestrian bridge is to be axed. In its place will be a new raised flyover running through the residential and parkland area, according to a report in The Age newspaper. The Pedestrian and Cycling Green Link was part of the original planning permission for the US$11.85 billion WestConnex project and was to rise above parts of the surface motorway in Rozelle and Lilyfield neighbourhoods. The
April 26, 2019

Paruvian road concession package cancelled

The concession package for Peru’s Vía Expresa Sur road project is being cancelled. The deal was originally awarded to the Peruvian company, Grana y Montero (GyM). However the involvement of Brazilian firm Odebrecht in the project have resulted in the deal being cancelled. Odebrecht has been linked to string of corruption scandals. The tender process for the 5km road section will be reopened as a result. The project is intended to cut journey times in Lima, with the work expected to cost US$200 million.
April 26, 2019

Russian highway route under construction

Construction work for the new highway in Russia, connecting Kemerovo with Leninsk-Kuznetsky, should be complete by mid-August 2019. Two overpasses for the 70km highway are being surfaced at present, while a river crossing is now being completed. The new highway will improve transport to Leninsk-Kuznetsky, cutting journey times for drivers.
April 25, 2019

Galliford Try aims to downsize its construction business

UK construction and infrastructure business Galliford Try is reviewing its construction business with a view to downsizing. “The review will reduce the size of the construction business, focusing on its key strengths in markets and sectors with sustainable prospects for profitability and growth, where we have a track record of success,” the company said in a written statement. “The board anticipates that this review will result in reduced profitability in the current year reflecting a reassessment of
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April 24, 2019

Vietnam ponders PPP for Ring Road 4 work in Ho Chi Minh City area

A 36km segment of 197km Ring Road 4 project in the Long An Province could cost as much as US$300 million, according to a prefeasibility study. The segment runs from Ben Luc rural district to Hiep Phuoc Port in the Ho Chi Minh urban area, as noted in the study prepared by Cuu Long Corporation. The government is considering offering the work as a public-private partnership. The road would feature 10 bridges and an overpass at an intersection with National Highway 1. If approved, work could start i
April 24, 2019

Sokkia’s accurate surveying tool

Sokkia has widened its iM line of manual total stations with the introduction of the iM-50. The firm says that the tool can be used for jobs such as site layout or as-built survey and claims that the unit delivers high-end performance and functionality. The iM-50 EDM features a prism range of up to 4,000m and up to 500m in reflectorless mode with a 1.5 mm/ 2ppm accuracy. The company claims that the beam can measure walls, corners, manholes on the road surface, even chain-link fences and tree branches
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April 24, 2019

Multiple milling machines removing surface

Milling subcontractor Pavement Recycling Systems removed thousands of tonnes of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) from a runway at Oakland International Airport in California recently. The firm used a fleet of six Wirtgen W 210i cold milling machines to remove the asphalt in less than 60 hours from Runway 12-30, along the shore of San Francisco Bay. In total, 47,000tons of asphalt were milled within a 60-hour time frame, nonstop day and night, plus a single-shift second phase a week later. The firm start
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April 23, 2019

New roller barrier from Korean firm ETI

South Korean firm ETI is offering a novel roller barrier system, designed to reduce crash risks. The system meets both US and European requirements for barriers and is well-proven in the South Korean market, with over 100km in use on the country’s road network. In addition, the firm has also supplied systems to customers in other Asian countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, as well as Latin America, including Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. For the moment the company has not yet
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April 23, 2019

Global sales of earth moving machinery surge 23% in 2018

Global sales of earth moving machinery in 2018 accelerated sharply – up 23% on 2017 to top out at 1 million units. The record result in 2018 was driven by a combination of several factors. One of these factors is investments in construction on a global scale in excess of €7,150 billion, as highlighted by data analysed by Prometeia for SaMoTer Outlook 2019, the sector observatory presented today at Veronafiere during the 5th edition of SaMoTer Day. The event is one of the stages in the run up to the 31st
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April 23, 2019

Energy Saving Roads - The Future Way of Sustainable Infrastructure

A workshop into environmentally-friendly road construction was held in Denmark - report from Mikkel Bruun, Bruun Communication Recent advances in road construction have included the development of climate asphalt, which reduces rolling resistance and saves CO2. But what is it and how does it affect the production and use of asphalt pavements? And what are the socio-economic implications? The ROSE project that just ended with a workshop in Copenhagen might hold the answers. The rule of thumb is that lo
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April 23, 2019

Meeting the IRF Fellows and hearing of their positive experiences

Morgan Morris, a master’s student at the University of Central Florida, recounts her life-changing experience as President of the 2019 Class of IRF Fellows After the short span of a week, a graduate research IRF Fellow transforms into an approachable, professional leader overflowing with inspiration and ideas. “In some ways, attending the IRF Fellows Road Scholar Program is comparable to going to an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. You are not sure what exactly you signed up for, but in the end, you rea
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April 23, 2019

São Paulo State Highway Authority wins the Evonik Road Safety Award 2018

For more than 50 years, Evonik – a world leader in specialty chemicals and the inventor of MMA cold plastic road markings - has been at the forefront of efforts to improve road safety and disseminate best practices in the field On 18th December 2018, Evonik bestowed the 3rd edition of the “Evonik Road Safety Award” in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The Road Safety Award is designed to support sustainable road safety initiatives, as part of the company’s corporate and social responsibility. It acknowle
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April 23, 2019

Qatar starts work on the state’s longest cable stayed bridge

Qatar has started construction of a 1.2km cable-stayed bridge that will be the longest in the Gulf state. The bridge will have 20 pylons and 16 piers to reach the highest point of 30m. It is part of the Sabah Al-Ahmad Corridor project, according to the Public Works Authority of Qatar (Ashgal). With four lanes in each direction, the bridge will accommodate more than 16,000 vehicles a hour, according to Ashghal engineer Abdullah al-Naiemi. Comnpletion is set for early 2021. Meahwhile, the Haloul Int
April 23, 2019

The Lessons of the Genoa bridge collapse

The partial collapse of the Polcevera viaduct, better known as the Morandi Bridge, has prompted debate regarding the technical and administrative aspects of maintaining road infrastructures. We discussed it with the engineer Gabriele Camomilla, former Director of Research and Maintenance of the Società Autostrade, who coordinated the only major structural intervention performed on the bridge, carried out in the early 1990s
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April 23, 2019

Opus lands Sarawark’s Coastal Road and Second Trunk Roads project

Malaysia’s Sarawak state government has appointed Opus Consultants, part of UEM Edgenta, as management consultant for the Coastal Road Network and Second Trunk Roads project. The US$2.65 billion project's first work package was awarded to Opus Consultants. The firm will be working alongside Sarawak Public Works Department in offering overall technical expertise and project management. Opus will conclude preliminary and detailed designs of 20 work packages, which range from the building of new bridges
April 23, 2019

Lativa shuts down Riga’s Deglava Bridge amid safety concerns

Latvia’s interior affairs minister Sandis Ģirģens has ordered the closure of Deglava Bridge from today, 25 April, declaring is a safety risk. “I believe there are enough factors to conclude this bridge puts people’s lives at risk,” said Ģirģens, as reported by national media. If the city doesn’t close the bridge today, Ģirģens said the national State Police will. Latvia's State Construction Control Bureau last week ordered the closure of the bridge after inspectors found that the bridge's supportin
April 23, 2019

Serbia inks two road deals with China at 16plus1 summit

Serbia said it signed two road construction agreements with China during the 16plus1 Summit in Dubrovnik, Croatia earlier this month. The two deals are for construction of the Pozega-Boljare and Novi Beograd-Surcin road routes. The Pozega-Boljare project alone is worth €2 billion and will be financed from the existing loan from the Exim Bank, according to media reports. China’s east-west Belt and Road Initiative was the focus of the annual 16plus1 Summit that brought together leaders from Beijing plus
April 18, 2019

Chilean road tender due to open

The tender process is due to open for a major road project in Chile. The budget for the project has now been increased from US$520 million to $800 million as extra works have now been included in the project. The work will be carried out on the Talca-Chillan section of Ruta 5, the main north-south highway in Chile. The winner of the tender process will carry out the construction work and then have a 10 year concession package to manage the highway. Rute 5 is one of the most important highways in Chile, stre
April 18, 2019

Brazilian road works package for highways

A series of highway improvement works will be carried out in Brazil. The US$521.2 million budget will help to develop transport links in the country. The budget for the work has been set by the Brazilian Government. The various highway works will be targeted on key highway routes that carry heavy truck traffic.
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