EBRD planned to invest €700m for road improvements in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is set to invest more than €700m for the period 2018-2020 to improve road infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The financial institution signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministers of Transport and Communications of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS) for expanding the country’s road infrastructure and building modern motorways.


Study revealed UK motorists spend 31 hours a year in traffic congestion

Motorists in the UK spend an average of 31 hours annually stuck in traffic jams during peak hours, according to a new study conducted by INRIX, a company that provides transportation analytics and connected car services.

The study, known as INRIX 2017 Global Traffic Scorecard, analysed 1,360 cities located across 38 countries and found that the UK is the tenth most congested country in the world and the third most congested in Europe.

Last year, the direct and indirect costs of congestion to all motorists in the UK amounted to more than £37.7bn.


Udelv autonomous vehicle began public testing in California

Udelv conducted the first public road testing of its autonomous, last-mile delivery vehicle at Draeger’s Market in San Mateo, California, US.

In its maiden testing, the vehicle covered a 2.5-mile loop that included lane changes, left turns and two delivery stops.

The vehicle covered the distance in test mode under safety driver supervision in compliance with existing California regulations.


VINCI won contract to build motorway in New Zealand

HEB Construction, a subsidiary of VINCI Construction, was selected as part of an alliance contract valued at NZ$700m (€415m), to build the Northern Corridor Improvements Project (NCI Project) in New Zealand.

The contract involves the creation of a new connection between the Northern Motorway (State Highway 1) and Upper Harbour Highway (State Highway 18) in the north of Auckland.

Furthermore, the Northern Busway will be extended to Albany and about 7km of new walking and cycling paths would be added.


Iteris agreed to distribute TAPCO’s road alert systems in Texas, US

Iteris entered an exclusive agreement to distribute Traffic & Parking Control’s (TAPCO) Intelligent Warning Systems (IWS) products throughout Texas, US.

The deal includes TAPCO’s complete IWS solutions portfolio, which features solar-powered and LED-enhanced systems for pedestrian crosswalks, stop sign intersections, work zones and parking facilities.

TAPCO’s BlinkerChevron Dynamic Curve Warning System and the wrong-way driving prevention solutions will also be distributed as a part of the agreement.


India to invest $22bn in road projects in Karnataka

The Government of India is set to invest Rs1,449bn ($22bn) in various road projects in the state of Karnataka over the next two years.

This week, the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari was set to lay the foundation stone for more than 500km of highways projects valuing around Rs37bn ($570m) in the state.

These projects will be carried out in the districts of Shimoga, Bellary, Bijapur, Bidar and Hubli.


EIB to provide €250m loan for German motorway project

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is set to provide a €250m loan for the construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the A10/A24 motorway in Brandenburg, Germany.

The scope of the project includes the widening of a 29.6km section of the A10 between Havelland and Pankow from four to six lanes, as well as the rebuilding a 29.2km section of the four-lane A24 between Neuruppin and Kremmen.

Furthermore, it includes the maintenance of an additional 5.4km section of existing road connecting the A10 and A24 motorways.


New consortium formed to build final section of Moscow ring road

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), road building company AVTOBAN and Turkish firm Makyol formed a consortium that will monitor the implementation of a concession agreement to build and operate the final section of Central Ring Road in Moscow.

The construction of the fourth and final 96.5km phase of the Central Ring Road is estimated to cost RUR85.4bn ($1.51bn).

Under the agreement, the concessionaire will provide RUR49.7bn ($880m) and the remaining RUR35.7bn ($630m) will be procured from private investors.


HERE and Dubai signed MoU to support self-driving transportation

HERE Technologies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on a long-term technology collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to map the whole city with high-definition (HD) technology.

The development of HD maps will help Dubai to achieve its goal of having 25% of public transport self-driving services by 2030.

Under the collaboration, RTA and HERE intend to implement available location technologies to develop the data structure and enable efficient autonomous transportation to support Dubai’s Smart City strategy.


ADB and India signed $250m loan deal to improve roads

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $250m loan agreement to fund the construction of 6,254km of all-weather rural roads in five states under the Prime Minister’s rural roads programme (PMGSY).

The loan amount will be used to develop rural roads in the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.