Dyson pulls the plug on £2.5bn electric vehicle project

Industry analysts were vindicated as the Dyson electric vehicle (EV) project ended.

The £2.5bn project to create an electrical vehicle had started to come to fruition in 2019.

However, Dyson decided to pull out of the market and cancel the project. Development of the EV had 500 staff working in a facility in Hullavington, UK.

National Express’s ALSA secures $1.1bn bus contract in Casablanca

ALSA, a Spanish and Moroccan division of National Express, secured a €1bn ($1.1bn) bus contract in Casablanca, Morocco.

The contract has an initial ten-year term with an optional five years. It will be active from November and will initially see the operation of 400 buses.

Next year, the number of buses in operation will increase to 700, helping to serve 100 million passengers a year.

Canada’s CDPQ to acquire HC1 road asset in India for $336m

Canadian investor Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) reportedly secured a deal to buy Indian road asset Highway Concessions One (HC1) for Rs24bn ($336m).

A source familiar with the development said that the asking price for the portfolio was approximately Rs30bn ($420.3m).

HC1 is the road portfolio of infrastructure fund manager Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). It comprises seven road assets, five toll roads and two annuity highways across seven states.

NCDOT awards US 70 traffic improvement contract to Balfour Beatty

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) awarded construction company Balfour Beatty a $203m design-build contract.

The contract is to enhance traffic along the 8.2km stretch of US 70 in James City, Craven County.

US 70 is a main east-west corridor in Eastern North Carolina. According to NCDOT data, the highway links the port at Morehead City with military bases in Havelock and Goldsboro and the Global TransPark in Kinston

UK Government announces over £100m investment for road upgrades

The UK Government announced an investment of over £100m for road construction and improvement work across the country.

A total of 18 new road schemes received approval from the Department for Transport (DfT). The projects will create employment opportunities to support local economies.

Four schemes received approval to proceed with construction, including the Preston Western Distributor Scheme, which involves a new dual carriageway between the M55 and A583. The scheme will receive a funding of £31m.

DRIVEN consortium successfully demonstrates autonomous cars in London

The DRIVEN consortium announced that its fleet of autonomous prototype vehicles has successfully navigated streets in London, UK.

Fuelled by Oxbotica’s autonomous software, the vehicles operated on public roads around the former Olympic Park in Stratford.

The £13.6m DRIVEN programme, which is partly funded by the UK Government, demonstrated that these self-driving vehicles can safely and smoothly operate under real-life situations.

Highways England to widen 15-mile section of A12 route

Highways England announced plans to widen a 15-mile section of the A12 route, which serves as a major link between the East of England and London.

The road will be widened between Chelmsford and Marks Tey to boost safety and cut down journey times.

The announcement confirms the widening of the A12 between junctions 19 and 23 and sets out four new options for improvements between junctions 23 and 25.

Costain secures UK highway contracts worth over £150m in last quarter

In the last quarter, infrastructure solutions company Costain secured a range of new UK highway contracts worth a total of more than £150m ($102.4m).

The various contracts include consultancy, digital technology solutions, programme management and complex project delivery.

Costain CEO Alex Vaughan said: “We’re at the forefront of this exciting sector, helping our clients shape the UK transportation landscape.”