ADOT decided to use aerial drones for highway survey and bridge inspection work. Credit: courtesy of Arizona Department of Transportation.
The loan agreement signing ceremony. Credit: World Bank.
Wireless Charging System developed on Kia Soul EV. Credit: PRNewsfoto / Kia Motors America.
Aptis. Credit: courtesy of NTL.

US ADOT to deploy drones to support highway maintenance works

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) in the US decided to deploy drones to assist its engineering staff in conducting an inspection of inaccessible regions of bridges and survey works along state highways.

ADOT procured eight new aerial drones through a federal innovative technology grant from the Federal Highway Administration-sponsored Arizona Council for Transportation Innovation programme.

The usage of these drones is expected to enhance the safety and efficiency of highway and bridge works, as well as reduce project delivery time.

Philippines unveiled $5.16bn plan to build eight bridges

The Philippine Government planned to build eight major bridges with an estimated cost of PHP269.19bn ($5.16bn) to connect the islands of the Visayas with each other, as well as link them to Luzon.

The plan, announced by the Philippines Department of Finance (DOF), forms part of the government’s infrastructure building programme ‘Build, Build, Build’ and create jobs outside Metro Manila.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III stated that building appropriate road networks in Visayas will also be undertaken, along with the construction of these bridges to transform the economies of the islands.

World Bank signed $210m deal to improve rural roads in MP, India

World Bank signed a $210m loan agreement to improve rural roads in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (MP).

The agreement, signed with the Government of India and the Government of Madhya Pradesh, will provide support to the Madhya Pradesh Rural Connectivity Project.

The project involves upgrading a 10,510km stretch of rural roads of the state under the Chief Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (CMGSY) programme.

USDOT allocated $1bn funding for road and bridge repairs

The US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) allocated more than $1bn in Emergency Relief (ER) funds to repair road and bridges damaged by natural calamities and other events.

The funding will be distributed across 32 states, multiple US territories and Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA).

US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said: “The Administration is helping states and territories repair and rebuild their infrastructure in the wake of last year’s hurricanes and other disasters across the country.”

HATCI and Mojo Mobility developed wireless charging system for EVs

Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center (HATCI) and Mojo Mobility developed a fast-charging wireless power transfer system on a test fleet of Kia Soul Electric Vehicles (EVs).

The project, which involves the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as a partner, is expected to facilitate the development of EVs without plugs.

Both companies worked on this project for three years to develop the new compact wireless charging system that can transfer more than 10kW to the vehicle to enable fast charging.

University of Surrey developed new algorithm to monitor bridges

Scientists at the University of Surrey, UK, developed a new algorithm to help structural engineers assess the condition of bridges, as well as alert them to any quick repairs.

Most of the organisations use structural health monitoring systems to evaluate the health of bridges, as well as determine the weight of traffic it can support each day.

The process generates a very high sampling rate of data with some reaching at least 10Hz, as well as adds gigabytes worth of information, making it difficult to manage.

Alstom to test new mobility solution Aptis in Netherlands

Alstom is set to carry out an operational test of the 100% electric mobility solution ‘Aptis’ in the Netherlands this month.

Co-developed by Alstom and its subsidiary NewTL S.A.S. (NTL), Aptis will undergo testing together with transport company QBuzz in Utrecht, Groningen and Assen, and with Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (RET) in Rotterdam.

The trials started on 9 April in Utrecht, and will be carried out in Rotterdam from 16-20 April, Groningen from 23-27 April, and Assen from 30 April-3 May.

UK’s Liverpool City Council planned to invest £200m to transform city roads

Liverpool City Council in the UK planned to invest an additional £200m in road repairs to improve the highways network in the city.

The city council will set out a plan to allocate £160m for road reconstruction over the next five years, while £25m will be used for resurfacing and patching works.

The remaining £15m is earmarked to repair potholes in the city.

Study found traffic congestion in four Indian cities costs $22bn

A new survey found that traffic congestion in the Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore costs more than $22bn per year.

The Uber-commissioned study, called ‘Unlocking Cities: The impact of ridesharing across India’, was conducted by the Boston Consulting Group.

It also revealed that the level of congestion in Indian cities is 149% higher compared to other Asian counterparts. This means that commuters spend 1.5 times longer to travel a given distance on average.

EIB awarded €150m loan for pan-European motorway

European Investment Bank (EIB) signed two loan agreements with a combined value of €150m for the construction of a pan-European motorway through Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The loan to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be utilised to build the two sections of the Corridor VC pan-European road link, which will connect Budapest and Eastern Croatia to the Adriatic coast.

The loans are provided as part of the EIB’s Economic Resilience Initiative, which aims to stabilise the economy of the nations affected with conflict and migration.