Skanska, Manafort Brothers
Providence Viaduct carries Interstate 95 over the Woonasquatucket River in Providence, Rhode Island. Credit: Marcbela.
California gasoline-powered cars
The new order aims to reduce the demand for fossil fuel in California. Credit: Alexander Popov on Unsplash.
 Volkswagen; HELLA
Car.Software Org develops assistance systems and automated driving functions for all brands of the Volkswagen Group. Credit: Unsplash.
 Iberdrola
Iberdrola ramps up its sustainable mobility strategy. Credit: Iberdrola, S.A.

Construction starts on $731m Gympie Bypass road in Australia 

Australia’s Queensland Government announced that the construction works for the A$1bn ($731m) Gympie Bypass road project was initiated with the first sod turning at the Woondum interchange. 

A Bielby BMD joint venture was awarded the contract, which will be responsible for a road upgrade from Woondum through to Veteran as part of the Bruce Highway – Cooroy to Curra Section D project. 

Australia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said: “This first contract will deliver 12km of dual-lane, divided highway between the Woondum interchange and Sandy Creek Road in Veteran.”

ADB provides $274m loan to upgrade highways in Uzbekistan 

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan of $274.2m to upgrade 240km of highway in Uzbekistan to improve road transport connectivity. 

Under the project, a 240km section of the Guzar–Bukhara–Nukus–Beyneu highway in Karakalpakstan will be reconstructed as a two-lane, cement concrete road. 

As part of Corridor 2 of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programme, the reconstructed roads will link villages to the Guzar–Bukhara–Nukus–Beyneu highway. 

Skanska, Manafort Brothers receive $212m for Rhode Island viaduct 

Skanska and Manafort Brothers joint venture (JV) received a $212m contract from Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) for the replacement of an elevated part of the Interstate 95 (I-95) in Providence. 

The work will be carried out on the northbound section of the I-19 interstate highway. 

Skanska will include its part of the contract, worth $106m, in the contract in US order bookings for the third quarter of 2020. 

Volkswagen’s Car.Software Org takes over HELLA camera software business 

Volkswagen Group’s Car.Software Org acquired the front camera software business from HELLA Aglaia Mobile Vision, a wholly owned subsidiary of HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA to support Volkswagen’s growth in the development of automated driving functions. 

The deal included the takeover of all the associated testing and validation departments. 

Car.Software Org CEO Dirk Hilgenberg said: “By acquiring the camera software business area of HELLA together with the relevant image processing know-how, we are continuing our strategy of developing key software components in-house in the future.” 

Al Habtoor Group selects Mobileye to launch robotaxis in UAE 

Intel-subsidiary Mobileye entered a partnership with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based business conglomerate Al Habtoor Group (AHG) to deploy robotaxis and mobility services in Dubai, UAE. 

The new partnership between the two companies is expected to pave way for the deployment of driverless mobility solutions in Dubai using Mobileye’s autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. 

Under the new collaboration, Mobileye will offer mapping technologies for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), self-driving vehicles, and smart city solutions. 

Vattenfall wins tender for charging points installation in Netherlands 

Vattenfall secured a tender to install up to 8,000 new charging points in the provinces Noord-Brabant and Limburg in the Netherlands. 

The agreement comprised new solutions such as smart charging and the proactive expansion of the areas’ charging infrastructure. 

The project is scheduled to be completed by 2024. 

California to ban gasoline-powered cars sale by 2035 

The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, signed an executive order to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. 

The new order is aimed at significantly reducing the demand for fossil fuel in California. 

Newsom said: “This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change. For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe.”

Iberdrola raises €59m for charging points installation in Spain and Portugal 

Iberdrola signed a green loan with the Official Credit Institute (ICO) for an amount of €59.4m to finance the installation of 2,500 public charging points in Spain and Portugal to strengthen its roadside charging network. 

The move rams up Iberdrola’s sustainable mobility strategy, under which the company plans to roll-out 150,000 chargers over the next five years. 

The company’s mobility electrification plan also has the support of the European Commission through CEF Transport Blending Facility funds.