The six-lane tunnel will slash congestion along the M1 corridor from Pakenham to Geelong. Credit: courtesy of the State of Victoria.
Scania’s vehicle being tested on the electrical road. Photo: courtesy of Scania.
Buildings and roads in LA. Photo: courtesy of CH2M Hill.
The MFF will help enhance regional connectivity and trade in the CAREC corridors in Pakistan. Photo: courtesy of Asian Development Bank.

Victoria signed contract for $5.07bn West Gate Tunnel

The Government of Victoria in Australia signed a contract with Transurban for the construction of the A$6.7bn ($5.07bn) West Gate Tunnel that will serve as an alternative to the West Gate Bridge.

Builders CPB Contractors and John Holland, selected by Transurban, started moving into a construction compound in Footscray, where they plan to begin work on the northern tunnel portal from the next month.

After completion, the six-lane tunnel would be used by trucks that operate on the residential streets in the inner west and help in eliminating congestion along the M1 corridor from Pakenham to Geelong.

TfL awarded £500m road contract to three construction companies

Transport for London (TfL) in the UK awarded contracts worth £500m to three construction companies for the construction of complex tunnels and highways.

The construction companies who received these contracts include Costain, Morgan Sindall and Skanska. They will be carrying out these projects over the next four years.

The new contract will see the companies working with TfL to design and build some of London’s most high-profile and complex road improvement projects.

Sweden and Germany partnered on mobility and electrical roads

The governments of Sweden and Germany entered a new innovation partnership for mobility and electrical roads called ‘Innovation and Cooperation for a Sustainable Future’.

The new partnership was announced during German Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Sweden.

Both countries will be focusing on the development of electrified road technology, work that has already been started by Scania in cooperation with its German counterpart Siemens.

Texas awarded $855m project to Grand Parkway Infrastructure

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) awarded an $855m project to Grand Parkway Infrastructure, a joint venture (JV) of Granite Construction, Ferrovial Agroman US and Webber.

The JV firm was awarded the SH-99 Grand Parkway design-build contract for segments H, I-1, and I-2.

As per the contract, Grand Parkway Infrastructure will build 52.5 miles of highway through Chambers, Harris, Liberty and Montgomery counties.

LACMTA selected CH2M to improve transport infrastructure

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) in the US has appointed CH2M, a global engineering and management company, to provide Highway Programme Project Delivery Support Services for improving transportation infrastructure in the region.

CH2M will assist LACMTA in addressing the region’s transportation challenges through on-call task orders, which includes development of design plans, specifications, studies, reports and other technical documents.

It will also provide an independent review and oversight of environmental design, including traffic, structures, and drainage contract plans.

Delphi signed deal to acquire nuTonomy for $450m

Delphi Automotive signed an agreement to acquire nuTonomy for $450m in a bid to speed up its plans to supply autonomous vehicle systems to automakers.

With the acquisition, Delphi aims to accelerate its commercialisation of autonomous driving (AD) and Automated Mobility on-Demand (AMoD) solutions for automakers and new mobility customers worldwide.

It will also enable the company to serve new customers and markets in the growing mobility space.

ADB approved $800m to improve road connectivity in Pakistan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved financing of $800m for improvement of regional connectivity and trade in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) corridors in Pakistan.

The multitranche financing facility (MFF) will be used to further improve road traffic efficiency, as well as enhance Pakistan’s regional connectivity links.

Initially, road infrastructure in Pakistan’s Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions will be rehabilitated and upgraded this year using MFF’s first tranche, which is worth $180m.

Abu Dhabi commenced $356m road project work

The Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi started work on the new AED1.13bn ($356m) road project that will connect Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Road with Al Reem and Umm Lafina islands in the UAE.

Serving as an extension of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Road, the new 10.5km road project forms part of the ongoing transport programme by DoT to improve Abu Dhabi infrastructure and support its economic growth.

The extension will link the islands with the main road on the intersection in Dhafeer Street.

Dutch authority awarded €1bn Rotterdam road project contract

The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) in the Netherlands and the BAAK Blankenburg-Verbinding consortium signed a contract for the construction of a €1bn road and tunnel project in Rotterdam.

The consortium consists of Ballast Nedam, DEME and Macquarie Capital, and the A24 Blankenburg-Verbinding project is expected to involve works to improve the roads and accessibility in the Port of Rotterdam.

In addition to the design and construction of Blankenburg-Verbinding, the contract also includes a 20-year management and maintenance period.

Volvo agreed to deliver autonomous cars to Uber

Volvo Cars entered a framework agreement to sell autonomous driving (AD) compatible base vehicles to ride-sharing company Uber between 2019 and 2021.

All the vehicles have been developed on Volvo Cars’ Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which is currently being used by automobile manufacturers worldwide.

Volvo Cars president and chief executive Håkan Samuelsson said: “The automotive industry is being disrupted by technology and Volvo Cars chooses to be an active part of that disruption.

“Our aim is to be the supplier of choice for AD ride-sharing service providers globally.

“Today’s agreement with Uber is a primary example of that strategic direction.”