Norwegian toll-road operator Vegfinans E18 Telemark secured a Nkr1bn (€105m) loan from Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) for the construction of a new section of the E18 motorway in Telemark county, Norway. 

Using the 20-year maturity loan, the operator will perform works in connection with a new, four-lane section of the E18 motorway.

The proposed section covers a total length of 16.8km between Rugtvedt and Dørdal in the municipalities of Bamble and Porsgrunn, Telemark county.

Canadian Government to improve James Bay Road with $205m investment

The governments of Canada and Quebec agreed to invest nearly C$265m ($205m) to carry out major repairs to James Bay Road. 

The project will cover the entire stretch of James Bay Road that spans 620km. 

Works to be carried out include resurfacing of more than half of the road, and replacement of culverts and road safety devices such as signage and guardrails. 

Queensland Government starts Cape River Bridge upgrade

The Government of Queensland initiated the process of upgrading the Cape River Bridge located between Emerald and Charters Towers with an investment of A$34.6m ($26.2m) in Australia.  

The bridge upgrade is expected to offer a reliable transport to the people living in the North Queensland region.

Minister assisting the premier on North Queensland Coralee O’Rourke said: "We know that we need safe and reliable roads in the north to keep our region moving, supporting local families and businesses, and creating more local work."

Siemens deploys SafeZone system across London, UK

Siemens completed the installation of permanent average speed enforcement systems across London using its SafeZone technology. 

Under the contract with Transport for London (TfL), the enforcement system is integrated with more than 120 Sicore ANPR cameras located at 80 sites across various key corridors around the city, including the A40, A406, A2, and A316.

Siemens Sicore ll is its next-generation ANPR camera platform and has been designed for average speed limitation, as well as enforcement, clean air zones, and access control.

Jacobs wins contract to widen Sawgrass Expressway in Florida, US

Jacobs Engineering Group (Jacobs) secured a contract from Florida's Turnpike Enterprise to provide design services for the expansion of the Sawgrass Expressway in South Florida, US.

The contract includes the construction of two new express lanes in each direction, as well as the expansion of the existing roads from six to ten lanes.

Under the contract, Jacobs will be responsible for providing design services for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of three interchanges.

Texas awards $855m project to Grand Parkway Infrastructure

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

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

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

UK’s largest road upgrade project progresses

New aerial images of A14 project in the UK showed the steady progress of upgrade works being carried out by a four-way joint venture comprising Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Skanska and Costain.  

The project, which started in November last year between Cambridge and Huntingdon, is reported to be one of the biggest road upgrades in the UK and involves an investment of £1.5bn. 

Project works include widening of a seven-mile road stretch on the A14 in each direction (across two sections), construction of a new bypass south of Huntingdon, and widening a three-mile section of the A1.

Navya to build production plant for ARMA autonomous shuttle in Michigan

French autonomous electric vehicle maker Navya revealed plans to build a 20,000ft² production facility in Saline, Michigan, US. 

The facility will manufacture nearly 25 Arma fully autonomous shuttle vehicles by the end of this year. 

With the new Michigan facility, Navya expects to boost production of the fully autonomous shuttle vehicles to meet the needs of the North American market.

Kapsch to supply 6C toll tags for E-470 Highway in Colorado

Kapsch TrafficCom secured a contract from the E-470 Public Highway Authority (E-470) to supply 6C toll tags for ExpressToll account holders in Colorado, US. 

The new tags can be used with the existing all-electronic toll (AET) collection system deployed on the 47-mile road stretch of E-470, as well as with the other toll facilities located across the state. 

Drivers on E-470 are currently tolled with either hard-case, sticker tag, or switchable transponders, in addition to licence plate billing systems.

NDoT selects Ames-Horrocks team for I-15 / Garnet interchange project

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDoT) selected a design-build team of Ames Construction with Horrocks Engineers for the Interstate 15 (I-15) / Garnet interchange project near Apex Industrial Park in north Las Vegas, US. 

NDoT chose the Ames-Horrocks $58m bid as it was 25% below the engineer’s estimate.

The project includes expansion of US Highway 93 to two lanes in each direction for five miles from the Garnet Interchange to just north of Apex Power Parkway, as well as upgrading an interchange that was built in 1963.