News US earmarks $830m to protect transport infrastructure from climate change The US government is to spend $830m on mitigating the effects of climate change on road and rail systems. The money will go on 80 projects to protect transport from…
Innovation How France surveyed 45,000 bridges in 18 months After the Morandi Bridge collapsed in Genoa in 2018, the French government ordered an unprecedented survey of France’s bridges, led by the public resilience agency, Cerema. It was a daunting…
News Aecom poaches award-winning engineer from BC transport ministry Aecom has recruited an award-winning engineer from the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to be senior director of highway engineering in the Canadian province. Faisal Siddiqui spent 17…
News Three engineers chosen to assess the Netherlands’ bridges and viaducts The Dutch public works directorate and the ministry of infrastructure and water management have selected a trio of engineers – Arup, Iv and Wagemaker – to assess the structural integrity…
News Shanghai to raise Yangtze rail spending to almost $20bn in 2024 Authorities in China’s Yangtze River Delta region are planning to invest $19.4bn in rail projects this year, an increase of 12% on 2023. Among the 32 schemes that will get…
Markets Bidenomics makes US construction boom as spending surges 12% Total construction spending in the US hit $2.1 trillion in January, nearly 12% (11.7%) higher than the figure for January 2023, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) said Friday.…
News $2.1bn deal agreed to replace Louisiana’s Calcasieu River Bridge A $2.1bn public-private agreement to replace the Calcasieu River Bridge in Louisiana, built in 1952, has reached commercial close. Technically structurally deficient, the bridge is a bottleneck on the Interstate…
News US creates $729m fund to repair roads damaged by natural disasters The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced $729m in funding to repair roads and bridges damaged by hurricanes, flooding and mudslides, and to improve their resilience to future disasters.…
News China halts local projects as municipal debt hits $13 trillion Beijing has told a dozen local governments to halt or delay infrastructure projects to limit debt increases, Reuters reports. Local governments in China have some autonomy in how they implement…
News California website shows progress of every infrastructure project The state of California launched a website yesterday tracking the progress of state and federal infrastructure projects and how taxpayers’ money is being spent on them. The build.ca.gov site aims…
News China to spend $11bn on Tibetan infrastructure this year The Chinese government is to spend $11.3bn on infrastructure in Tibet’s western Xizang Autonomous Region this year, Xinhua reports. The investment, equal to more than a third of the region’s…
News US grants $6bn to Californian high-speed rail schemes The US Department of Transport has awarded grants worth a total of $6.1bn to two high-speed rail schemes in California. The money was disbursed under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted…
News China considers extra $137bn infrastructure spend to boost growth China is mulling raising its infrastructure spending by a trillion yuan, or $137bn, to accelerate the economy’s recovery from its long period of covid restrictions, Bloomberg reports. The money would…
News Brazil plans $75bn infrastructure spend Brazil has announced $75bn in infrastructure financing as part of a Growth Acceleration Programme, abbreviated as PAC in Portuguese. This PAC is Brazil’s third, following a federally funded programme announced…
News UK government enables €422m of infrastructure upgrades in Zanzibar The UK Export Finance (UKEF) has allocated €422m in guarantees for infrastructure work on the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar. Funding will be focused on two projects: an upgrade to Pemba…
News Aecom to help Ukraine plan post-war reconstruction programme Dallas-based engineer Aecom has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development to provide programme management support for the country’s eventual reconstruction. Aecom says…
News After almost 40 years, Brazil completes 2,260km North-South railway After a construction period that has stretched over four decades, Brazil has completed the 2,260km Norte-Sul railway, stretching from the northeastern port of Itaqui, in Maranhão state, to the southeastern…
News DRC demands $17bn for infrastructure from China The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is demanding an additional $17bn in investment from China under the terms of a 2008 infrastructure-for-minerals deal, Reuters reports.