Despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the contract to build the new 'signature span' for the East Oakland Bay Bridge, construction of the skyway which forms the majority of the length of the new crossing is already considerably advanced.

Construction has started on what will be Thailand’s longest cable-stayed bridge. Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River Bridge will have a 500m main span and twin side spans of 220.5m. It will carry eight lanes of traffic as part of a 20km motorway that will provide access to a new international airport.

Russian Railways public corporation has announced the construction of the second stage of a 2.6km road and rail crossing of the Amur River. The corporation reached an agreement with the governor of Habarovsk territory to build the crossing which will carry the Moscow-Moscow freeway and will support the growth of freight along the Trans-Siberian railway. The total construction cost is estimated at US$144 million. The first stage was completed in 1999, providing a single track railway and two road lanes. The need to expand capacity with a second stage of the bridge has become urgent as an existing tunnel under the river needs reconstruction.

A Japanese consortium of Taisei, Kajima and Nippon Steel has started construction of a major suspension bridge over the Hau River in the south of Vietnam. Can Tho Bridge will have a 1km central section with a main span of over 500m. Total length of the bridge is 2.75km. Japan Bank for International Cooperation is funding the US$300 million scheme, which also includes over 13km of approach roads. The work is aimed at boosting the economy of the Mekong Delta, replacing a ferry service downstream of the bridge site.

A key bridge over the Tigris River between Tikrit and Kirkuk has been reopened. This was the third and final bridge needing repairs on major transport routes in Iraq. Conflict damage left had Tikrit Bridge close to collapse. Bechtel began the repairs in August 2003 under its contract with the US Agency for International Development, subcontracting part of the work work to the local 77 Construction Company. Temporary bridges were installed while the work took place.

Stretto di Messina has achieved its target of attracting five potential bidders for the record-breaking Messina Bridge project. Their identities will be disclosed next month when the formal bidding documents are sent out following the vetting of the prequalification proposals.

The central section of Bratislava's fifth bridge over the Danube has been swung into position this week. The arch was assembled parallel to the river in the Slovakian capital and floated into place in an operation lasting several days.

Plans have been announced to add two extra lanes to Malaysia’s 13.5km Penang Bridge. Widening the bridge from four to six lanes would meet the immediate need to increase traffic capacity between Penang Island and the mainland.

A major section of the Escambia Bay Bridge in Florida has collapsed in the wake of Hurricane Ivan. Several hundred metres of the eastbound carriageway of the I-10 highway fell into the water. The bridge is a vital east-west corridor, carrying some 25,000 vehicles a day.

Brian Osbourne has been promoted to become one of three group managing directors of contractor Balfour Beatty, taking responsibility for several departments including Raynesway Construction Services and Gammon. His previous post as managing director of Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering will be filled by Andrew McNaughton.

Specialist manufacturer Mageba, which makes bridge bearings, expansion joints and shock absorbers for bridges, has merged with the construction department of fellow Swiss manufacturer Proceq. The move will allow Mageba to expand into the commercial and industrial buildings sector, and is expected to strengthen the experience and position of the two companies within the bridge industry. The headquarters of the merged companies will remain in Bulach, Switzerland.

The European Union is to accept Bulgaria's position that the Second Danube Bridge should carry four lanes, the Bulgarian government has announced. In talks between the two parties, the EU's initial view was that there should be a single lane in each direction. Bulgarian minister Nikolay Vassilev also made the case for the maximum grant of US$86 million towards the project. The financial memorandum for the grant should be signed by the end of this year.

Kentucky and Indiana transportation officials have selected five major companies to compete to design a US$400 million pair of bridges over the Ohio River. The five are: HNTB, Michael Baker, Parsons Brinckerhoff, TY Lin International and URS. The Ohio River Bridges Project will provide the Louisville-Southern Indiana region with a new downtown bridge immediately upstream from the existing Kennedy Bridge, an east end bridge about 13km from downtown and a rebuild of a major interchange.

Construction of a major cable-stayed bridge in Macau was suspended yesterday following the deaths of two workers who fell from the structure. Safety on the scheme will now be scrutinised.

Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct is likely either to be rebuilt or else replaced by a six lane tunnel, Washington State officials have said. These are emerging as the most popular and likely of five options, ahead of a new larger bridge, a bypass tunnel or a surface route. The deteriorating viaduct suffered earthquake damage in 2001. It has been assessed as having a 1 in 20 chance of being hit within 10 years by an earthquake large enough to force its closure.

Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority has unveiled the selected designs for two bridges and an elevated walkway as part of its plans for a recreational trail for the Southern Ridges hill parks.

A consortium of Hungarian contractors Vegyepszer and Hidepito has won the US$260 million contract to build a motorway bridge over the the River Danube at Dunaújváros. The award was made by Hungary’s national motorway construction organisation following an open, prequalified tender.

The Foyle Bridge is a spectacular man-made addition to the natural rugged terrain found to the north-east of Londonderry in Northern Ireland. The bridge was completed in 1984 and carries the A515 across the River Foyle; its elegant curve is enhanced by a minimum depth girder profile at the centre of the main span.

The US National Transportation Safety Board has said that the probable cause of the barge collision which toppled an Interstate 40 bridge in Okalahoma in 2002 was the captain's loss of consciousness. This may have been the result of an unforeseeable abnormal heart rhythm. Motorists were unable to to detect the collapsed bridge in time to stop their vehicles, which contributed to the loss of life said the NTSB.

The Ethiopian Roads Authority has agreed a US$1.29 million bridge design contract with Oriental Consultants and Japan Engineering Consultants. The consortium will design a new bridge across the Blue Nile – which is known locally as Abbay – and a 42km stretch of trunk road. Japan’s government is financing the consultancy work which is expected to be completed in March 2005.

Funding for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is in doubt after California legislators ended their 2004 session without approving a bill aimed at keeping construction going. The proposed bill would have allowed up to US$520 million in bridge tolls to be used towards the next phase of the project. California’s governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration had already expressed opposition to what it described as a “stop-gap” funding proposal.

Bidding is set to start for a record-breaking 22.5km sea crossing in India. The competition for the bridge had originally been announced in February but was then deferred.

Taiwan’s legislature has passed a US$1.07 billion special budget for a programme of 10 major construction projects. Schemes include mass rapid transit systems in the northern, central and southern parts of Taiwan and the third phase of the island's freeway network.

A study published by Vancouver’s transport authority, Translink, says that the construction of the Golden Ears Bridge and associated roads is expected to give a US$750 million boost to the local economy. The bridge will improve the movement of goods and people between the north and south sides of the Fraser River and through Greater Vancouver.

Work starts today on Brazil’s US$30 million Aracaju-Barra Bridge. The 1.6km structure is intended to boost tourism and the economy, replacing a ferry service. It will have dual two lane carriageways as well as catering for cycles and pedestrians. Completion is due on 31 December 2006.

Construction of Santiago’s US$330 million Américo Vespucio Nor-Poniente freeway is now 30% complete, Chile’s public works minister Javier Etcheberry was told during a site visit yesterday. The 29km route includes four road bridges, including one over the Mapocho River that will be the widest in the country.

Edward Kraemer & Sons is to begin a bridge replacement project in Castle Rock, Colorado, in September. The contract is the third and final part of the Broadway Viaduct project, which has been under construction since 2001.

The US Federal Highway Administration and the Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Transportation have released a supplemental draft environmental impact statement on proposals for the new St Croix River Crossing.

California’s Department of Transportation now has until 30 September to decide whether or not to accept the sole bid for the self-anchored suspension section of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge east span. Extra time has been agreed beyond the initial 60 day assessment period which recently expired.

Shanghai has approved plans for a massive bridge and tunnel connection between Chongming Island and the city’s downtown areas. The project includes a 9km tunnel connecting Pudong with Changxing Island and a 10km bridge to link Changxing and Chongming. Chongming is the third largest island in China and its development has been hindered by transport bottlenecks.

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced a fiscal and programme audit of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project, prompted by increases in the scheme’s costs. He also intends sponsoring legislation which would transfer responsibility for the seismic retrofit of all seven Bay area toll bridges to the local Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The third part of his plan is to give voters a say in how the bridge tolls are spent.

A distinctive concrete "finback" bridge will be the focus of a US$48 million design and build contract just awarded to Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering. The 140m bridge will cross a rail route as part of the Entrance Gateway project in East Manchester, north west England. The contract also includes a 35m jacked-box tunnel under the rail line, a light rail station with a 45m landmark copper canopy and a concrete bridge over a new 400m stretch of dual carriageway road.

The first verticals have been erected for construction of the superstructure

Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England is to be completely closed for part of this weekend to prevent overcrowding during a major balloon fiesta nearby. Studies have shown that a high number of pedestrians surging on to the bridge as they return home after events at Ashton Court Park could cause unacceptable stresses in the 140-year-old structure.

Trimble has announced that its positioning technologies are being used to help speed construction of the US$1.7 billion Hangzhou Bay Transoceanic Bridge in China. Contractor China Railway Bridge Bureau Group is using Trimble global positioning systems, digital auto levels and software on the 36 km six-lane bridge. Trimble said that the distances are so great that conventional survey systems would either reduce the accuracy or would require extra control stations. Accuracy is improved for long distances by using the GPS systems with a reference station for differential corrections, said Trimble, enhancing the contractor's productivity.

The Asian Development Bank has awarded a US$2 million grant towards a development masterplan and improvement project that will help rehabilitate Afghanistan's road network. Much of the country's road infrastructure has been damaged in more than two decades of conflict, with wrecked bridges and tunnels causing bottlenecks.

The governor of the Brazilian state of Sergipe has welcomed directors of the Empresa Sul Americana de Montagens (EMSA) which started work last month on a US$33 million bridge. EMSA beat 10 other qualified tenderers for the 720 day contract to build the 1.8km Aracaju-Barra dos Coqueiros Bridge. The bridge will have dual two lane carriageways as well as pedestrian and cycle lanes. It is set to open up transport in the Sergipe region with benefits for the port, tourism, agriculture and industry.

Balfour Beatty announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Skanska’s 50% interest in Gammon, the Hong Kong-based construction company. The deal was first unveiled in May and Balfour Beatty has now paid US$60.9 million in cash for Skanska’s interest in Gammon, following a period of due diligence. Jardine Matheson owns the other 50%.

A huge fireworks display on Saturday night was followed by the Olympic torch being relayed across the Rion Antirion Bridge yesterday, marking completion of the structure that takes the world record for the longest cable-stayed deck. The bridge has a continuous 2.259km deck suspended from four 170m pylons. It crosses high over the western end of the Gulf of Corinth, connecting mainland Greece to the Peloponnese.

One of the UK's biggest cranes is being used in a complex engineering operation taking place over several successive weekends. The 1000t crane is lifting a series of huge beams - weighing up to 230t each - into place over the M62 motorway near Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire. The beams will rest on a series of "wine glass" shaped piers some 17m high to provide a new three level interchange. The work forms part of the Highways Agency's USD$447 million project to upgrade the A1 to motorway standard between Darrington and Dishforth.

US and Canadian authorities have been sent permit applications for a US$300 million project to increase the capacity of the busy Ambassador Bridge border crossing. Detroit International Bridge Company wants to build four new lanes parallel to the existing bridge which links Michigan and Ontario. The bridge would either be joined to the original bridge or separate but close by. Other companies are also developing proposals to win the rights to build and operate new bridge or tunnel capacity across the border.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee given its approval to a US$70.9 million project for a new bridge over the Saigon River linking the city centre with the Thu Thiem peninsula. Construction of the 766m bridge is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2005. It will be funded from local budgets and then tolled.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed that Fru-Con Construction should be fined US$280,000 in respect of a crane collapse which caused four deaths in February. The crane was being used as part of a US$277 million scheme to build a new crossing alongside the existing Craig Memorial Bridge over the Maumee River near Toledo, Ohio.

Atkins has been appointed by Prague City Council to evaluate and develop a public private partnership (PPP) for the construction of the north western section of the Prague ring road. Atkins’ work includes assessment of the feasibility of a PPP for the design, financing, construction and operation of the scheme as well as development of the tender documentation and process.

Tyco/Holland Railconsult consortium has signed the contract to supply project management services to RAVE, the project organisation commissioned by Portugal's government to build the country's high speed rail network. The network will consist of 600km of double track line and will connect Lisbon to Porto, Porto to Vigo in north-west Spain and Lisbon to Madrid. The consortium had been named in May as the preferred bidder.

The final major section of the Svinesund Bridge was hoisted into position yesterday. A 126.5m length of steel deck structure, 28m wide and weighing 1,460t, was lifted from barges 55m below. The 704m-long bridge - which will link Norway and Sweden - is in the form of a slender concrete arch from which the steel box girder carriageways are suspended. Bilfinger Berger is the main contractor and the design is by Bilfinger Berger and Meyer & Schubart. Client for the work is the Swedish Road Administration, Vägverket Region Väst. The bridge is due to open in June 2005.

American Bridge has begun work on the Cumberland Lake Bridge in Eastern Kentucky. The bridge features a 479m, two span continuous truss of over 11,000t which will be erected by the balanced cantilever method.

The company has also just completed its work on a new vertical lift bridge spanning a canal in New Orleans. Florida Avenue Bridge carries a single rail track plus two road lanes on a 2,200t truss.

A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the start of construction on the Route 1 & 9 Viaduct over the Elizabeth River in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The US$72 million project will replace the existing structurally deficient Elizabeth River Viaduct and will include intersection improvements. Design has been carried out by Tams-Earth Tech and contractor is George Harms Construction Company.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge could be completed in 2012 - a year ahead of schedule - if planning permission is granted by the end of 2004. Applications were lodged last week with the local authorities on both sides of the River Thames at the planned location in east London. Powers from central government and other agencies are also required to build the bridge and TfL will make these applications over the next few weeks.

Senior figures from around the world will gather in Mostar today (23 July) for the inauguration of the city’s newly rebuilt bridge. The Old Bridge was destroyed in 1993 during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Roads & Traffic Authority of New South Wales has awarded a contract to Baulderstone Hornibrook for the design and construction of a bridge over the Murray River flood plain. Baulderstone Hornibrook is designing the bridge to have an incrementally launched superstructure. One of the company’s tender proposals was to increase the span lengths which reduces the amount of construction in the environmentally-sensitive river. The existing bridge is to be dismantled following completion of the new structure in 2006.

The Phillipines Department of Public Works & Highways has published details of progress on several key bridge projects.

Fibre-optic sensors have been embedded in a four lane highway bridge in the US as part of a research programme by New Mexico State University (NMSU). Each of the bridge’s six 90-ton beams contains 120 sensors, made by Swiss company Smartec.

Contracts worth over US$30 billion have been signed during a four day economic and trade fair in Guangzhou in China’s Guangdong Province. Among the key announcements was that Hopewell Highway Infrastructure will invest in the US$590 million 46km second phase of the Western Delta expressway. The expressway will form part of a 100km toll road linking with the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge.

A consortium of Skanska USA, Washington Group International and Royal BAM Group has submitted an unsolicited public-private partnership proposal for a major transport scheme in Virginia. The use of private sector funding would save over US$1 billion compared to the current plan for the Third Hampton Roads Crossing, claims the report submitted to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The final deck segment of the Panama Canal Bridge's 420m main span has now been completed. Construction by the free cantilever method had started in January and it took only 27 weeks to place all 129 segments using four travellers. The average cycle was six days and the minimum took just four.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has chosen Louis Berger Group for feasibility studies, design and construction engineering services for the US Route 1 Bridge. Construction will cost an estimated US$25 million to US$35 million and will add an additional northbound lane to the bridge. The project is part of a 10 year US$526 million plan to reduce congestion at bridges in the area.

Seminars and papers about orthotropic bridges throughout the world will be presented at a major conference to be held in Sacramento, California from 23-29 August. The first international orthotropic bridge conference will highlight the features of these bridges including their light weight, high earthquake resistance and ease of installation. The 7-day program includes twin two-day seminars; a 3-day conference and tours of orthotropic bridges in the area.

Scotland’s Forth Estuary Transport Authority is to develop proposals for a new crossing over the River Forth at Queensferry. The bridge would give priority to public transport, perhaps with a light railway or tram. This is one of a series of recommendations in a draft local transport strategy aimed at tackling the increasing problems of congestion and overloading on the Forth Road Bridge. The report was prepared by consultants SIAS and WSP Group.

Potential bidders for the record-breaking Messina Bridge now have until 15 September to submit their applications. Stretto di Messina – the concessionaire for the design, construction, finance and management – has extended the deadline from the original 13 July in response to industry demand. “We had many, many requests from very big and important companies in Italy and outside asking for more time to organise themselves,” said a spokesman for the company. Agreeing to the requests would help in Stretto di Messina’s aim to maximise competition and attract the best companies, he said, adding that the new deadline will not delay the project’s progress.

Santiago Calatrava’s Sundial Bridge was opened yesterday, connecting the north and south areas of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, California. The US$23 million cable-stayed bridge over the Sacramento River has an inclined, 66m steel pylon and a structural glass deck. The mast angles to the north and acts as a sundial that can be read at the north end of the bridge.

Consulting engineer Gifford and Wilkinson Eyre Architects have won a prestigious German award, the Balthasar Neumann Preis 2004, for the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. The award recognises outstanding works of collaboration between architects and engineers and was presented to the design team at a ceremony in Wurzburg, Germany, on 25 June.