Alaskan congressman Don Young is driving forward proposals for a bridge over the Knik Arm inlet near Anchorage. Funding for the bridge will be included in a US$375 billion transportation bill, said Young, who is chairman of the House transportation and infrastructure committee. It is better to move ahead now on the bridge itself and to leave construction of some of the approach routes for later, he said, as the approaches would face lengthy environmental studies which could delay the whole scheme.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has chosen Skanska to build a major interchange on the beltway around Washington DC. The US$147 million scheme includes construction of 19 bridges and two temporary bridges as well as the demolition of seven existing bridges. Skanska USA Civil's unit Tidewater Skanska will carry out the project, which will begin in mid-January 2004 for completion in June 2009.

TP Ferro - a consortium of ACS, Dragados and Eiffage - has won the contract to build the international high speed rail line from Figueras to Perpiñán. The US$1.184 billion project is 44.4km long, with 24.6km in France and 19.8km on the Spanish side of the border.

At least four people have been killed and over 50 are missing following the collapse of a bridge over the River Chapare in the Cochabamba region of central Bolivia. Four vehicles, including a bus, were crossing the 350m bridge when it was washed away as heavy rainfall caused the river to rise. Soldiers and police continue to search for the missing people.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has approved a capital budget of over US$38.5 million for 2004. The budget covers engineering and construction work on the 20 bridges that DRJTBC operates. Schemes include renovation of the New Hope-Lambertville bridge, which is due to start in early January.

Japan’s government and the ruling coalition parties have agreed a plan to privatise four debt-ridden public corporations. The move will permit completion of the final 2000km of Japan’s planned 9340km expressway network. The four corporations are Japan Highway Public Corporation, Metropolitan Expressway Public Corporation, Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation and Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority. They will be divided into six private companies in 2005.

There has been great progress in reducing Shanghai’s traffic congestion thanks to this year’s completion of 17 key infrastructure projects, said government spokesman Jiao Yang. Particularly effective was the work to relieve traffic pressure on the roads across the Huangpu River he said. Completion of the huge arch Lupu Bridge and two tunnels has cut the traffic on several older crossings by between 10% and 30%.

The 1250t arch section of La Crosse’s new Mississippi River Bridge is due to be floated into position today. The 145m arch will be moved onto its permanent piers in a 12 hour exercise carried out by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and contractor Lunda Construction. Completion of the US$40 million project is due in November 2004.

Britain’s first vertical lift bridge is now making its mark on the local skyline by night as well as day. A US$300,000 lighting system was switched on yesterday at the imposing Newport Bridge over the River Tees in North East England. Middlesbrough-based Wares fitted the lights on the 122m steel structure, to a design by Newcastle consultant DTA. Support for the project has come from One NorthEast, the Tees Valley Partnership and Stockton Borough Council.

Residents of Missouri in the US were given an early holiday present at the weekend with the opening of two major schemes to relieve congestion. Ceremonies marked the completion of the US$170 million Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau and the US$350 million Page Avenue Extension between St Louis and St Charles counties.

The European Commission is launching a website to draw together transport research from across the European Union. From early 2004, the Transport Research Knowledge Centre will cover both EU and nationally supported research. The site will provide timely access to project results and policy implications as well as copies of final reports and links to further details. It is at http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/extra .

The state of Rhode Island has completed a US$270 million bond deal which will enable construction of five critical transport infrastructure schemes. The work includes two major bridges, as well as replacement of many other highway structures. The five projects are:

Japan International Cooperation Agency has signed an agreement with Cambodian officials develop proposals for a 2km bridge over the Mekong River at Neak Luong, 60km east of Phnom Penh. A study will begin next year and the US$100 million bridge could be built by 2009. The agreement also provides funding for highway upgrades along the route from Phnom Penh.

Information gathered from a new “smart bridge” in New Jersey will be used to verify national design specifications. The US$30 million Doremus Avenue Bridge replacement includes technology to monitor conditions and provide data on the response to heavy loads and to the stresses due to seasonal temperatures.

A sound and light show will celebrate the completion of the Millau Viaduct’s seven record-breaking piers. The display will be held after dark on Tuesday 9 December, when the piers will be progressively illuminated to demonstrate the construction sequence. Lasers will then trace the final shape of the structure.

A worker died and six were injured when part of a bridge under construction collapsed yesterday in Napa, California. Beams and timber fell 25m, taking the people with them. The bridge is being built to replace the existing Maxwell Bridge over the Napa River. The US$30 million scheme is designed to relieve a traffic bottleneck, improve flood safety and give better access for large boats.

Construction of a second bridge linking Thailand and Laos over the Mekong river is due to start in February. The two lane, 1.6km bridge will join Savannakhet in Laos and Mukdahan in Thailand. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation is providing US$74 million in loans for the project.

The Asian Development Bank has approved a US$270 million loan for construction of a 71km ring road in Xi’an, China. The Xi'an Urban Transport project will include bridges and interchanges as well as 16 km of new or upgraded connector roads. It is intended to relieve bottlenecks around the city.

The invitation to contractors to bid for the Messina bridge will be issued by January 2004, Italian minister of infrastructure Pietro Lunardi said this week. The decision on who will build the bridge will be taken within a year, ready for work to start in 2005 with completion in 2011, he added. Lunardi said that the project is not dependent on EU funding and that funding sources have already been identified.

Two contracts totalling US$21 million have been let for the approaches to Bai Chay Bridge, which is under construction in Vietnam's northern province of Quang Ninh. A 3km section will be built by by the Transport Work Construction Corporation 1 (Cienco 1) and the Infrastructure Construction Corporation. The second section, which is 1.92km, was awarded to Cienco 1 and the Truong Son Construction Corporation. Each contract includes a bridge and several flyovers.

One of the key aspects of the construction engineering function for cable-stayed span erection is monitoring the forces in stay cables throughout bridge construction.

One of the most high profile infrastructure casualties of the recent war in the Balkans was the ancient stone bridge in the centre of Mostar, in south-west Bosnia-Herzegovina. This structure, which was a World Heritage site, is now being rebuilt using ancient stonemasonry techniques and specialist engineers.

Skanska starts work next month building a new 1.9km bridge on the E18 highway at Drammen, outside Oslo. It will stand alongside an existing bridge, which will be renovated once the new structure is complete in 2005. Client for the US$63 million project is the Norwegian Road Administration.

The world-renowned structural engineer Tung-Yen Lin has died, aged 91. He was the founder TY Lin International and of San Francisco-based Lin Tung-Yen China, and was a professor emeritus of civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His pioneering work in prestressed concrete had a profound influence on modern structural design.

A crescent shaped cable stayed compression arch with a suspended deck has been chosen to bridge the River Clyde following a design competition run by Glasgow City Council. The winning team is made up of Arup, Richard Rogers Partnership, Faithful and Gould, AtkinsFoster and Partners, Davis Langdon & Everest and Land Use Consultants.

OxBlue Corporation’s webcam technology has been chosen to monitor the construction of the new Four Bears Bridge. The 1.5km concrete box girder bridge is being built over Lake Sakakawea in the northwestern corner of the Fort Berthold Reservation near New Town, North Dakota. The US$55 million project is sponsored by North Dakota Department of Transportation and the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation. Public access to the webcam system is available at http://www.oxblue.com/fbb .

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Youghiogheny Reservoir Bridge. The 530m steel girder structure - locally known as the Yough Dam Bridge – will replace an existing bridge when it opens in 2006. Contractor for the US$25.38 million project is GA & FC Wagman.

Business and community leaders have formed a group to seek funding for a new bridge linking Ohio with northern Kentucky at Cincinnati. The organisation, Coalition for a New Bridge, says that replacement of the 39-year-old Brent Spence Bridge is vital both for businesses and residents. More than 149,000 vehicles now cross the bridge daily, against an original recommended capacity of 80,000. A US$2 million feasibility study into the scheme is already being carried out for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

Bridge and highway product manufacturer DS Brown has extended its range of products through the acquisition of Exodermic Bridge Deck. Exodermic is a modular slab system designed to speed up construction while reducing dead load. Schemes that have used the Exodermic system include the Boston Central Artery I-93 viaduct, Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River in St Louis and the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York.

Longitudinal girders for the new crossing of the River Rhone are being pushed out today towards the final river pier. The launch will take the deck support structure to the fourth pier of the five span crossing, close to the western bank. Steel box girder sections are assembled at the eastern side and pushed out over the reinforced concrete piers. The structure will be 525m long, with three central spans of 125m flanked by outer spans of 75m. It will provide a connection between two key roads, the RN7 and the RN86. Contractors for the US$46 million scheme are Eiffage Traveaux Publiques and Victor Buyck Steel (Bd&e no 31).

A Mott MacDonald-led consortium has been appointed by the Construction Industry Research & Information Association to produce a best practice guide for the condition appraisal and remedial treatment of masonry and brick arch bridges. Other members of the consortium include May Gurney Rail and Salford University. The report will be published in December 2005.

Successful completion of 5km of elevated highways in the reclaimed Hung Hom area of Hong Kong has earned the Zhan Tian You prize from the China Civil Engineering Society. Joint recipients of the award are the Hong Kong Highways Department, Maeda-Chun Wo joint venture and design consultants Hyder Consulting and Maunsell Consultants Asia. The project was part of a scheme aimed at reducing traffic congestion. The award will be formally presented next month.

The Madagascan Government has signed a memorandum of understanding to work with mining company Platinum Works to upgrade 200km of road in support of the extraction of minerals such as sapphires. The project involves widening and paving the existing road between Toliary and Ilakaka as well as improving the alignment and building bypasses and bridges. Estimated costs are between US$200,000 and US$1.5 million per kilometer depending on what the section involves. The first phase, starting in January, entails constructing a series of Acrow bridges. Phase two will start in March and take up to 10 years. Benefits will include improved transport for equipment, reduced journey times, increased safety and easier access the Isalo National Park to promote tourism.

A US$250,000 firework display will mark today’s official opening of the Carquinez suspension bridge in California. The three span, 1055m bridge crosses the Carquinez Strait navigation channel in San Francisco Bay. The structure – which is also called the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge after a famed local bridge worker – replaces an existing westbound crossing built in 1927. Contractors for the US$200 million project were a joint venture of FCI Constructors and Cleveland Bridge California.

Work begins this month on major section of the I-580 freeway extension project in Nevada, following the award of a US$79.5 million contract to Edward Kramer & Sons. The main structure is a 525m concrete arch bridge, 100m above Galena Creek. This is Kramer’s second big contract for the Nevada Department of Transportation in less than two months. It is already working on the US$30.1 million Nevada approach to the Hoover Dam bypass project.

A sweeping double arched design by Spence Associates has been chosen for a new crossing of the River Tees at Stockton in north east England. The pedestrian and cycle bridge, designed with support from structural engineer Expedition, beat four other shortlisted proposals. Detailed designs for the US$6.7 million bridge will now be drawn up and the construction contract should be awarded next year.

The Ambassador Bridge across the Detroit River is closer to maximum vehicle capacity than was previously believed, according to a research study released by economists at the Booker T Washington Business Association in Detroit. Jams at the US/Canadian border routinely delay truckers by at least an hour, say the authors. The team calculated that the bridge system generally operates at 92% of its capacity and significantly exceeds capacity for many hours a day. Several proposals are being discussed for new crossings between the US and Canada.

Glasgow City Council is inviting comments on the entries to its design competition for a new pedestrian crossing of the River Clyde. Six leading teams were invited to submit designs for the bridge and associated landscaping works. Their proposals are on display at venues around the city this week and next. They can also be seen and voted for at [http://www.glasgowbridge.com] . A decision is expected this month.

California’s total volume of construction for September was down 5.7% from August to US$5.68 billion, according to the state’s Construction Industry Research Board. This was the fourth successive monthly decline. Road and bridge construction is on a downward spiral, from US$3.74 billion in 2002, to US$2.89 billion in 2003 and US$2.73 billion in 2004 says CIRB.

Three contracts have been awarded this week by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Louis Berger Group has beaten three other shortlisted companies to carry out a US$2.8 million consultancy project on the upgrading the Route 1/Trenton-Morrisville Toll Bridge. Michael Baker also won a consultancy contract and will be undertaking a US$0.5 million congestion mitigation study in the northern district. Contractor JD Eckman has been awarded a US$6.2 million contract for the rehabilitation of the New Hope Lambertville Toll Supported Bridge.

Latest developments in the use of composites will be presented at COBRAE’s conference in Porto next month. The conference FRP composites in bridge design and civil engineering will include papers from around the world, including one on the first German all-composite pedestrian and bicycle bridge (pictured). The deadline for registration is 31 October, and full details are at [http://www.cobrae.org].

Consultation and feasibility studies for a new road crossing of the River Forth should start immediately, a deputation from Fife Council told Scottish transport minister Nicol Stephen. There are mounting traffic pressures on the Forth Road Bridge, said the council members, and the long lead time for a new bridge means it should be put on the national planning agenda now.

The US military has reopened the July 14 Bridge which crosses the Tigris to link north and south Baghdad. It had been closed since April for repairs and because of security concerns, as it passes close to the US headquarters in Saddam Hussein’s former palace. The suspension bridge had already been rebuilt after being destroyed in the 1991 Gulf War.

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for the new Route 123 bridge over the Occoquan River in Prince William County, Northern Virginia. The bridge is needed to cope with traffic growth, which is expected to rise from the current 32,000 vehicles a day over the river to a predicted 119,000 by 2020. Archer Western Contractors is building the US$24.6 million concrete structure. The project includes a 4m high sound barrier running for 200m between the travel lanes and footpath, to screen local apartments from traffic noise.

Transit New Zealand has released the results of a feasibility study on the possible construction of a new crossing close to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Tunnel and bridge options are both being considered under a strategy which aims to improve north-south transportation to cope with population growth.

Dubai Municipality has begun a US$4.8 million project to build five pedestrian bridges across the city to improve flows and safety. The project includes the longest pedestrian bridge in the country, linking two parts of the Zabeel Park. The need for the bridges was identified by a city-wide study.

The Florida Department of Transportation has appointed Parsons Brinckerhoff to design a new high-level bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. A spliced girder system is likely to be used for the main span. The new bridge will add two more lanes to the SR 79 highway which provides access to beaches and serves as an emergency hurricane evacuation route. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2005, with completion in mid-2007.

Granite Construction has been awarded a US$139.7 million joint venture contract involving the demolition and reconstruction of a 1.1km elevated rail structure in West Philadelphia. Four new stations are also included in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority project. Granite’s share of the contract is US$96.4 million and its partner in the joint venture is Neshamini Constructors. Work will start immediately for completion in July 2008.

A new transportation agency is to be set up in Scotland, transport minister Nicol Stephen said today. Consultation is under way and the intention is to recruit people with rail, bus and other public transport skills. “It will be equipped to manage large, long term investment more efficiently,” he said. Over US$5 billion is to be spent over the next 10 years on the biggest integrated package of transport infrastructure Scotland has ever seen, said Stephen.

The co-ordination group responsible for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Maca bridge has said that it will select a mainland design institute to produce a feasibility report into the 30km scheme. The group has also announced that the project will be overseen by an office in Guangzhou, as the initial administrative and approval issues will largely involve the mainland.

Holland Railconsult is launching a Warsaw-based company this month to prepare for opportunities when Poland joins the European Union next year. Holland Railconsult already operates in a number of European countries, and the group companies will pool their skills. The new company, Movares Polska, will initially have a staff of 20 but rapid expansion is planned.

Construction has started of a landmark bridge that will be the focus of a new US$250 million link between Abu Dhabi Island and the mainland.

A rail bridge collapsed today into the River Suir in Cahir, County Tipperary when a freight train carrying cement was crossing over it. The driver escaped uninjured. Several wagons landed in the river, bringing the risk of pollution from the cement.

NECSO Entrecanales Cubiertas yesterday signed the US$138 million contract to build Lai Chi Kok viaduct in Hong Kong. The contract for the 1.4km dual three-lane viaduct also includes noise mitigation measures and landscaping works. The scheme forms part of a plan to cope with future traffic demand generated by developments in the Northeast New Territories and an increase in cross-boundary traffic. Completion is due in April 2007.

Brazilian contractor Odebrecht is to build the third major bridge over the Orinoco River in Venezuela. It has signed a letter of intent with the state body Corporación Venezolana de Guayana. Odebrecht is already building the second Orinoco bridge, which is due for completion towards the end of 2004.

The European Commission has added the Messina Bridge to its list of priority transport projects. Under the new proposals, the planned Berlin to Napoli rail route will be now extended to Sicily across the bridge over the Strait of Messina. Completion of the road/rail bridge is planned for 2015. The EC’s new list of priority transport routes contains 26 trans-European networks which are estimated to cost a total of US$258 billion over 17 years.

Deck erection on the Rion Antirion Bridge in Greece is continuing to schedule, with concessionnaire Gefyra predicting a possible early completion. The five-span cable-stayed bridge is due to be finished in December 2004 but if progress continues at this rate, it could finish in September.

Work has started on the central arch for a new bridge over the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Construction of the bridge is now 40% complete, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced yesterday. Seven of the 10 piers have been finished and the arch is being built across three barges that are anchored in the river. The arch will be floated into place in December. The new bridge will carry two lanes of eastbound traffic. Estimated cost of the entire project is US$40 million and completion is due next year.

The African Development Fund is financing an investigation into the options for removing bottlenecks on key roads in Sierra Leone. The US$1.73 million project will study the Freetown-Lundi and the Bandajuma to Mano River Bridge roads, which form part of the Trans-West-African Coastal Highway. Trade and transport are being hampered by problems including inadequate capacities of ferries along the route.