All Construction Articles

Sandvik Mining and Construction recorded third quarter sales of SEK 9,4 billion (€ 966 million), a +15% increase (excluding currency effects) on the SEK 8,4 billion (€ 858 million) reported for the corresponding quarter in 2007.

The developers behind the Capital Gate tower being constructed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, have applied for inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records due to the angle at which the structure leans.

Surveying equipment manufacturers are continuing to simplify the instruments used in the construction industry as skilled surveyors in the sector are becoming increasingly rare.

The latest foundation equipment and techniques are more environmentally friendly and technologically sophisticated allowing for increased productivity on challenging construction sites.

The Isthmus of Panama, only about 80 km wide at its narrowest point, was characterized by mountains, impenetrable jungle, deep swamp, torrential rains, hot sun, debilitating humidity, pestilence and some of the most geologically complex land formations in the world.

Culebra Cut was the "special wonder" of the canal. Here, men and machines laboured to conquer the 14,2 km-long stretch extending through the Continental Divide from Gamboa on the Chagres River in the north to Pedro Miguel in the south.

The German construction market continued along its path of recovery last year with construction growing albeit at a slower rate compared to 2006. Slower growth is expected again in 2008.

HeidelbergCement says the European Commission's planned extension of its emissions trading scheme in 2013 could threaten cement production in the EU.

Canadian construction Group Aecon recorded its best ever 3 months of trading in the third quarter of 2008. Revenues for July, August and September jumped +25% to CA$ 535 million (US$ 423 million) from CA$ 430 million (US$ 340 million) in the third quarter of 2007.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) is providing US$ 679 million to help states cover the costs of repairing roads and bridges damaged by hurricanes, floods and storms, a US government statement revealed.

Global construction growth will slow to under +2% in 2009, according to economic forecasting company Global Insight. This will be the slowest growth rate since 2002, when the worldwide industry grew by just +0.1%, and a marked slowdown from the intervening years when global growth was between +4% and +6%.

The dream of digging a water passage across the Isthmus of Panama uniting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans dates to the early 16th century, and can be traced to the 1513 Isthmian crossing of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa.

The Panama Canal is approximately 80 km long and joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was cut through one of narrowest parts of the isthmus that joins North and South America.

China's State Council has approved a new CNY 2 trillion (US$ 292 billion) railway investment plan to take it up to 2020.

The World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD) have agreed to lend US$ 910 million to China for reconstruction of areas devastated by the May 12 earthquake, which killed an estimated 69000 people.

President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya has said that the country needs to spend KES 360 billion (US$ 4.5 billion) over the next 5 years to improve and expand its dilapidated infrastructure.

Complementing International Construction's November feature on Large Structures KHL.com looks at the expansion of the Panama Canal.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide loans and grants to finance preparations for three expressways in Viet Nam, which it is hoped will support sustainable economic growth and enhance socio-economic development in the project areas, said the Bank in a statement on its website.

Bell is branching out from its mainstay ADTs with a range of US-built wheeled loaders for the UK market.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Transportation is to spend SAR 120 million (US$ 31.9 million) on new roads in the capital Jeddah in an effort to combat increasing congestion problems, according to local media reports.