Mumbai's Bandra Worli Sea Link is being inaugurated today following a laser, lights and fireworks show put on last night by the contractor, Hindustan Construction Company.

Transport Scotland has launched the tender process to find a contractor to build the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC).

Germany's Dresden Elbe Valley has been removed by UNESCO from the World Heritage List because of the impact that a new bridge is having on the landscape.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in the USA has awarded Michael Baker Jr an engineering services contract for the SR 579 Veterans/Crosstown Boulevard Bridge Preservation Project in Pittsburgh.

An extensive independent peer review of Maryland Transportation Authority's (MdTA) bridge and tunnel inspection programme has highlighted shortcomings in procedures. The review was carried out by a seven-member expert panel chaired by consultant Mary Lou Ralls, who is former director of Texas Department of Transportation's bridge division.

Washington State Department of Transportation in the USA has issued a request for qualifications for the design and contruction of pontoons for the replacement of a floating bridge carrying the SR520 highway.

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has announced that an agreement has been finalised with with Vermont for the progression of a project to rehabilitate or replace the Lake Champlain Bridge. HTNB Corporation has been selected as design consultant.

Norfolk County Council in eastern England has begun consultation on transport plans for the borough of Great Yarmouth, including proposals for a third bridge over the River Yare.

The German parliament gave its backing yesterday to the 19km sea link across the Fehmarbelt to Denmark although there was some opposition to the scheme. Denmark's parliament had approved the proposal almost unanimously in March.

Saskatchewan's highways and infrastructure minister Jim Ritter has set out the timetable for the new St Louis Bridge in the Canadian province.

Chile's public works minister Sergio Bitar has announced a revival of proposals for a 2.6km bridge over the Chacao channel to link the mainland and the island of Chiloé.

Celebrations yesterday marked the completion of the Golden Ears Bridge in Vancouver, Canada. Tens of thousands of pedestrians packed the bridge for a day of entertainment ahead of tomorrow's opening to traffic.

Malaysia's prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today spoke in favour of a new bridge being built to Singapore.

Indonesia's Suramadu Bridge was inaugurated today by president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Cepezed Architects has won the design tender for a 275m-long bridge in the Dutch city of Utrecht.

Transport charity Sustrans, Denbighshire County Council and the Welsh Assembly Government have unveiled the design for a US$6.4 million new crossing of the River Clwyd at Rhyl's Foryd Harbour and appointed the design and build team that will create it.

The upgraded Hood Canal Bridge in the US state of Washington has opened to traffic, eight days ahead of schedule. Celebrations are planned for tomorrow.

Guangdong Highway Construction Corporation is inviting design submissions for the Second Bridge of Humen, China. Total investment in the project will be about US$1.8 billion.

The Royal Institute of British Architects has launched an ideas competition to mark the 800th anniversary of the opening of the first London Bridge. The Old London Bridge, which opened in 1209, was an inhabited bridge and the competition asks designers to imagine a new version.

The USA's National Institute of Standards & Technology is funding a $14 million research project into the structural health of ageing bridges. The work will be carried out by the University of South Carolina (USC), the University of Miami, Virginia Tech and Physical Acoustics Corporation.

The US Coast Guard is inviting comments on the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed replacement of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Goethals Bridge across the Arthur Kill between Staten Island and Elizabeth.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has awarded Parsons Brinckerhoff a construction supervision contract for a new bridge carrying the Garden State Parkway over the Mullica River in Port Republic, New Jersey.

The Ethiopian Road Directorate has awarded four road and bridge contracts to Grontmij Carl Bro working in co-operation with a local Ethiopian firm.

The government of Brazil's São Paulo state has announced that a 2.8km road bridge will replace the current ferry service between the coastal cities of Guarujá and Santos.

The final deck section has been positioned this week for the Phu My Bridge in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

A record-breaking bridge has opened in a Californian park. Designer TY Lin International said that the 305m-long David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge is the world's longest stress ribbon bridge.

A section of a viaduct that was due for demolition has collapsed killing nine people and injuring 16 in China's Hunan province.

A public inquiry begins today into the Mersey Gateway Bridge in north west England.

The Infinity Bridge at Stockton's North Shore in Northern England officially opened yesterday, with celebrations including a spectacular firework display. It comes into public use tomorrow.

Washington State Department of Transportation has installed the first of three pontoon sections for the eastern half of the new SR104 Hood Canal Bridge.

The next round of ground and marine investigations for the Scotland's Forth Replacement Crossing begins this week.

Six people were injured yesterday in an incident involving a passenger lift at London's Tower Bridge. The lift is believed to have fallen 3m while carrying them up to the high-level walkways.

The superstructure of Dublin's Samuel Beckett Bridge has arrived in the Irish capital's port after a week-long sea trip from a Netherlands shipyard. The cable-stayed bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, will form a link between Guild Street to the north side of the city and Sir John Rogerson's Quay on the south side.

The Canadian govenment has announced funding for major rehabilitation of the Alexandra Bridge and the repair and restoration of the Chaudiere Crossing.

The deck of the Interstate 90 Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland, USA, is to be moved by about 100mm to 125mm this weekend to prevent future stress to the steel structure.

A three-year scheme announced by Network Rail will allow contractor Palmers ThyssenKrupp to accelerate its current restoration work on Scotland's Tay Bridge.

Forthside pedestrian bridge in Stirling, Scotland, has now opened. It was due to have been completed last year but the complex stressing process took longer than originally anticipated.

The Hale Street Link Bridge in Australia reached a major project milestone this week with the pouring of the first concrete segment over the Brisbane River.

Earthquake damage to China's Miaoziping Bridge has now been fully repaired, following Saturday's placement of the final batch of underwater concrete after a difficult operation to install steel formwork deep underwater. The bridge over the Zipingpu Reservoir in the Sichuan province suffered severe damage in last year’s major earthquake.

Delaware Department of Transportation and Skanska USA Civil Southeast yesterday held a workshop which launched a public vote to decide on three details of the new US$150 million Indian River Inlet Bridge.

A team made up of Heneghan Peng Architects, Arup and Mitchel & Associates has won the competition to design a crossing of Germany's River Valley to link St Goar and Sankt Goarshausen. Their prize is about US$53,000.

Bridge engineering company Buckland & Taylor has hired Steven G. Hunt, as its new president and CEO.

Work to reconstruct the Popps Ferry Bridge in Biloxi is on schedule for completion on 28 April, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Benthem Crouwel Architekten and Arup Amsterdam have teamed up to produce a winning bridge design for the 'Ponte Palazzo' footbridge in Den Bosch in the Netherlands.

The UK's Department for Transport has announced its intention to carry out further investigation into the feasibility of building a third crossing over the lower River Thames near Dartford, east of the capital.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has announced a fast-track project to replace the Charleroi-Monessen Bridge.

Plans for a second crossing alongside the Brent Spence Bridge are set to be unveiled by an advisory committee set up by the transport departments of the US states of Kentucky and Ohio.

An interim report by Faber Maunsell into the failure of nine heavy-duty nuts on the Forth Road Bridge has recommended that all 1,888 similar nuts should be replaced.

Sunderland City Council's executive cabinet has agreed to the appointment of a consultant to carry out traffic modelling and update the business case for the transport project that includes the New Wear Bridge.

Dublin City Council is advertising for pre-qualification submissions for the Marlborough Street Public Transport Priority Bridge. The single-span concrete bridge in the Irish capital will carry public transport, including a light rail line, over the River Liffey.

The USA's Federal Transit Administration has given approval for preliminarary engineering to start on the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project, an 11.7km line that includes a major bridge over the Willamette River. The design by Rosales & Partners and Schlaich Bergermann & Partner is for a hybrid cable-stayed and suspension bridge.

Network Rail has announced plans to improve services in eastern England, including a a new US$74 million viaduct at Cambridge Junction, north of Hitchen, to relieve a key bottleneck.

The USA's Federal Highway Administration has announced that it has awarded Berger/Abam Engineers a grant to develop connections for use in seismic zones. The grant comes under the Highways for Life programme, which promotes innovative technologies.

Portugese high speed rail company Rave has launched the competition to find a public-private partnership for the provision of the Lisbon-Poceirão line, which includes a major road and rail bridge across the Tagus in Lisbon. The contract involves the scheme's design, construction, finance and maintainance including the provision of rail infrastructure.

The final section was installed last night to complete the main span of Indonesia's Suramadu Bridge.

Devon County Council in south west England has secured US$7.8 million of government funding to build a cycling and walking bridge over the M5 motorway at Exeter.

Kansas Department of Transportation has accepted a bid of US$59.4 million for the replacement of the aging Amelia Earhart Bridge.

Tenders have been invited for an independent consultancy contract for the 29.6km-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

Two separate international engineering consultancy groups have been chosen to deliver competing solutions for the 19km Fehmarnbelt crossing to link Germany and Denmark. One group will plan for a bridge - currently the preferred option - while the other will work on an immersed tube tunnel.

The Danish parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a crossing of the Fehmarn Belt between Denmark and Germany. There were just three votes against the project, and 104 in support.

The final section of Stonecutters Bridge's 1018m-long main span is now being welded into place after being raised into position last week.

TY Lin international has announced that it will be spearheading the design of two new cable-supported bridges in Chongqing, China.

Part of the Popps Ferry Bridge in the US state of Mississippi collapsed on Friday after being hit by a tugboat. This is the second time that the bridge has been badly damaged in recent years - a US$8.3 million repair project was carried out following Hurricane Katrina.

A cable-stayed design by Price & Myers and Hakes Associates Architects has been chosen for a new highway bridge linking a development in western Moscow to the city centre.

Turkey's highways department plans to invite tenders next month for a new highway scheme that includes a 3km-long suspension bridge over the Izmit Gulf.

Latvia's national auditor has published a highly critical report into the procurement of the landmark Dienvidu Tilts (Southern Bridge), saying that tens of millions of dollars were wasted.

New Zealand's Auckland City Council has said that no decision has yet been taken on whether public transport will also be included in the Te Wero cycle and pedestrian bridge across the Viaduct Harbour. Design work will now be finalised by 2012 and the bridge is scheduled for completion in 2016.

The Welsh Assembly Government and Cardiff Council have announced an investment in sustainable transport that includes the final funding required to build the Pont-y-Werin Bridge.

Vietnam's transport minister has called for better supervision and site safety following the fatal collapse this week of a bridge under construction.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has awarded Michael Baker Jr a three-year, US$1.8 million construction inspection contract for the rehabilitation of the Shippingport Bridge over the Ohio River.

Malaysia's prime minister has confrirmed that he has instigated a feasibility study into a bridge to link Labuan Island with adjacent Sabah.

Ponting and architect Peter Gabrijelčič have won an international competition to design a bridge over the Dunabe River in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Approval of a US$400,000 local grant for a study into a new Buffalo Harbor Bridge in New York has opened the way for a further US$1.6 million of federal funding. Parsons Brinckerhoff will carry out the study which is due to report by 2011.

An international competition to design two new pedestrian and cycle bridges in the town of Opladen near Leverkusen in Germany has been won by an Anglo-German team of Knight Architects and Knippers Helbig.

A consortium of five consultants including Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong and Cowi is reported to have won the contract to design the 29.6km-long Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macau Bridge. The team also includes three companies from mainland China - CCCC Highway Consultants, CCCC First Harbor Engineering and the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering & Rail Transit Design & Research Institute.

A team of Buro Happold and Explorations Architecture has won the competition to design a new foot and cycle bridge crossing the River Soar close to the National Space Centre in Leicester, England. The announcement comes just days after the same team won a competition for a rail bridge in Ireland.

The provincial government of British Columbia, Canada, is to finance the Port Mann Bridge having being unable to reach final agreement with Connect BC Development Group for a public-private partnership contract. The bridge and associated highway work will now be built to a fixed-price design-build contract, said transport minister Kevin Falcon, and remains on schedule for completion in 2013.

The transportation departments of the the US states of Minnesota and Wisconsin have chosen Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to provide concept design and associated services for the St Croix River Crossing.

A team of Schlaich Bergermann & Partner and Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes has won the design competition for a new 220m-long footbridge over the Rhône River in Lyon, France.

Bids for the contract to replace all the stay cables on the Mississippi River Bridge in Louisiana - known as the Luling Bridge - have been opened with Kiewit Louisiana the apparent low bidder. Four bids were received for the contract, the cost of which was estimated at approximately US$35 million; bids ranged from Kiewit's US$30.4 million to almost US$57 million.

Ireland's Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) has announced that Buro Happold and Explorations Architecture have won the competition to design the Metro West–Liffey Valley Bridge. The rail bridge will have a slender suspended design, with the suspension cable crossing the deck in elevation to provide support from below.

The Bermuda government said in its budget on Friday that is considering a public-private partnership to replace the hurricane-damaged Causeway.

The governor of the US state of North Carolina Bev Perdue has announced that she will be seeking grant funding to enable construction of the US$300 million replacement of the Yadkin River Bridge.

The state of Missouri has said that its US$8.5 million contract to replace the Osage River Bridge is the first transportation project to be started with funding from the new federal economic recovery package signed yesterday by Barack Obama. Construction began within moments of the president's signature, according to the state.

Restoration of Shanghai's century-old Waibaidu Bridge is nearing completion and the structure is set to be floated back from the dock where repairs took place and reinstated at its original site.

Canada's National Capital Commission is having detailed studies carried out of three possible routes for a new crossing of the Ottawa River instead of ratifying its consultant's initial recommendation.

A review has concluded that replacement of Forth Road Bridge's expansion joints can safely be delayed until the new crossing opens in 2016, subject to conditions including a significant increase in inspection and monitoring. The review's findings are in a report that was presented yesterday to Scotland’s Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) by chief engineer and bridgemaster Barry Colford.

The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities in the US state of Alaska has published a new estimate that puts the cost of the Knik Arm Crossing project at US$686 million, of which US$373 million is for the 2.5km bridge itself.

The new Port Mann Bridge over the Fraser River in western Canada is now to have 10-lanes and replace the existing crossing instead of standing alongside. A symbolic first pile for the bridge was driven last week.

Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development has been authorised to study the feasibility of building a bridge between Taiwan's outlying Kinmen island and China's port city of Xiamen, a government spokesman said today.

Singapore's Land Transport Authority has awarded the last of six major civil contracts for construction of the Marina Coastal Expressway.

The General Mark W Clark Bridge in Washington State in the USA will be replaced under a US$82 million design and build contract awarded to Parsons/Kuney.

The Highways Agency has awarded Costain a US$121 million design and construction contract to strengthen the M53 Bidston Moss Viaduct in north west England.

The Bangladesh government has signed an agreement with Maunsell Aecom for the design of the Padma Bridge.

The government in the Canadian province of British Columbia has reached an 'agreement-in-principle' for a public-private partnership to expand the Port Mann crossing. The scheme involves building a new cable-stayed bridge and widening a section of highway.

Construction work on the 1,380m-long Hardanger Bridge in Hordaland, Norway, is due to start this summer after the award of three contracts this week.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is partnering with the University of Michigan (U-M) on a U$19 million project to research advanced bridge sensor monitoring technologies.

London's Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea has published a contract notice for major strengthening and repairs to the Albert Bridge over the River Thames. The work is estimated to be worth US$9.7 million.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held yesterday to mark the start of construction of a 1km-long bridge over the River Chenab in Pakistan.

Cardi Corporation emerged as the lowest bidder for the replacement of the Sakonnet Bridge in Rhode Island, USA, when bids were opened this week.

London's Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced that a bridge has been lifted into place to create a new entrance to Stratford International Station ready for the station's official opening in December for high speed domestic services.

A contemporary access bridge has opened at Caernarfon Castle in North Wales. It was designed by Ramboll Whitbybird's bridges team in collaboration with Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government's historic environment service, as part of a larger project to improve access to the monument.

Vancouver's Pattullo Bridge remains closed after a fire yesterday. The bridge, which handles a fifth of daily traffic across the Fraser River, is expected to be closed for repairs for up to six weeks.

Construction has begun this week of a long-awaited pedestrian bridge in Norwich in Norfolk, eastern England. St Anne's Bridge will provide a link between a development zone and the city centre.

Bangladesh's communication minister Syed Abul Hossain said yesterday that consultants are due to be appointed this month to finalise design work on the Padma Bridge.

Public works minister Christian Paradis has announced that the Canadian government is making investments in Montreal's bridges to enhance the safety of commuters and stimulate the local economy.

China's Changhai County is developing a new island tourist resort, which will involve major infrastructure investment including a 1.8km bridge.

Vietnam's prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung said this week that he hopes that an agreement will soon be signed with Australia regarding support for the construction of Cao Lanh Bridge in the southern Dong Thap province. He was speaking at a reception for the speaker of Australia's House of Representatives Harry Jenkins.

The USA's Federal Railroad Administration has announced that it will proceed with a combination of fixed and opening structures in a US$1.344 billion scheme to replace the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey.

Kettle Island has been confirmed as the preferred location for a new bridge linking Ontario and Quebec.

Hong Kong's Highways Department has announced that its bridge design and construction will feature more environmental elements, including wider footbridges to allow room for planting.

A new bridge over the Ohio River opened on Tuesday. The Pomeroy-Mason Bridge is a US$65 million, four-lane cable-stayed structure in the south east of the US state of Ohio.

A planning inspector has given permission for construction of the Milton Creek Bridge in Kent in southern England following a public inquiry in July. The next step is to appoint a contractor with a view to work starting on site in 2009.

Shanghai Construction Group has announced the completion of the main structure of the Minpu Bridge in Shanghai, China. Construction of the Puxi-side tower of the bridge finished yesterday, following September's completion of the tower in Pudong.

Construction of Poole’s US$59 million second harbour crossing could begin before the end of 2009 following approval of the final slice of funding for the bridge in southern England.

A shortlist of BMV (Balfour Beatty, Morgan Est and Vinci joint venture), Carillion, Morrison Construction and Roadbridge/Sisk has been selected to bid for the construction of Scotland's St James Spur, a main branch line rail viaduct stretching across the M8 motorway to a new airport station.

One worker was killed and 18 injured, some seriously, on Friday when an elevated walkway collapsed while under construction at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in the USA. The canopy-level 183m "skywalk" is designed to provide a route through the treetops of the park's wooodland.

Maytas Metro has appointed Systra and Parsons Brinckerhoff to carry out the engineering design and project management of the Hyderabad metro.

Newly-published research by civil engineers at Bristol University has studied how people balance while walking, giving new insight into the unexpected swaying that occured when London's Millennium Bridge opened.

The operator of the Forth Road Bridge has ordered a review of the planned project to replace the main expansion joints, in light of increased costs and last week’s confirmation that a new crossing will be in place by 2016, albeit with a reduced budget.

Construction of a cable-stayed viaduct spanning east China's Qiantang River began yesterday. The Jia-Shao Bridge - short for Jiaxing-Shaoxing - will be 2,680m long, making it 200m longer than France's Millau Viaduct.

California's Department of Transportation, Caltrans, is setting up a citizens' task force of up to 40 people in a bid reduce construction impacts of a new bridge on the local mountain community. FCI Constructors begins building the US$39 million Big Bear Bridge early next year.

Scottish ministers yesterday set out transport plans that include a new strategy for a replacement crossing the Firth of Forth. The cost is now put at US$2.5 billion to US$3.46 billion - a US$2.5 billion reduction on original estimates.

A joint venture led by Astaldi Group has won a US$189 million contract to build the Hãlic Bridge over the Golden Horn in Turkey.

Bolivia and Brazil have established a joint commission as a first step to building an international bridge over the Mamoré River.

An accelerated bridge repair programme for the US state of Massachusetts moved forward this week when the Executive Office of Transportation filed a US$3 billion eight-year bridge repair plan.

Independent private consulting practice Flint & Neill has become part of Danish consulting group Cowi.

Ireland's planning board An Bord Pleanála has opened an oral hearing into Kilkenny's proposed central access road, which includes a cable-stayed bridge over the River Nore.

Members of the decision-making cabinet in the northern English city of Sunderland will consider the next steps for a proposed bridge over the River Wear when they meet on Wednesday.

The three juristictions involved in the 29km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will launch the tender for the main bridge's design on Monday, Hong Kong's government has announced.

A worker was killed on Monday while cables were being adjusted for bridge construction on the Hoover Dam Bypass project in the USA. The accident occurred during a routine operation to adjust a cable used to align the temporary concrete towers that support construction of the Colorado River Bridge's twin arches.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission today awarded a contract to DMJM Harris to continue serving as its capital program management consultant. DMJM Harris also will serve as design management consultant for the I-95/Scudder Falls Bridge improvement project, which currently is in the midst of an environmental assessment review process by state and federal agencies.

Latest estimates for a new floating bridge to carry the SR 520 highway in the western USA have put the cost at US$1.728 billion. The costs cover the pontoon construction site, primary and supporting pontoons and the floating bridge's deck.

Dubai's prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved the design of the seventh crossing over Dubai Creek. The bridge, to be known as the 'Dubai Smile', will carry six lanes in each direction across the 400m-wide waterway.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced that the US state will receive US$20 million in a settlement with HNTB Corporation, which designed the Wakota Bridge project that carries Interstate 494 over the Mississippi River.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the probable cause of last year’s collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was the inadequate load capacity some of the gusset plates due to a design error by Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates. The plates failed under a combination of substantial increases in the weight of the bridge following previous modifications, and the traffic and concentrated construction loads on the bridge on the day of the accident.

A two-year project is under way to upgrade 19 bridges in the Puget Sound area of the north western USA to current seismic standards.

The USA's Federal Highways Adminstration has launched a website for its long-term bridge performance programme.

Construction of a 1.2km cable-stayed bridge is scheduled to start next year in Botswana.

London's mayor Boris Johnson has excluded the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge from a multi-billion dollar 10-year transport expansion plan that he outlined today.

Plans for a new Popp's Ferry Bridge have been outlined by the city of Biloxi in Mississippi, USA. The cost of the preferred option - a combination of drawbridge and causeway - is put at US$37.7 million, as part of a US$76.5 million project cost.

A low-profile concrete arch pedestrian bridge has been chosen instead of a 'signature' cable-stayed crossing for the city of Durham in North Carolina, USA.

The English city of Leicester has launched an international design competition to design a foot and cycle bridge over the River Soar.

A third bridge is to be built over Londonderry's River Foyle in Northern Ireland.

The full funding required for a long-awaited new pedestrian and cycle bridge in Norwich in eastern England has now been secured.

Eleven workers have been killed and 12 injured when a crane cable failed at a bridge under construction near Chongqing in south west China.

Arup and JDA Architects have won the competition to design a bridge over the River Douglas in Lancashire, north west England.

A groundbreaking ceremony yesterday kicked off work on the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge in San Diego, USA. The structure will be one of the world's longest self-anchored suspension bridges.

Proposals for a cross-border bridge linking Northern Ireland and the Irish state have gone on display.

A section of flyover under construction in Delhi, India, collapsed yesterday killing two people and injuring up to 30. The flyover is part of a series of new lines being built for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Plans have been submitted for a dramatic revolving cable-stayed footbridge at The Quays in Manchester, north west England.

Construction has begun of a “woven” pedestrian bridge that will connect athletic fields at the University of Pennsylvania in the USA with a new park that is being created.

A pedestrian bridge over a creek in Giles County in the US state of Virginia collapsed yesterday injuring nine people.

The directors responsible for the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA, have voted to proved a horizontal net system 6.1m below the deck to prevent people jumping to their death from the bridge.

The USA's New Jersey Turnpike Authority is to expand the number of traffic lanes crossing the Mullica River from two to three in each direction with a new northbound bridge.

Scotland's Stirling Council has said that the opening of its Forthside Bridge has been put back until next year as it is has been advised by contractor Edmund Nuttall that it is taking longer than planned to complete the final elements of work.

Macquarie Infrastructure Group has accepted a firm offer from Vinci that will increase Vinci’s stake in the concessionaire for two River Tagus bridges in Portugal. Vinci’s stake in Lusoponte will rise from 30.85% to 37.27%.

Hundreds of people watched yesterday as a 137m-long section of the old Liberty Memorial Bridge was blown up in North Dakota, USA. The historic crossing of the Missouri River has been replaced by a new bridge which opened to trafffic in July.

Britain’s largest crane manoeuvred a new footbridge into place across Scotland’s M8 motorway on Friday evening. The eye-catching US$8.9 million structure has a spiral design, formed from tubular steel, and encloses a glass-sided walkway.

A new report to Scotland’s Forth Estuary Transport Authority (Feta) recommends appointing Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering as preferred bidder for the scheduled replacement of the Forth Road Bridge’s main expansion joints next year. Feta has also announced today that routine inspections have identified damage to some of the nuts that attach the bridge's hangers to the main suspension cables. The cause is being investigated.

The largest bridge and tunnel project in the history of Queensland, Australia, has reached two milestones. Spending on the scheme has passed AU$2 billion (US$820 million), coinciding with the second anniversary of the signing of contract documents.

Authorities in the US state of New York have announced plans for a US$6.4 billion replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge. A study has recommended that the new structure should include provision for bus rapid transit and commuter rail services as well as road traffic.

New Zealand's Auckland City Council has commissioned an independent peer review on the transport, urban design and amenity requirements and navigational standards for the new Te Wero Bridge.

Turmoil in the financial markets has prompted the US state of Missouri to change the procurement method for its planned rehabilitation of 802 bridges. Missouri Bridge Partners (MBP) had previously been identified as the apparent best-value proposer for a design-build-finance-maintain contract to replace them over a period of five years. The work will now be carried out using design and build packages managed by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

A major bridge over the Bagmati River between Sinamangal and Old Baneshwore in Kathmandu, Nepal, has been closed after one of the bridge piers subsided and a crack appeared in the middle span of the bridge, writes Ramkrishna Wagle.

Lancashire County Council in north west England has opened a public consultation about the seven shortlisted designs for a new bridge over the River Douglas.

A major new suspension bridge is to cross the Aizhai Gorge as part of the Jishou-Chadong Expressway in west of China's Hunan province.

Dublin City Council has said that construction of a new public transport bridge over the River Liffey will begin late next year.

A joint venture of Jacobs Engineering Group, Gannett Fleming Transit & Rail Systems and HNTB Corporation has won a contract from New Jersey Transit to provide design services for a project to enhance the capacity of the Portal Bridge. Jacobs estimates the project's overall construction value to be US$1.3 billion.

The US city of Oklahoma has unveiled the design for a new pedestrian link to the city's downtown, the Skydance Bridge.

A competition to design the proposed Ballsbridge-Dodder Pedestrian Bridge in Dublin South City, Ireland, has been won by architect Alan Dempsey.

Surrey County Council in southern England has added an automated warning system in a bid to stop tall vehcles from striking or becoming wedged under a railway bridge in Staines.

Brazil's Andrade Gutierrez is to build a US$200 million viaduct high above the Rhumel River in the Algerian city of Constantine.

Finishing touches are being applied this week to Minnesota's new Interstate 35W Bridge ahead of it being opened to traffic little more than a year after the fatal collapse of its predecessor.

Bids from four pre-qualified groups of engineers and architects will be invited later this year for the position of technical consultants for the proposed Fehmarnbelt crossing between Denmark and Germany.

The larger of the two arches has now been positioned for the North Shore Footbridge in Stockton, northern England. The arch was lifted into place by the UK's largest mobile crane, and sits alongside a smaller arch, which was positioned earlier this summer.

Aecon Construction & Materials Ltd has won a US$17.8 million contract to replace the southbound Vernon Lakes Narrow Bridge in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Sunderland City Council in the north east of England has finally revealed the winning design in its River Wear Crossing competition - three years after the design was chosen. The winning concept - by architect Spence Associates and structural engineer Techniker - was selected by the competition jury in 2005, but the council refused to make the details public.

Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev has signed an instruction for the building of a major suspension bridge linking Vladivostok to Russky Island.

Support from the British government has enabled Sri Lanka to approve the construction of seven flyovers costing some US$60 million and 54 rural bridges costing US$30 million.

The Highways Agency has begun work on a US$9 million scheme to refurbish the westbound carriageway of the M50 Queenhill Viaduct near Tewkesbury in England. It is the first phase of a US$36 million strategy to upgrade the structure over the next few years.

Gammon Infrastructure has been appointed by the government of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to build and operate a major bridge over the Godavari River.

Transport ministers from Germany and Denmark will meet in Copenhagen on 3 September to sign an agreement to build the Fehmarnbelt Link linking the two countries.

Construction of Vietnam's Can Tho Bridge resumed this week, 11 months after work had been suspended following a fatal accident. A 90m-long section of the approach collapsed last September, killing 54 workers and injuring many more.

Michael Baker Jr has won a US$1.1 million contract to determine the type of bridge for the replacement of an existing crossing that carries the US 421 over the Ohio River between Milton, Kentucky, and Madison, Indiana in the USA.

The Alfords Point Bridge duplication project in Sydney, Australia, has been completed on time and under budget and opened to traffic today. Abigroup was contractor for the project, which came in 7% under budget at US$36.7 million.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has published the latest plans for the project to improve the I-95/Scudder Falls Bridge.

A design by Hyder Consulting, Denton Corker Marshall Design and Kenneth Grubb & Associates has been chosen for the Te Wero Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has released preliminary drawings for a new Goethals Bridge to a cable-stayed design.

Crews from Total Construction have almost completed removal of the west approach to the old Liberty Memorial Bridge in North Dakota, USA. This has allowed Lunda Construction and J&L Steel to begin work on the west approach for the new bridge.

Baker Engineering has been awarded a seven-month bridge inspection contract by the Illinois Department of Transportation in the USA.

Ireland's Waterford City Council has published a notice this week inviting expressions of interest from consultants to work on a new city centre pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Suir. The bridge will have an opening span.

The Port of San Diego has recommended teams from France, the UK and the USA as finalists to design a multi-million dollar artistic lighting scheme for the the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. The Bideau Company of France, the Peter Fink team from London and a Californian team of Ned Kahn, Patrick McInerney Associates and Jason Edling were picked, together with two alternate teams, both from the USA.

At least seven people died on Friday when a bridge in the eastern part of the Czech Republic collapsed into the path of an express train. Dozens more were injured by the accident which derailed the locomotive and six carriages, trapping passengers.

Box girder strengthening at New Zealand's Auckland Harbour Bridge has begun this week. The box girders are for 'clip on' lanes either side of the bridge and the project to strengthen them will take two and a half years.

Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau have agreed funding arrangements for construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, opening the way for the next steps in the project's feasibility and design. China's central government will also contribute funds towards the 29.6km-long bridge. Yesterday's announcement said that construction is to start by 2010.

Government funding of US$193 million has been awarded for a new river crossing in Sunderland in the north of England.

Winners of the Bridge design & engineering Footbridge Awards 2008 were recognised in a special awards presentation evening at the Footbridge 2008 conference in Portugal in July. Engineers, architects and owners representing seven winning footbridge projects and 12 highly commended projects collected their trophies and certificates at the event, which was held in the beautiful Alfândega building on the riverfront in the centre of Porto.

All work on the new I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River will stop this afternoon in observance of the first anniversary of the old bridge's collapse, which killed 13 people.

Royal Haskoning's design for a 450m-long cable stayed bridge has been chosen for a new motorway link to Dubai's largest artificial Palm Island, Jebel Ali.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has published a report outlining the scale of bridge repairs needed in the USA. Bridging the gap: restoring and rebuilding the nation's bridges cites findings by the Federal Highway Administration that put the cost of repairing or modernising the country's bridges at US$140 billion, assuming all were fixed immediately.

More than US$1 billion is to be spent on an Iranian project that includes 2.46km-long bridge across the Persian Gulf to Qeshm Island. The plans were announced by the managing director of Qeshm Free Trade Zone, Mohammad Asghari.

A 118-year-old bridge in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, is to be rebuilt at a cost of some US$53 million dollars. The Starého mosta - Old Bridge - fails to meet today's shipping and road transport requirements.

One of the UK's largest mobile cranes today positioned a 55m-span stainless steel bridge over the floating harbour at Temple Quay Central in the English city of Bristol.

Axion International has received an order from the US Army for the fabrication and installation of a thermoplastic composite I-beam tank bridge for a base at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The plastic used will be entirely recycled.

Concrete beams were lifted across one of the busiest roads in Brisbane, Australia, on Thursday as the US$61.4 million Tank Street Bridge started to take shape. The operation involved positioning two beams, each 25m long and weighing 55t.

Plans to build a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Avon in the English town of Stratford have been withdrawn. Warwickshire County Council cites a cost increase from US$4 million to US$6.6 million as the reason for dropping the project.

A new suspension bridge was completed today spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead - though it is only temporary. The 120m bamboo crossing has been built by Australian firm Bambuco as part of a weekend music and arts festival.

Utah Department of Transportation is part way through an ambitious programme to replace 12 bridges on or near the I-80 highway in just two months. The latest bridge was moved into position this weekend.

Prefabricated steel trusses are set to be lifted into place for a new pedestrian bridge at Seattle's Museum of Flight in the USA. The bridge’s design is inspired by an aircraft contrail. The metaphor has been carried out in a tube truss design, made of crossing circular steel pipe sections surrounding an inner glass enclosure — which also references the shape of a fuselage.

Five options for suicide prevention measures on the Golden Gate Bridge have been outlined in an environmental impact report published this week. Wind tunnel testing has shown that all of the alternatives would require the addition of some form of device to counter instabilities induced by high winds.

Skanska has appointed Rautaruukki to supply and install the steel superstructure of the Partihallsförbindelsen Bridge in Gothenburg, Sweden. The contract is valued at about US$14 million.

UNESCO's world heritage committee has allowed Dresden's Elbe Valley to remain on its world heritage list for the time being, despite concerns about the visual impact of a new bridge.

Vietnam's Minister of Construction has reported to the government following the investigation into last September's collapse of the Can Tho Bridge.

Ecuador's Ministry of Transport & Public Works signed a US$102 million contract yesterday with China's Guanxi Road & Bridge Engineering Corporation for construction of the fourth bridge over the River Babahoyo.

The record-breaking Sutong Bridge was formally opened on Monday in east China's Jiangsu Province after five years of construction. The cable-stayed bridge’s main span of 1,088m is the world's longest and its steel and concrete towers stand 300.4m high.

A key part of the US$2 billion Yangtze River Tunnel & Bridge project was completed in Shanghai, China, on Friday. Major engineering work on the 10.3km bridge section from Changxing to Chongming Island and the 8.9km tunnel section are now finished.

Glasgow's Clyde Arc is due to reopen to traffic this weekend. The bridge has been closed since earlier this year when a hanger connection component failed.

Representatives of the US states of Washington and Oregon have voted in favour of replacing the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River with a new bridge and light-rail extension.

The Jerusalem Light Rail Train Bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is being inaugurated today.

Designs for a new pedestrian bridge in Norwich, eastern England, have been put on public display. The bridge, designed by Ramboll Whitbybird, will provide a link over the River Wensum between the north of the city and its centre. Site owner Jarrold & Sons will shortly be submitting a detailed planning application, following the grant of outline permission last year.

Massachusetts Port Authority has announced that a new structural monitoring system will be fitted on the Tobin Bridge over the next 18 months, making it the US state's first 'smart bridge'.

Corrosion has caused the main suspension cables of the Forth Road Bridge to lose 10% of their strength, according to new inspection findings published today by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority. However, the inspection by Faber Maunsell shows that the cables may be deteriorating more slowly than previously feared.

Philippines president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the Department of Public Works & Highways to fast-track the implementation of the US$243 million president's bridge programme.

Jacques Cartier & Champlain Bridges Incorporated and the Québec Department of Transport have given details of the two phases of a project to replace the deck of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge and extend its life by 75 years. It is the largest bridge repair project in Canadian history.

Completion of the missing motorway link between England and Scotland has moved a step closer with the opening to northbound traffic of Mossband Viaduct. The viaduct, which crosses a main rail line, is the key link in a 9km extension of the M6 motorway from Carlisle to Guards Mill.

The smaller of the two arches for the North Shore Footbridge in north east England is being installed today.

Vietnam's deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai has led a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the US$100 million Dong Nai Bridge, which will link Bien Hoa City with Ho Chi Minh City and relieve traffic on the existing crossing.

Plans for a new bridge over the Columbia River have been backed by the Metro regional government, which serves the Portland area of Oregon in the USA. Five members of Metro's council voted to offer provisional support for construction of the replacement bridge, with two opposed.

The River Cam's first new bridge in more than 35 years opens to the public at midday today in Cambridge, eastern England. The design by Ramboll Whitbybird, working with artist Gerry Judah, won a Cambridgeshire City Council competition in 2004.

Construction is now under way on the Hale Street Link project in Brisbane, Australia, following a groundbreaking ceremony last month. The scheme's river crossing will be Brisbane's first inner-city vehicle, pedestrian and cycle bridge to be built in more than 20 years.

The High Level Bridge, which links Newcastle and Gateshead in northern England, has reopened to southbound buses and taxis after being closed for repairs since 2005. Work on the US$78.8 million project has spanned seven years.

Canada's South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (Translink) has said that the future of the Pattullo Bridge will be determined next month. A study to be published in July will set out the options, which include twinning or replacing the current structure.

Leonhardt, Andrä & Partner has announced the completion this week of the final section of a new bridge over the River Elbe at Niederwartha near Dresden.

Debris from construction work a newly-installed bridge has caused severe disruption to rail services at one of London's main stations.

Italy's minister of infrastructure and transport Altero Matteoli has written a letter to Messina Bridge concessionaire Società Stretto di Messina's president Pietro Ciucci confirming the government's commitment to restarting the project.

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has invited tenders for consultancy work on three packages of footbridges over railways.

The Kane County Division of Transportation has awarded Baker Engineering a US3.4 million contract for the final design of the Fox River Bridge, the signature section of a project to improve the Stearns Road corridor in the US state of Illinois.

Two people were killed yesterday and three injured when part of a Swedish rail bridge being built by Skanska collapsed.

Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced that concrete placement is now complete for the south approach spans of the new I-35W St Anthony Falls Bridge. Work on the main span can now begin, with the first pair of segments scheduled for erection later this week.

Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson today visited the site of the new Harthill Footbridge to mark the start of its construction.

The governor of the US state of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, has filed legislation to accelerate the repair of between 250 and 300 bridges that have been identified as structurally deficient.

Chile's Ministry of Public Works is assessing technical bids for the planned San Pedro de Osorno Bridge which will serve the Rahüe and Osorno areas.

The Highways Agency started work yesterday on a US$8 million project to repair concrete columns and supporting crossbeams at Gravelly Hill Interchange - better known as Spaghetti Junction - in Birmingham, England. The 17-month project involves reinforcing eight bridge deck supports and several columns at the interchange on the M6 motorway.

Vinci has now signed the contract for the massive Qatar–Bahrain causeway that will reduce journey times from five hours to just 30 minutes. Vinci Construction Grands Projets leads a consortium for the US$3 billion design-build contract which will provide a 40km two-lane dual carriageway motorway between Qatar and Bahrain.

Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner has won the design competition for a bridge to cross the 200m-deep Tamina Canyon in the Swiss canton of St Gallen.

Acting US Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray has announced a 20-year research effort to collect data on bridges nationwide aimed at improving investment decisions. The Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) has been awarded a contract, worth up to US$25.5 million, to carry out the programme through to 2012.

Transit New Zealand chief executive Rick van Barneveld today confirmed that Transit plans to start construction of the new Kopu Bridge by mid-2011.

The record-breaking sea crossing of Hangzou Bay in eastern China opened to traffic today after the final link was placed last year.

Contractors shortlisted for the Twin Sails Bridge in Poole, southern England, have been stood down pending the outcome of negotiations betwen the council and a landowner, JJ Gallagher.

The Government of Canada has announced the award of a contract for replacement of the deck of the Honoré-Mercier Bridge in Quebec.

Acciona and its subsidiary Mostostal Warszawa have been appointed to build a major cable-stayed bridge over the River Odra in Wroclaw, Poland.

A new 280m-long bridge over the River Chenab in the state of Jammu & Kashmir was officially opened today by India's prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Environmental considerations have led to the 173m-high two-tower cable-stayed design proposed for the new Peace Bridge being dropped in favour of a lower-profile arched scheme.

Kiewit-General crews have completed construction of the first of two trusses for the transition spans that will connect the pontoons of the floating Hood Canal Bridge to its approaches.

Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is embarking on beautification project covering a 10.5 hectares around the new Al Garhoud Bridge and the bridge itself. The intention is to reshape the bridge as a landmark of modern Dubai as part of a vision for roads, bridges, tunnels and open spaces that combine technical, aesthetic and environmental excellence.

American Civil Constructors has submitted the lowest of six bids to replace the First Street Bridge over the Napa River in the City of Napa, California. Design engineer for the new bridge is TY Lin International and the architect is William MacDonald.

The operators of the Forth Road Bridge have set up a multi-agency working group to seek ways of reducing traffic disruption caused by strong winds. The initiative follows an unusually windy winter, during which two lorries have been blown over and the crossing has been closed to high-sided vehicles for a total of 184 hours.

Transit New Zealand start preparations this month for upgrading the Auckland Harbour Bridge's "clip-ons" - box girders - to ensure they stay in good condition for the next 20 to 30 years.

The opening ceremony took place on Friday for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge West Approach. California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the workers who completed the US$429 million seismic retrofit project seven months ahead of schedule.

Minnesota Department of Transportation today used its annual construction kick-off briefing to announce 135 new highway and bridge projects, including the replacement of the Highway 23 DeSoto Bridge in St Cloud. The bridge, which is similar to the I-35W bridge that collapsed last year, was closed last month following the discovery of distortions in the gusset plates at four locations.

New Zealand's transport minister Annette King has today turned the first sod in a ceremony to start construction of the new US$183 million Manukau Harbour Crossing.

Chile’s Ministry of Public Works is inviting expressions of interest for construction of the fourth bridge over the Bío Bío River. The project for the 2km-long bridge and some 30km of road is worth an estimated US$250 million.

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Portugal's government has confirmed its approval of a third crossing of the Tagus and plans to launch an international tender in November.

Engineer Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner and architects Jean-Jaques Zimmermann and Short Cuts have beaten four other shortlisted teams to win the design competition for a bridge taking the A14 highway over the Elbe River near Wittenberge in Germany.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has ratified the award to Cherry Weber & Associates of a design engineering contract for repairs to the steel bearings, bridge seats and pier caps on the Delaware Water Gap (I-80) Toll Bridge.

A bridge was lifted into place over the weekend to form a key part of the new East London line. A 1,200t mobile crane - the UK's biggest - lifted the 350t bow-string bridge into position across Shoreditch High Street.

Mexico's transport and communications ministry, SCT, has announced a US$421 million highway scheme to connect Oaxaca city to coastal towns. The 283km project will include 78 bridges and three tunnels.

Construction of a 2.1km crossing of the Mahanadi River was completed this week with the placing of the final steel girder.

A 63m-long bridge weighing 250t was lifted into position in Copenhagen over the Easter weekend, as part of a project to create new cycleways across the city.

Owners of Canada's 24 international vehicular bridges and tunnels will be required to inspect and report on the safety of their structures under new proposals from Transport Canada.

Hong Kong's Kowloon - Sha Tin section, including the 1.4km Lai Chi Kok Viaduct, will open tomorrow.

Carillion Civil Engineering is starting a US$6.3 million project this month to carry out essential structural repairs on the Canford Main Bridge and Canford Flood Arches in Poole, southern England.

New Zealand railway infrastructure Ontrack has awards a contract to HEB Smithbridge to build a road and rail bridge at Arahura. The new structure, which is jointly funded by Transit NZ, will replace an existing 120-year-old timber bridge which provides the only direct route between Greymouth and Hokitika but is nearing the end of its serviceable life.

The first two deck segments of the second Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, were lifted into place today. The 80t concrete segments form part of the 750m northern approach to the bridge.

WSP Finland has signed a contract to design a major cable-stayed bridge in Da Nang, Vietnam. The company’s proposal had an international design competition last year.

Auckland City Council in New Zealand has put on public display the seven competing designs for a dramatic opening bridge on the city's waterfront.

South China's Guangdong province is planning a 5.63km-long bridge to link Foshan and Jiangmen along the Xijiang River.

Michael Baker Jr has been awarded a two-part contract, worth an estimated US$2.7 million, to complete environmental investigations and both preliminary and final design for the new Vrooman Road Bridge over the Grand River in Lake County, Ohio.

The governor of the US state of Washington, Chirs Gregoire, has announced an accelerated project schedule for the replacement of the SR 520 Bridge. The floating bridge links Seattle to the east side of Lake Washington.

Tendering is to start soon for a third bridge over the Klang River in Malaysia. Designs for the US$72 million project have been completed and work is due to start in four months and take two and a half years, said works minister Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu.

The governors of the US states of Illinois and Missouri have announced an agreement to build a new bridge over the Mississippi River. The US$640 million project involves construction of a cable-stayed structure 1.6km north of the existing Martin Luther King Bridge.

Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau have struck a deal on the financing of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge's construction. Hong Kong will be responsible for 50.2%, the mainland 35.1% and Macau 14.7%. The ratio reflects the economic benefits to each location.

Surrey County Council's plans for a new River Thames bridge have been given the go-ahead by environment secretary Hilary Benn.

A series of revised dates has been announced for the new Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River between Kentucky and Ohio in the USA. Recommendation of the preferred alternative has been put back to August next year, with a view to publishing the draft environmental document in September 2010, instead of February next year as originally scheduled.

HNTB Corporation has been chosen to complete the final design for the new South Park Bridge for King County in Washington, USA. The bridge over the Duwamish River near Seattle provides a key link between Seattle and Tukwila.

Michigan Department of Transportation has begun public consultation on the draft proposals for a new international crossing of the Detroit River.

The Sixth China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge opened to traffic today. The prestressed concrete box girder structure - also known as the Mukterpur Bridge - is 1,521m long, with 37 spans across the River Dhaleswari.

Network Rail has awarded Balfour Beatty a contract to complete the remaining restoration and painting of the Forth Bridge. The contract is set to mark the end of the oft-repeated story that painting of the iconic rail bridge is never ending, starting again from the beginning as soon as the work is complete.

Engineers at the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland have unveiled plans for “mini-bridges” designed to minimise impact of major roadworks that are scheduled for next year.

Engineering researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have received a US$2 million grant to explore ways to make new and existing bridges last longer.

Wyndham City Council in Victoria, Australia, has chosen architect WMCQ's snaking schematic designs for a new crossing of the Werribee River. Three teams had been shortlisted in the first stage of the project.

Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority has awarded the New York district office of American Bridge Company a U$41.1 million contract for structural retrofit work to the Throgs Neck Bridge.

The design of the Waldschloesschen Bridge in Dresden has been modified in a bid to keep the city's world heritage status.

Preliminary investigations by Ghana's Ministry of Transportation have indicated that an 8km-long bridge is required over the Oti River. Minister Godfrey Tangu Bayon said in Parliament that the bridge would be the country's longest.

A century-old bridge in Shanghai is to be taken away for a year while a tunnel is built beneath its site. The two span Garden Bridge was China's first steel bridge. Shanghai's city government will dismantle it piece by piece and take it to a local shipyard for conservation.

A consortium of Vinci Concessions, J&P and Cybarco has been named prelimary preferred bidder for the first motorway public private partnership contract in Cyprus. It consists of 30 year contract that includes the financing, design, construction and operation of a 31km stretch of motorway between Paphos and Polis.

The engineering team working on the Clyde Arc in Glasgow has developed a system for repairing the bridge by replacing all 28 connectors on the hangers. A temporary hanger has been installed to replace the failed one and the team led by contractor Edmund Nuttall has started to mobilise barges, cranes and access equipment to help install temporary supports ahead of work on the connector replacements.

Dubai Creek is to be crossed by the world's longest arch bridge, the Roads & Traffic Authority has announced.

Glasgow’s Clyde Arc Bridge could be closed for up to six months after engineers discovered a crack in a second cable connector. The bridge was closed last week after a cast steel connection between the cable and the arch fractured and the cable fell on to the deck. An inspection of the remaining 13 cables revealed a crack in the same component on a different cable.

Lunda Construction has been named by Minnesota Department of Transportation as the apparent low bidder for a new contract to restart work on the eastbound stretch of the Wakota Bridge. Lunda had previously been working on the project, but the contract was halted when negotiations with the client came to an impasse following a redesign.

Ramboll Whitby Bird and Tim Norlund, a 23-year-old Danish architect, have won first prize in the Sheffield Parkway footbridge competition, beating more than 100 entries.

Delaware Department of Transportation has named three teams to compete for the contract to design and build a new bridge over Indian River Inlet.

New York State Department of Transportation has announced major procedural changes to the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 corridor project, aimed at faster implementation of the project at lower cost.

SNC-Lavalin's Vancouver-based division has won a contract to design and construct the Coast Meridian Overpass for the City of Port Coquitlam in British Columbia.

The UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has begun a project aimed at developing a structural health monitoring system that would be as simple to understand as traffic lights.

The USA's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a safety recommendation for the checking of bridges following the discovery of undersized gusset plates in the I-35W bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi river in August 2007. The investigation into the accident has has discovered that the original design process of the I-35W bridge led to a serious error in sizing some of the gusset plates in the main truss.

The Clyde Arc Bridge in Glasgow, Scotland, has been closed to traffic after the failure last night of one of its 14 cables. It is likely to remain closed for several weeks.

The Hull-Albern Joint Venture has won a US$281 million contract from the Queensland government for the duplication of the Houghton Highway Bridge in Redcliffe. It will be Australia's first coastal bridge capable of withstanding a one-in-2000-year storm event.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj has announced that work is now under way to implement the fourth phase of the Jamrat Bridge.

The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has approved the initial financial plan for the multi-billion dollar Ohio River Bridges Project. The document outlines project costs, schedule and funding mechanisms through to completion of the scheme in 2024.

India's Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has started the tender process for consultancy services on four flyover contracts in the city of Pune.

A cable-stayed bridge with a 73.5m-high "fish-shaped" observation tower as its pylon opened yesterday in east China's Anhui province.

A ceremony yesterday marked the start of construction of the Fourth Yangtze River Bridge at Nanjing, China. The main span of its focal three-span suspension section will be 1,418m. Total length of the bridge is almost 29km.

The planning application is being submitted this month for a new bridge over the River Tone in Taunton, western England. It has been designed by Flint & Neill in conjunction with Moxon Architects and will be a key element of the Taunton Third Way scheme, which is aimed at alleviating congestion in the town centre.

New Jersey Department of Transportation has awarded a contract for the replacement of the Highlands Bridge over the Shrewsbury River in the US state.

The Skyway section of the eastern span of the new bridge across San Francisco Bay has been completed on schedule. The US$1 billion contract has been carried out by a Kiewit-FCI-Manson joint venture for California's transportation department, Caltrans.

The main arch for the Sauvie Island Bridge in Oregon, USA, was brought to its site by barge yesterday. Completing the installation of the arch for the US$38 million project is expected by contractor Max Kuney to take three days.

Bridge collapses in Nepal and Indonesia have claimed dozens of lives.

Transport Scotland has announced the preferred bidder for the new Forth bridge's project consultancy contract. A joint venture of Arup and Jacobs - and including Flint & Neill Partnership, Dissing & Weitling and EC Harris - is expected to be appointed as the project management team.

The Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission has chosen Missouri Bridge Partners as the apparent "best-value" bidder to implement a plan to replace or rehabilitate more than 800 of the state's lowest-rated bridges within the next five years.

The new crossing of the Firth of Forth is to be a cable-stayed bridge upstream of the existing road bridge, cabinet secretary John Swinney told Scotland's parliament today.

Norwegian artist Vebjørn Sand has used ice to build a bridge outside the UN building in New York to highlight the threat of melting glaciers resulting from global warming. The 10m-long sculpture is based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci and the ice comes from Antartica.

The presidents of Chile, Bolivia and Brazil have agreed plans to complete a highway corridor connecting the three countries. The route will run from Santos on Brazil's Atlantic coast to Chile's Pacific coast.

Sweden's Rautaruukki - known as Ruukki - has signed a contract with project consortium TYL Vt6 to supply structural steel for the Mälkiä bridge over the Saimaa canal in Lappeenranta, Finland. The 315m-long bridge is part of a project to develop the motorway between Lappeenranta and Imatra.

Planned pedestrian and cycle bridges around the UK will receive funding following today's announcement that Sustrans' Connect2 project has won a public vote to distribute US$102 million of lottery money.

The US Federal Highway Administration has awarded a contract to Physical Acoustics Corporation under a steel bridge testing programme. The company's Acoustic Emission Sensor Highway II System is one of the technologies that has been selected for the programme, which is aimed at improving the quality and safety of steel bridges by using non-destructive evaluation techniques to detect damage.

Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau has issued a response to the preliminary findings of a state House of Representatives committee investigation into the Wakota Bridge construction project. The committee had criticised the department for mismanagement of the project, which had been due for full opening last month.

Shanghai has confirmed plans for a 7km bridge across the Yangtze River as part of a 52km expressway linking Chongming Island and Jiangsu Province. The bridge will provide a connection to the small city of Qidong.

Austrian contractor Alpine has won two infrastructure contracts in Bucharest, Romania. The contracts are together worth US$95.5 million and each includes a bridge.

The centre portion of a dramatic new pedestrian bridge in Singapore was raised to position 37m above ground level at the weekend. It had been built immediately beneath its final location and was lifted in a five-hour operation.

A celebration was held yesterday to mark the merger of Hong Kong's two railway companies. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation has taken has taken up the transport services of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, including the East and West Rail and Light Rail Transit networks.

China's 10.3km-long Chongming Bridge topped out yesterday, when the final concrete was placed in the second of the main towers for the focal suspension section.

Civil engineering company Spencer has been appointed to carry out major dehumidification works on the Severn Bridge, which links England and Wales. The US$9 million contract follows a similar project currently under way to dry out the cables on the Forth Road Bridge.

The government of Canada has announced that it will make the construction of South Ottawa's Strandhern Bridge a priority for funding under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.

Online voting opens today in a competition to choose the winner of US$103 million of UK lottery money. Four schemes are competing for the funding offered by “The people's £50 million”, with the winner chosen by public opinion and announced in December.

Construction of Dresden's controversial Waldschloesschen Bridge in the Elbe Valley has begun this week following the overturning of a final injunction that was preventing construction.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) has said that the Forth Road Bridge cable replacement study is on track but that additional work will be required to prove the structural integrity of the anchorages where the main cables are attached to concrete-filled tunnels bored into the rock on each shore.

Construction, asset management and project investment company Graham has announced the opening of new offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

FCC's Austrian subsidiary Alpine has won a US$71.4 million contract for a new bridge over the River Danube at Traismauer in Lower Austria. The 1km-long prestressed concrete bridge will link the S33 and S5 highways, shortening the journey between Sankt Pölten and Vienna by 20km.

Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has chosen Paseo Corridor Constructors as the design-build contractor for the Interstate 29/35 corridor improvement project. The U$245 million scheme features the landmark cable-stayed Christopher S Bond Missouri River Bridge as well as highway upgrades.

River barge pilots were last week given the opportunity to take part in aircraft-style computer simulations of the navigation around two major new bridges currently being designed in Kentucky and Indiana. The observations and experiences of the 13 pilots are being supplied to the bridge design teams and shared with the Coast Guard to determine whether the proposals would benefit from any changes.

Designers from the UK, Germany, Tokyo and Germany join local firms in the second stage of the Te Wero Bridge design competition in Auckland, New Zealand.

Hong Kong's government has issued a notice in its official Gazette confirming the proposed extension of a footbridge network in Tseun Wan.

Seven workers were killed and others injured today by the collapse of a bridge under construction in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai.

Uganda's Ministry of Works & Transport is seeking expressions of interest from consultants for emergency repairs to a road bridge across the Nalubaale dam on the River Nile at Jinja.

Widening of Dubai's Al Maktoum Bridge has been completed and the bridge opened to traffic yesterday. It is part of an integrated scheme aimed at increasing provision for crossing Dubai Creek.

The City of Port Angeles in Washington State, USA, has awarded Parsons a US$18.4 million construction contract for the replacement of two 70-year-old bridges.

Minister of shipping, road transport and highways Thiru Baalu has approved funding for a high-level bridge over the River Vena in the Indian state of Bihar.

Crews yesterday began drilling the first test shaft for the piers of the replacement for the I-35W bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River in August.

Penang's chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has said that the cost of the Second Penang Bridge is now expected to be more than the original US$1 billion estimate because of rising costs of building materials.

Delaware Department of Transportation has today issued a request for qualifications for the design and build contract for the Indian River Inlet Bridge. It has announced that the bridge is now to be considerably longer than originally planned and that its cost estimate has risen from US$130 million to US$150 million.

Nottingham County Council in northern England is to study traffic movements across a section of the River Tyne with a view to making better use of existing crossings after a report by Faber Maunsell found it unlikely that a new bridge would secure funding.

Work started yesterday on the 2.4km Pelješac Bridge, a cable-stayed bay crossing that will connect the Croatian peninsula of Pelješac with the mainland. A consortium of Konstruktor, Viadukt and Hidroelektra is building the US$378 million scheme. However, the project is controversial as Bosnia believes it may violate its territorial waters.

Germany's Second Strelasund Crossing opened to traffic yesterday, relieving the original bridge which had served as the only connection between Ruegen Island and the mainland.

The Olympic Delivery Authority has announced that Adams Kara Taylor Engineers and Heneghan Peng Architects have won the competition to design one of the key footbridges in the centre of London's Olympic Park.

Publication of a hard-hitting report into last year's fatal collapse of an overpass has led the government of Quebec in Canada to announced details of a modernisation plan.

Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority has issued a tender notice in which it is seeking expressions of interest from international consultants to investigate cracks in the bridge, suggest remedial measures and prepare tender documents.

Transit New Zealand's chief executive Rick van Barneveld has issued a public statement headed "Auckland Harbour Bridge is safe" to counter concerns raised locally in recent days about the safety of the structure's extra "clip-on" lanes, which were added in 1969.

The transportation departments of the US states of Oregon and Washington have put the cost of the proposed Columbia River Crossing project at between US$3.1 billion and US$4.2 billion in a new estimate released this week.

An ambitious infrastructure development agenda is expected to create more than 250,000 jobs, said Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang yesterday in his annual policy address. He outlined progress on 10 major schemes, including the 35km-long cross-boundary Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge.

Minnesota Department of Transportation has officially awarded a Flatiron-Manson joint venture the contract for design and construction of the replacement for the Interstate 35W bridge that collapsed in August. The team had been announced as the apparent winner in September. Details have also been released of the proposal submitted by the team, whose lead designer is Figg Bridge Engineers.

The Canadian province of Alberta has invited three groups to submit proposals to develop the north Edmonton ring road as a public-private partnership.

The Ministry of Transport, Public Works & Water Management in The Netherlands has announced that US$25 million of additional funding will enable a new bridge carrying the N50 to have a higher clearance than originally planned.

The governors of Indonesia's Banten and Lampung provinces have given the go-ahead for a pre-feasibility study into proposals for a record-breaking suspension bridge across the Sunda Strait.

A report released yesterday by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) identifies the need for US$13.58 billion to be spent on structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in the US state.

Aas-Jakobsen has annnouced that it has been appointed to carry out pre-engineering for Norway's Hålogaland Bridge using the patented "bridge symphony" hybrid concept, which combines aspects of three different bridge types.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed for the construction of a 40km causeway linking Bahrain and Qatar.

Perth & Kinross Council in Scotland has unveiled possible designs for a new foot and cycle bridge over the River Tay. The planned bridge will be part of a national TV show being screened in November in which projects will compete for US$100 million of lottery funding.

Part of the approach to a major bridge under construction in Vietnam collapsed today. Latest reports from the official Vietnam News Agency say that 34 people have died and more than 170 are being treated in hospital.

Alaska state governor Sarah Palin has directed that an alternative should be found to the proposed US$398 bridge to Gravina Island.

Venezuela-based financial institution CAF has signed an agreement to finance a structural evaluation of Peru's bridges. The project will allow the government to fill gaps in the information held about its structures with a view to identifying where additional maintenance or repair may be needed.

A joint venture of Flatiron and Manson has been named as the apparent best value bidder for the replacement of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota, USA. The fast-tracked emergency design-build project will replace the bridge over the Mississippi River that collapsed on 1 August.

All four tenders that were opened yesterday for a new highway bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway exceed North Carolina Department of Transportation's US$27.9 million estimate by more than 10%. English Construction's bid of almost US$31 million was the lowest but the state normally only awards contracts if the price does not exceed the estimate by more than 10%.

The 1.5km-long Jim Anderson Bridge was officially opened on Sunday near Sydney, Australia to form the high-level Windsor flood evacuation route, which is part of of a floodplain management strategy. A time- lapse video commissioned by the Roads & Traffic Authority, New South Wales compresses the 16 month construction of the concrete viaduct to less than a minute.

The US Senate has approved a transportation bill for 2008 that adds US$1 billion in funding to address structurally deficient bridges.

A joint venture of Granite Construction and FCI Constructors has been awared a US$138 million contract by the California Department of Transportation.

Surrey County Council has just submitted a new planning application for Walton Bridge over the River Thames in southern England.

TY Lin International has announced the start of construction a new segmental bridge over the Kanawha River in South Charleston, West Virginia.

A section of flyover under construction in the Indian city of Hyderabad collapsed in heavy rain last night, killing three people and injuring up to 10 others.

A survey of businesses has been commissioned by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority to verify the economic impact of the traffic disruption that would be caused if the Forth Road Bridge's main suspension cables need replacing or augmenting.

An exhibition of more than 150 entries to the Te Wero Bridge design competition has gone on display in Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland City Council received entries from around the world in answer to its challenge to design a striking, sculptural design for the waterfront.

Vietnam´s government has asked the authorities of Hochiminh City and Dong Nai Province to work together to develop and manage a build, operate and transfer project for a new 2.2km bridge over the Dong Nai River together with approach roads.

Part of the new Northern Bypass Bridge has collapsed in Karachi, Pakistan, killing an estimated 10 people.

A four day project to replace a 110m-long section of the Bay Bridge is proceeding on schedule in California, USA, and is due for completion by contractor CC Myers tomorrow.

The new Park Bridge along the Trans-Canada Highway in Kicking Horse Canyon, British Columbia has been completed ahead of schedule and opens to traffic today. The 405m-long bridge is carried by five piers which stand up to 90m high.

The Missouri Senate has backed an ambitious plan to repair more than 800 of the US state´s worst bridges by 2012. The bill, which now needs approval by the governor, will change state laws enabling the award of a single contract to have all the bridges repaired and then maintained for 25 years. Total cost of the project is put at between US$400 and US$600 million.

An agreement has been signed between Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and contractor Atcon Construction allowing work to start on a bridge over the Mackenzie River in northern Canada.

Afghanistan and Tajikistan have opened a new 680m-long crossing of the river Pyanj to link the two countries.

Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) has awarded a US$453 million contract for widening the main span of the Huey P Long Bridge, despite the bid being more than 51% higher than the original US$299 million estimate.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued its second update into its investigation into this month's fatal I-35 bridge collapse. Removal of the structure is under way and investigators are developing a layout plan for critical structural elements removed from the river.

The executive committee of Bangladesh's National Economic Council yesterday approved construction of the US$1.5 billion Padma Bridge.

Flint & Neill Partnership, working with Marks Barfield Architects, Grontmij and MG Bennett & Associates, has won a US$460,000 contract to carry out preliminary design work for a public transport and pedestrian bridge in Dublin.

A joint venture partnership of HNTB and Parsons Transportation Group New York has been selected by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to provide design services for the rehabilitation of the main span upper level deck of the George Washington Bridge.

At least 41 people are now reported as having been killed by the collapse of a bridge which was under construction in Hunan province, China.

Planners have approved the design of the replacement for a bridge which was damaged three years ago by floods in the seaside town of Bocastle in south east England.

Minnesota Deparment of Transportation has met with Minneapolis officials to present preliminary design plans for the replacement of the I-35W bridge that collapsed this month.

A visit by Ecuador's minister of transport and public works Héctor Villagrán has prompted a government announcement that work is to start on a 2km bridge over the estuary of the Chone River in the north of the country.

The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is using rapid replacement technology for the first time to remove and replace a pair of 600t bridges today during a 15 hour highway closure.

US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman Mark Rosenker has said that investigators have observed a design issue with gusset plates at particular locations on the collapsed I-35W bridge in Minneapolis. They are in the process of verifying the loads and stresses on the gusset plates at these locations, as well as the materials used in constructing the plates.

The New Brunswick government has announced a preferred option to replace the Petitcodiac River Causeway with a 280m-long bridge at an estimated cost of US$64 million.

The central 270t steel arch of the long-awaited new bridge over Venice's Grand Canal is due to arrive on site tomorrow night for placement early next week.

US secretary of transportation Mary Peters has called on all states to carry out immediate inspections of any steel deck truss bridges similar to the I-35 bridge that collapsed this week.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has described the collapse of the I-35W bridge as "another glaring example" of "our nation's infrastructure crisis".

The I-35 highway bridge in Minneapolis which collapsed on 1 August killing at least nine people and injuring more than 60 was identified as being at risk of fatigue failure as far back as 2001. An evaluation of the bridge deck carried out by researchers at the University of Minnesota on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Transportation found that the bridge truss had 'many poor fatigue details' on the main truss and floor truss system.

The catastrophic collapse of a major highway bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota has killed at least nine people. Up to 100 cars were crossing the I-35W bridge when it fell into the river during the Minneapolis evening rush hour.

Falsework from a bridge under construction in California collapsed onto the highway yesterday, injuring a worker and delivery truck driver.

The National Highway Authority of Pakistan (NHA) is inviting prequalification applications for construction of a bridge over the River Chenab at Chund. The NHA is also seeking expressions of interest from consultants for a design review and construction supervision of the bridge.

Gollifer Langston Architectsm engineer Michael Hadi Associates, lighting specialist Foto-Ma and quantity surveyor Measur have been announced as the winning team in a competition to design and deliver a new footbridge over the Rochdale Canal in east Manchester.

A decision on whether to build a new bridge over the River Thames in east London will be delayed pending the reopening of the public inquiry into the proposals.

The Danube Bridge at Dunaújváros on Hungary's M8 motorway came into operation yesterday.

Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, Cleveland Bridge and Dorman Long have begun work on a US$31 million pedestrian bridge over the River Tees in northern England.

North Carolina's general assembly has approved a bill that will authoise the North Carolina Turnpike Authority to accelerate studies and preliminary design for a new bridge over the Yadkin River.

Canam Group has announced that its subsidiary Canam Steel Corporation has acquired the majority of the assets of Eastern Bridge.

The new Tacoma Narrows Bridge opens to traffic today, following a day of celebrations yesterday, attended by thousands of people.

The Exim Bank of China has agreed to lend US$800 million to Malaysia for construction of the Penang Second Crossing Bridge.

Finley Engineering Group is to provide design and construction engineering services to contractor Danya-Cebus for the Shelef and Nilly Bridges in Israel.

Auckland City Council in New Zealand has announced an international open competition to find an iconic concept design for a bridge on the city's waterfront.

A cable-stayed bridge will be built to improve the transport network of south Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong's director of civil engineering and development John Chai has said.

Celebrations in the Czech capital of Prague have been marking the 650th anniversary of the city's Charles Bridge.

A mix of long-established and young practices has been shortlisted from a field of 46 for a key footbridge in the middle of London's Olympic Park.

The Borough of Poole in southern England is heralding the completion of a new boat slipway as the first tangible step in its commitment towards building the new Twin Sails Bridge.

The second stage of Transit New Zealand's Harbour Link project enters the construction phase this week with the start of work on access platforms.

The transport ministers of Germany and Denmark have announced an agreement to go ahead with the 18km Fehmarn Belt Bridge linking the two countries.

Transport ministers from Denmark and Germany have signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of the Fehmarn Belt, although the plans still have to be approved by both parliaments.

Cross boundary traffic between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta region has been boosted with yesterday's opening of the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and the Shenzhen Bay Port.

Washington State Department of Transportation has outlined a path forward for its SR 520 project, which includes replacement of the Evergreen Point Bridge across Lake Washington.

A joint venture of three companies submitted the only bid to Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) to widen the main span of the Huey P Long Bridge over the Mississippi River in Jefferson Parish. The bid was more than US$150,000 more than DOTD's estimate.

Celebrations were held today to mark the welding of the final steel box beam to link the two ends of the Hangzhou Bay Bridge near Shanghai in Eastern China.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation announced today that it is keeping Dresden Elbe Valley on the list of world heritage sites in danger and is asking Germany to provide an alternative traffic management solution to the bridge that is currently planned.

Michael Baker Jr has been chosen by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to conduct a US$2.9 million bridge type study for new crossings of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley in the west of the state.

US structural engineer Jackson L Durkee, who patented the factory process for production of parallel wire strand cables for suspension bridge, has died.

A consultation exercise has been launched for the proposed US$774 million Mersey Gateway project to build a new bridge over the River Mersey in north west England.

Brayman Construction Corporation has selected Finley Engineering Group as construction engineering consultant on the new I-64 Kanawha River Bridge between Dunbar and South Charleston, West Virginia.

Nine people have been reported missing following the collapse of a 200m-long section of the Jiujiang Bridge which crosses the Pearl River in China's Guangdong province.

The final deck segment was positioned this week at the Sutong Bridge over the Yangtse River in China.

Work begins today on Texas Department of Transportation's US$69.6 million Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas.

An 800t bridge has been launched over the River Esk to carry the southbound carriageway of an extension to the M6 motorway in in north west England.

A consortium headed by Macquarie has won a public-private partnership concession for a new toll route between Montreal and Laval in the Canadian province of Québec.

Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia are working with federal highway officials to design a protective wall capable of withstanding explosions.

Systra is to design the Krasiński Bridge in the Polish capital city, Warsaw.

Three of the four bids opened yesterday for the latest contract on the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge were below the price estimated by California's Department of Transportation, Caltrans.

Companies from Russia, France, Austria, Germany, Croatia and Italy are tendering to build a new bridge over the River Sava in Belgrade.

The Highways Agency has issued a preliminary announcement that it will be seeking bids from contractors for a project to strengthen the Bidston Moss Viaduct on the M53 motorway in north west England.

A 1310m-long crossing of Vermont's Lake Champlain has opened to replace the original Missisquoi Bridge.

Opening celebrations for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge will be held on Sunday 15 July, Washington State Department of Transportation has announced.

URS Corporation is to acquire Washington Group International in cash and stock transaction valued at approximately US$2.6 billion.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority has announced that Atkins is to provide consultancy services for bearing and joint replacement on Scotland's Forth Bridge.

The first phase of a study into a suicide deterrent system for San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge has confirmed that none of concepts tested would jeopardise the bridge's stability in high winds.

Repairs to MacArthur Maze in San Francisco are being completed tonight, following last month's severe damage to the interchange when a petrol tanker overturned and caught fire.

Brisbane City Council has announced Hale Street Link Alliance as its preferred tenderer for a US$198 million scheme to design and build a new river crossing for the Australian city.

The head of the UAE Roads & Transport Authority has approved a US$64 million improvement project for Mirdif Bridge.

The head of the UAE Roads & Transport Authority has approved a US$64 million improvement project for Mirdif Bridge. The approval is in line with a decree to speed up the execution of roads schemes that service grand urban and developmental projects. The existing bridge will be replaced with a bridged intersection with a higher traffic capacity.

Construction of Ireland's longest cable-stayed bridge has begun. The 465m-long bridge has a main span of 230m over the River Suir and is a key element of a bypass for the city of Waterford.

Transport for London has placed an advertisement for the public works concession for the Thames Gateway Bridge. A public inquiry was held last year and the decision is expected shortly.

Bulgaria's prime minister Sergei Stanishev has cut a symbolic first sod this week to start the construction of the new bridge over the Danube linking Vidin to Kalafat in Romania.

The 216th and final pier was installed on Saturday in the deep water zone of the bridge linking Chongming and Changxing islands in Shanghai.

Schlaich Bergermann und Partner has announced that the steel superstructure is now being erected for the Passerelle La Défense in Paris.

North Carolina Department of Transportation is recommending that the Herbert C Bonner Bridge on North Carolina’s Outer Banks be replaced by a 4.3km-long bridge parallel to the existing concrete span. Portions of the NC 12 would also be elevated onto new bridges under the proposal.

Bentley Systems has announced the acquisition of Austrian company TDV, which provides structural modelling, analysis, and design software for bridge engineering.

Installation starts this week to install state-of-the-art dehumidification equipment on the main cables of the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland.

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has awarded Walsh Construction a US$190 million contract to replace a steel truss bridge over the Allegheny River with twin concrete structures. The new 716m-long bridges will be built as cast-in-situ concrete box girders using the balanced cantilever method. The site is close to the golf club hosting the 2007 US Open and construction will begin after the competition ends in June.

Cardiff Council has said that the prospect of a bridge linking Cardiff Bay and Penarth moved a step closer this week following an agreement which could see national grants being used to deliver the crossing.

Bahrain's Representatives Council has approved an agreement to build a major causeway linking Qatar and Bahrain. The agreement will now be considered by Bahrain's Shrud Council. A new company was formed last year to raise funds for the US$2.7 billion project to build the 38km structure.

Norol Construction & Trading Company has beaten 11 other contractors to win a US$61 million contract for the construction of 13 bridges in Abu Dhabi. Developer Sorouh Real Estate picked Norol from a 12 tenderers to build the bridges which will cross 4km of artificial canals running through the Shams Abu Dhabi development. Each of the development's five neighbourhoods will have a distinct style, which the bridges will be designed to complement.

All 48 reinforced concrete piles have been completed for the Golden Ears Bridge over the Fraser River in Vancouver. The bridge is being designed and built by the Golden Crossing Constructors Joint Venture - led by Bilfinger Berger (Canada) and CH2MHill Canada - for Translink, the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority. The 48 foundation shafts were bored up to 90m beneath the river bed through deep layers of soft silt. They will support four piers for the cable-stayed bridge.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has published its proposed highway improvement programme for 2008 to 2013. Total planned spending on roads and bridges is US$10.875 billion, with US$1.875 billion allocated for the 2008 financial year.

Preparations for the construction of a new bridge over the Thamalakane River at Boseja in Maun are at advanced stage, the Botswanan government has said. Plans for the scheme will be presented at a meeting this week. The two-lane bridge will replace a single lane crossing.

A construction worker died yesterday in Ohio, USA, at the site of Veterans' Glass City Skyway Bridge - formerly known as the Maumee River Crossing. Carpenter Andrew Burns was installing formwork for the US$220 million bridge's concrete railings when his work platform collapsed. Local authorities and the Occupational Safety & Health Adminstration are working on their initial review. This is not the first fatal accident at the site – four workers were killed two years ago in a gantry collapse.

A specially-fabricated barge is among equipment being positioned at the site of the Hood Canal Bridge in preparation for placement of anchors to hold the structure’s pontoons. Twenty anchors are due to be installed by the middle of August as part of the scheme to replace the existing 2.4km floating bridge in Washington State, USA. Kiewit-General is the contractor.

New York State Department of Transportation has announded a public hearing into a proposed scheme to replace the 938m-long Batchellerville Bridge over Great Sacandaga Lake. A draft design report and environmental assessment has been prepared for the project. The replacement is needed as vehicles over 15t are prohibited from crossing the existing 77-year-old bridge.

Work is progressing to programme on the new Upper Forth Crossing at Kincardine, with all pier foundations now completed as well as four of the 26 deck launches, the Scottish Executive has announced. The jack-up barge Excalibur, which was installing the pier foundations, was demobilised earlier this month. Current work includes construction of the remaining bridge piers.

Indian's prime minister Manmohan Singh has laid the foundation stone for a new bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam The bridge is part of a major expressway project being implemented by the National Highways Authority of India. He said that he hoped the project would be completed as scheduled by December 2008.

Spain's Ministry of Development and Dragados have signed the contract for construction of a US$365 million suspension bridge over the Bay of Cadiz. The bridge has a total length of almost 3.2km, and its main towers will reach up to 175m high. Construction will begin this month and is due for completion in 2010. The bridge will be built by Unión Temporal de Empresas (UTE), made up of Dragados, and Construcciones Especiales y Dragados (DRACE).

A 3,000t rail bridge was moved into position over the weekend in Adelaide, South Australia. The structure forms the centrepiece of the US$33 milion Bakewell Underpass, a key new traffic corridor for the west of the city. The first stage of underpass's road bridge will follow in May, with the second stage due in August. Opening of the scheme is expected before the end of the year.

A US$8 million contract is nearing completion to replace the decks of the Dunheved Bridge over the River Tamar in south west England. The 15 month contract has involved the removal of damaged concrete decks and their replacement with new steel and concrete units. The final phase of the scheme involves sliding the new deck into its permanent position during an operation expected to take between 12 and 24 hours.

Dublin Docklands Development Authority has unveiled images of a new road and tram bridge designed by Future Systems and Arup. The structure will be a centrepiece of the planned Royal Canal Linear Park. It is almost as wide as it is long to accommodate the Luas tram lines and traffic lanes. It broadens and dips down in the middle with curved walkways and cycle paths on either side to take pedestrians and cyclists close to the water. Architect Amanda Levete described the Luas Bridge as “incredibly slender, soft and languid. It curves up at the edges like a manta ray. We wanted it appear as a piece of land art that relates to the park”. Tendering for the construction of the bridge will begin in June, with work starting in Autumn 2007.

Samsung has secured a US$350 million contract from Dubai developer Nakheel to build bridges for a man-made island. The project involves six bridges connecting inner areas of the island plus a link to the mainland.

Public works staff in the Canadian city of Hamilton have presented plans for a new pedestrian bridge. Focal point of the structure is a tilted arch with a span of some 90m. The US$5.9 million crossing will link hundreds of kilometres of trails in southern Ontario and is intended to be a major feature for East Hamilton.

Work has begun on a new landmark bridge at Marina Bay in Singapore. The 280m-long pedestrian linkway has been designed as a double helix structure, resembling DNA. It was designed by a consortium of engineer Arup together with architects Cox Group and Architects 61. Sato Kogyo is building the bridge under a US$54.7 million contract. The Land Transport Authority will be the project manager.

City chiefs in the Chinese city of Taiyuan have chosen Hyder Consulting's design for a distinctive five-arch cable-stayed structure as the signature feature of a new road bridge over the Fen River. The bridge is the fourth in mainland China that Hyder has won in design competitions in less than two years. The North Middle Ring Road Bridge will have a total length of 310m and a central span of 90m. “The five arches that cross the deck diagonally and the structure’s unsymmetrical cables will be unique to Taiyuan and give it a recognisable international landmark," said Hyder Consulting project director Francis Kung.

Construction has begun this week of Vietnam's Phu My Bridge. The 2km cable-stayed structure in Ho Chi Minh City is being built and financed by the international BBBH consortium that includes Bilfinger Berger and its Australian subsidiary Baulderstone Hornibrook. The project, which was originally to have started earlier, is due for completion in late 2009.

A complete 24.5m-span composite bridge is being taken by road from Rotterdam to Paris for display at next week's JEC trade show. The 5m-wide structure weighs just 12t and is said to be about 30 times lighter than a comparable concrete bridge. It has been designed by FiberCore Europe for the Dutch municipality of Dronten. DSM Resins supplied the resin used in its construction. The bridge will be installed at its site in Dronten early in May in an operation expected to take less than an hour. The mayor will then open the bridge, together with an information centre on composite materials.

Fletcher Construction has won a US$93 million contract for the second stage of the SH29 Harbour Link project. The contract involves construction of a new Harbour Bridge alongside the existing one, as well as building a flyover and.increasing the capacity of the causeway section. Once complete, the link will provide a 4.9km four-lane highway linking Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.

Bridge engineering and construction consultant Finley Engineering Group has added three principals to the firm's management team. Daniel Dock, Sherry Martin and Jerry Pfuntner join founder Craig Finley as principals of the firm. Dock becomes vice president of engineering, Martin is vice president of finance and administration and Pfuntner is a senior bridge engineer.

Indian leaders and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin were yesterday among the first people to try out a spectacular new horseshoe-shaped glass-floored walkway jutting out 20m into Grand Canyon. The 100mm-thick glass deck of the Grand Canyon Skywalk enables visitors to look straight down to the canyon floor which which is more than 1,200m below. The official opening is on 28 March.

Sixty-five people have been reported killed following the collapse today of a bridge in the south-east of Guinea in west Africa. A lorry packed with passengers and goods was crossing the bridge en route to a weekly market.

A century-old bridge over Shanghai's Suzhou Creek is to be strengthened as there are concerns that construction of a nearby tunnel could damage the structure. Construction of the tunnel - known as the Bund passage project - will begin this year for completion in 2010. The piers along the steel truss Waibaidu Bridge will be upgraded following a complete inspection. The 104m-long by 18m-wide bridge was built in 1907 and city engineers have managed to track down the original blueprints, which were written in English.

The 100t west expansion joint is due to arrive early next week at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge construction site in the US state of Washington. A 50m-long truck with 21 axles will need to occupy both westbound lanes of the existing bridge to deliver the joint which is more than 20m long and 4.5m wide. The truck will then travel back to fabricator DS Brown's Minnesota facility to collect the joint for the east anchorage. Each anchorage will absorb up to just over 1.4m of deck movement. In contrast to the two expansion joints needed for the new bridge, the existing structure has 44 joints.

The Scottish Executive will be looking at a ‘broader strategy’ for the Forth estuary when it builds a new Forth crossing, which is expected to address congestion issues.

A German court has said that a project to build a new bridge over the River Elbe in Dresden should go ahead, even though the scheme could threaten the city's World Heritage status. The United Nations body criticised the project last year for its impact on the landscape and put Dresden on a list of sites in danger, with a view to delisting the city this year if the project went ahead. Construction was then halted.

The Department of Transportation in the US state of Missouri has awarded two emergency contracts for the repair of pedestrian bridges after a 23m by 75mm piece of concrete had fallen from one in St Louis earlier this month. The contracts will involve repair work to 60 bridges that share the same design. Water leaking through cracks had corroded the pins that held the walkway's overhang into place, said director Pete Rahn. The emergency contract will put secure bolts on all overpasses found to have the same problem.

England's Highways Agency has announced a first phase of work to address corrosion in the main suspension cables of the M48 Severn Bridge. Work will begin in a few months to install a dry-air injection system on the middle section of both cables, where tests indicate that the worst corrosion has occured. An inspection programme began last year on the 40-year-old bridge as a precautionary measure after corrosion was found in the cables of bridges of a similar age and construction in the USA, Japan and elsewhere. "The dry-air injection system is designed to stabilise the condition of the M48 Severn Bridge cables while work continues to find a longer term solution," said the Highways Agency's network performance manager for the South West Patrick Carney.

Members of Oklahoma Transportation Commission have approved engineering contracts worth a total of US$4.4 million for 10 firms to design 24 bridges to replace obsolete load-posted structures. Many types of vehicle - such as loaded school buses - are forbidden from crossing load-posted bridges and all 137 in the State are to be replaced, with final completion of the project due within six years.

Abigroup Contractors has been awarded a US$140 million contract to build the Coolac bypass in New South Wales, Australia. The scheme includes construction of twin bridges over Muttama Creek and Daisy Bed Creek as well as 12km of new dual carriageway. Completion is expected in early 2009.

Four teams of engineers and architects have been shortlisted to design a new footbridge over the Rochdale Canal in the New Islington development area in east Manchester. They are:

A huge section of the marine foundation for the signature span of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge has been taken through the Panama Canal en route to its final destination in California. Kiewit Offshore Services fabricated the steel box - the size of a basketball court - that will provide the framework for the final marine foundation of the tower portion of the bridge's self-anchored suspension span.

A low-voltage current system is being installed to prevent corrosion on a bridge over the River Derwent in England. The project will involve replacing 30t of flaking concrete. "This protection system is rare and is essential for locations like this, where access to parts of the bridge can be difficult," said Highways Agency route manager, Andrew Beadle. "The repairs will help to prolong any further costly deterioration of this bridge in the future," The contract is being carried out by Concrete Repairs.

A team made up of PCL Civil Constructors with VSL and designer Buckland & Taylor has won the design and build competition for the new Indian River Inlet Bridge in Delaware, USA. Three consortia had been shortlisted for the scheme and the decision was based on both technical and financial proposals. Award of the contract is expected in spring, with construction due to start within the next year for opening in September 2010.

Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf officiated yesterday at the ground-breaking ceremony for a new bridge over the Indus River to improve links between Larkana and Khairpur. The bridge will half the journey between the two from its present 115km. The scheme includes 43km of approach roads as well as the two lane bridge. The National Highways Authority has said that the project is due for completion by the end of 2009.

Funding of US$2 million has been secured to begin an engineering study into the best location for a lifting bridge to connect downtown Buffalo in the US state of New York to its outer harbour. The new crossing will replace the Michigan Avenue Lift Bridge as part of plans to develop the area's waterfront. A consultant is expected to be appointed towards the end of the year once the funding becomes available. The environmental study and preliminary engineering work is likely to take two to three years to complete.

The Botswana government has issued a report on the latest meeting of the joint steering committee for the proposed Kazungula Bridge over the Zambezi River. The steering group has approved an implementation plan which requires the feasibility study, detailed design, tender documents and financing and operating arrangements to be completed by August 2008. The governments of Botswana and Zambia had jointly requested financial assistance from the African Development Bank in order to prepare the detailed design and a grant of US$2.15 million was approved in November.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority's board has approved a proposal to study whether tolls should be used to pay for a new bridge over the Yadkin River. The existing bridge is more than 50 years old and carries up to 60,000 vehicles a day. The three-month study will be based on plans for twin bridges wide enough to carry four lanes of traffic each. The project also includes a separate pedestrian bridge. The bridge contract was originally due to be let in 2003, at which point the cost estimate was US$175 million. State revenue shortfalls forced an indefinite delay.

The governor of the US state of Missouri has issued a statement welcoming an unsolicited proposal by Zachry American Infrastructure to build a new bridge over the Mississippi River. Matt Blunt held a meeting yesterday with local transport and business officials. "We all agreed it represents a new starting point in our efforts to find long term solutions to grow the St Louis region," he said, adding that he looks forward to discussing the proposal with the governor of neighbouring Illinois.

Softroom Architects with Eckersley O'Callaghan Structural Engineers have been selected to design a new footbridge over the Leeds-Liverpool Canal in Bootle in the north west of England. There were 88 entries for the international open design competition. Entries were assessed anonymously at the first stage. The teams behind six shortlisted schemes were then invited to attend an interview to discuss their schemes with the jury panel. Royal Institute of British Architects adviser Renato Benedetti praised the winning design for its "strong elegant form, clever access ramps and stairs, sustainable economic timber structure and overall aesthetic ethos". The Softroom team will work closely with Sefton Borough Council to develop the scheme with a view to construction starting this year.

A new cable-stayed pedestrian and cycle bridge opened today across New Zealand's State Highway 20 Mount Roskill Extension project. The 4.2m-wide deck is supported by 12 cables secured at the top of a 25m-tall pylon. Up to 2,000 people a day are expected to use the bridge, whose northern approach starts in the grounds of a local school. Six bridges will be built as part of the US$129 million, 4km extension.

Scotland's Cabinet has today approved a replacement crossing of the Firth of Forth between Fife and Lothian. Ministers consisered three reports submitted by Transport Scotland and agreed in principle that work should continue to produce a final recommendation on the type of crossing, its location and the costs. Transport Scotland's final reports will be completed in May and its final recommendation will then be considered by the Cabinet. No decision has yet been taken on whether the crossing should be a bridge or a tunnel. Three possible corridors have been identified. The project is expected to cost at least US$1.9 billion.

The six options for improvements to the Tappan Zee Bridge route are being put on display this month by the New York State Department of Transportation, the New York State Thruway Authority and the MTA Metro-North Railroad. The existing 4.8km, seven lane bridge is a vital link in the region's transport but the crossing is becoming increasingly congested and needs major repairs. The alternatives that are being considered in the project's draft environmental impact statement include rehabilitation and new-build options.

Pennsylvania Department of Tranportation will hold a groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow for a US$10.1 million project to replace a bridge over the Allegheny River in the centre of Foxburgh in the eastern USA. Beech Construction beat two other tenderers to win the contract to the new four-span multi-girder bridge alongside the original narrow steel truss structure.

Contractors will be given an advance showing tomorrow of details of the contract to rebuild Northern Virginia's I-95/I-495 Telegraph Road interchange. The scheme is the final stage in the US$2.4 billion Woodrow Wilson Bridge project. The contract is scheduled to be advertised in August with a notice to proceed issued in early 2008. The contract value is estimated at US$170 million to US$185 million. Work includes 11 bridges including one over railway lines. Tomorrow's meeting will include a briefing on the job and its challenges, as well as a preview of the designs plans, which are 90% complete. Comments on the plans will be will be accepted until 2 March.

Six schemes have been shortlisted from 88 entries received in a competition to design a new footbridge across the Leeds-Liverpool canal in the Bootle area of Liverpool in north west England. The six teams will be invited to dicuss their concepts with the jury panel.

The US Federal Highway Administration is launching a grant programme to solicit innovations from other sectors that might enhance highway maintenance and repairs. Up to 12 awards are anticipated at a US$200,000 level and three at US$500,000. The Highways for Life technology partnerships programme is intended to pull in partner organisations and companies to work with the highway construction industry to accelerate the adoption of promising innovations. The programme is due to launch on 1 March, with a closing date in mid-April. The draft solicitation can be found on the Federal business opportunities web site (opens in new window) by searching for “Highways for Life Technology Partnership Program”.

Transport for London is working with the UK capital’s Metropolitan Police Service to stop heavy goods vehicle drivers causing potential damage to one of London's most famous landmarks. Tower Bridge is one of only 19 World Heritage sites in the UK and its 113-year-old structure is suffering from today’s freight traffic. The current 18t weight restriction is broken up to 18 times a day, often at night. A night operation began this week to stop and warn drivers. Vehicles breaking the weight limit can be sent penalty charge notices but some foreign registered vehicles avoid paying these because of difficulties of cross-border enforcement under current laws, although this anomoly is being addressed.

The board of directors of the UAE's Roads & Transport Authority has approved the award of works on the US$17.4 million Al Maktoum Bridge project. The work is aimed at reducing congestion on the bridge, which connects the two halves of Dubai. Emirates Roads Construction's task includes increasing the capacity of the roads approaching the bridge as well as expanding the bridge from two to three lanes. Work on the opening section of the bascule bridge is being carried out by Wagner Peru, which is already working on the Floating Bridge scheme.

Michigan Department of Transportation is making available a series of four limited-edition posters to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mackinac Bridge. "Over time, the bridge has become a beloved Michigan landmark," said state transportation director Kirk Steudle. "We have captured some incredible images of the bridge that we would like to share with the public to commemorate this milestone." The posters, priced US$4 each, can be ordered from www.michigan.gov/mackinacbridge (opens in new window).

Spanish contractor FCC has signed a US$151 million contract with Bulgaria's transport ministry for a road and rail bridge between Vidin in Bulgaria and Calafat in Romania. Three other teams had been shortlisted, led by Vinci, Bouygues and Zublin/Hochtief.

The last deck section was lifted into place this week at the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the US state of Washington. The section is in the bridge's east side span, close to the Tacoma tower. It had been taken off the barge Swan a few days earlier and suspended from a lifting gantry while crews made final preparations to winching the 504t steel structure into place. Opening of the bridge is expected to take place in August.

University of Missouri-Columbia professor of civil and environmental engineering Glenn Washer has received a grant from the US National Academy of Sciences to develop a system that can continuously monitor piers and warn of structural weaknesses. A network of about 20 sensors will be placed on piers to detect cracks and tilts, caused most frequently by scour. Upon completion of a prototype, New York Department of Transportation will select a bridge to conduct a six-month test of the system.

The Californian city of Redding has awarded a construction management services contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff for a bridge replacement project. The scheme involves replacing two existing bridges over the Sacramento River with a new 312m-long six-lane cast-in-place prestressed box girder bridge. The scope of the contract covers full construction management services, including constructability reviews, contract administration, construction inspection and management of environmental, surveying and materials testing firms. Parsons Brinckerhoff will also co-ordinate the permit process. Construction is scheduled to begin in April.

Completion of the new river bridge on the Hoover Dam Bypass in Nevada is now due for mid-2010, following delays caused by the collapse of the project's high-level cable crane system in September. The opening of the bypass has now been put back by approximately two years until late 2010. Prior to the collapse, all aspects of the project were on track said Nevada Department of Transportation. The contracting joint venture of Obayashi Corporation and PSM Construction USA is working to design, procure and fabricate a new highline system to replace the collapsed equipment. This could be operational by the end of this year. Conventional cranes are carrying out limited work in the meantime.

Systra has started on design studies for a cable-stayed bridge over the Chambal River near Kota in Rajasthan, northern India. The bridge will have a 350m main span. Construction will be on a design and build basis, with Systra acting as consultant for a consortium of Hyundai and Gammon India. Client for the work is the National Highways Authority of India.

Brazil's national infrastructure department has announced that work will start in early February on a new bridge over the Tacutu River. Work will be carried out by a military unit, with concreting undertaken by a company, Arte Leste, as the army has no recent experience in the technque.

The Japanese government has provided a grant of more than US$270,000 for the preparation of the detailed design for a new bridge linking Mannar Island to the mainland and improvements to the causeway. The existing bridge and causeway were built in the 1930s and have a single narrow lane. The bridge was damaged in 1990 and replaced with a temporary structure. Construction of the new bridge is expected to cost some US$16 milliion and will be implemented by the Road Development Authority under the supervision of the Ministry of Highways.

Norwegian Public Roads Administration has published illustrations by Forum Arkitekter showing the final design of the bridge and associated tunnels that will replace a ferry service at Hardanger Fjord in the west of the country. The two-lane crossing will be Norway's longest suspension bridge, with a 1310m main span and a total length of 1380m. The towers are some 200m high. Cost of the scheme is estimated to be US$280 million.

The Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation jointly hosted a public open house this week to present computer generated visualisations and animations of the proposed St. Croix River Crossing Project. Project staff presented graphics from the visual quality manual, developed by a sub-group of the project's stakeholders. The manual can be viewed on the

Public celebrations will be held on 18 March to mark the 75th anniversary of Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge. Details of the major events planned will be published in early February on www.ourbridge.com.au (opens in new window)

The Nebraska Department of Roads has announced that contractors will be given an extra month to prepare bids for the Yankton Bridge. The closing date will be 12 April, instead of March, and the project will be advertised next month. The new bridge will span the Missouri River. Construction will begin this year, with completion due in 2009.

International companies will be invited to bid for Norway’s first design-build-operate bridge contract in March. The new structure, which will be built over the Vesterelva River in Fredrikstad, will be a 100m-long, dual carriageway bridge with a 30m-long bascule section. It will be administered by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Funding for the project is awaiting final approval from parliament, but the contract is expected to be released in March. Information will be available at [http://www.vegvesen.no/rv108] when it is published.

Contractor Skanska has been awarded the US$87 million contract for the refurbishment of the Roosevelt Island Bridge in New York City. The bridge, which was built in 1955, has a 127m-long lift span between two towers, which can be raised 30m to allow vessels to pass along the East River East Channel. The 410m-long structure carries two traffic lanes and a pedestrian walkway, and links the borough of Queens to Roosevelt Island.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Task Force held its first meeting today in Guangzhou to examine the key issues that must be resolved and the steps that must be taken to advance the bridge. The meeting was chaired by the task force head and vice chairman of the National Development & Reform Commission, Zhang Xiaoqiang.

A consortium of Acciona Infraestructuras and

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission has awarded Precon Construction a US$12.5 million project to carry out substructure repairs to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Maintenance and structural repairs will be carried out above and below water on more than 600 concrete cylinder piles. There will also be maintenance repairs on some concrete pile caps. Additional work will include the installation of fibreglass cathodic protection jackets around some of the piles and the application of a protective coating to the exposed portions of some non-jacketed piles and pile caps.

Concession company Bonaventura - whose shareholders are Hochtief PPP, Alpine Mayreder and Egis Projects - has won the contract to design, build, finance and operate Austria's first public-private partnership motorway project. Bonaventura's US$1.24 billion contract covers the 51km first section of Vienna's northeastern bypass.

A US$3 million project has begun to strengthen the 10 masonry arches of the King Edward Bridge, which crosses the River Tyne between Gateshead and Newcastle in northern England. New concrete linings are being installed to strengthen the rail bridge which opened in 1906.

Safway Services has signed a contract to provide is QuikDeck suspended access system for use on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. Bridge workers will use the modular platform decking system when carrying a range of ongoing maintenance tasks. Features include full containment for cleaning and painting in line with environment and air quality regulations.

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has announced that the eastbound Wakota Bridge has been eliminated from the current construction contract. The decision came after months of negotiations failed to develop an agreement with the contractor, Lunda Construction. The remainder of the current contract remains in force and MnDOT will work with the contractor to complete other road and bridge construction on the project, including demolition of the old Wakota Bridge. No time has yet been set for rebidding and awarding a new contract for the eastbound bridge. Completion is expected to take two to three years after the project is re-bid.

No contractors have submitted bids for the US$400 million Quinnipiac Bridge in the US state of Connecticut. The new structure, also known as the Q-Bridge, is intended to replace the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge. Staff from Connecticut Department of Transportation will now liaise with potential contractors with a view to retendering the project in a way that will attract bids. Construction had been scheduled to start in October this year.

Renowned civil engineer Ben C Gerwick died on 25 December 2005 aged 87. He was educated at the University of California, Berkely where he later served for more than 30 years as a professor. He joined his father's construction company in 1946 after serving for six years in the Navy. At Ben C Gerwick, Inc his work included many pioneering innovative applications of prestressed concrete, including foundations and bridges. Projects he worked on included the the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark, Confederation Bridge in Canada and the Tsing Ma and Kap Shui Mun bridges in Hong Kong. He authored more than 200 technical papers and several books and received many prestigious awards.

The dramatic glass walkway being built more than 1,200m above the floor of Grand Canyon will open on 28 March 2007, it has been announced. The Skywalk will cantilever out more than 21m from the rim. Visitors will pay US$25 on top of the Grand Canyon West entrance fee and up to 120 people will be allowed on the structure at a time. They will be issued with special shoes to prevent scratches and slipping. Jacking and rolling of the steel and glass structure will start in late February.

The Asian Development Bank is providing a US$60 million loan to help restore the rail link between the northern suburbs of Vietnam's capital Hanoi and China. Most of the 285km line was built before 1910 but has had little maintenance. The new US$160 million project will replace six bridges, rehabilitate 13, strengthen 60 and replace worn track. There will also be a new station as well as a programme of safety features.

A US$4.5 million project will start in January to refurbish a bascule bridge on the A12 highway in Lowestoft in eastern England. Mechanical and electrical components of the lifting bridge will be maintained and refurbished to ensure the structure's operation in years to come. Work is being carried out by Bosch Rexroth, supervised by Atkins Highways & Transportation on behalf of the Highways Agency.

Completion of a new bridge linking Thailand and Laos has been marked with an opening ceremony followed by celebrations which will last up to a week. Visitors are now allowed to walk on the 1.6km bridge over the Mekong River to admire the views though it will not open for traffic until agreement is reached on legal aspects of its operation.

Washington State governor Chris Gregoire has released her findings on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the SR 520 replacement projects.

The first major structure has been completed on New Zealand's SH20 Mt Roskill Extension. Work on the May Road Bridge started in December 2005. The bridge is the first of six on the US$128 million new route, and its completion heralds the next phase of work.

The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and New Jersey Transit (NJT) are working with Amtrak to exploe options to replace a railway bridge on the on the heavily congested Northeast Corridor connecting the Newark, New Jersey and New York City metropolitan areas. Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River is almost 100 years old and nearing the end of its projected lifespan. Options under consideration include retaining the existing structure and building a new bridge with two or three additional tracks; modifying the existing bridge to improve its safety and possibly adding a second bridge as well; and removing the Portal Bridge altogether and replacing it. An environmental impact statement will be prepared.

A sea bridge almost 2.5km long has been opened to traffic in the Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh. The Thi Nai Bridge - the country's longest sea crossing - will connect Quy Nhon with the Nhon Hoi economic zone. It is intended to improve access to the industrial area and attract more investment into the province's coastal region.

A committee made up of 10 officials from the US states of Kentucky and Indiana has chosen the types of bridges that will form two new crossings of the Ohio River. The US$240 million Downtown Bridge, designed by Michael Baker Jr, will be a three-tower cable stayed bridge (pictured). The low towers will be arranged in a simple harp formation and the cables will be attached outside the deck superstructure. The US$230 million East End Bridge, designed by Rosales Gottemoeller & Associates, will present a long, thin profile with two needle towers rising through the centre of the deck. Cables will extend diagonally from the towers and be attached to the centre of the deck. The overall bridges project is scheduled for completion by 2020.

A joint venture of Germany's Züblin and UAE contractor Saif Bin Darwish has been awarded a US$183 million contract for the construction of the Saadiyat Bridge. Work will start straightaway on the bridge which will link Abu Dhabi with Saadiyat Island. The 1.5km segmental concrete box girder structure will carry 10 traffic lanes and also makes provision for future rail tracks.

Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink) and Port Coquitlam have finalised a cost-sharing agreement for the US$86 million Coast Meridian Overpass. The bridge will have four lanes as well as capacity for pedestrians and cyclists. It is seen as one of the region's transport priorities and will contribute to the effectiveness of TransLink's Golden Ears Bridge.

The last of 452 deck segments for the skyway section of the eastern part of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge will be positioned tomorrow (8 December). The 780t piece will complete the 2.25km structure which is being built by Kiewit-FCI-Manson.

Hong Kong’s Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation has appointed Scott Wilson to manage the preliminary ground investigation works contract for the combined North Link/Express Rail Link project. The works involve approximately 100 drillholes, located from dense urban settings at a new terminus in West Kowloon through country parks and the New Territories to the border at Shenzhen.

The first three pontoons for the east half of the Hood Canal Bridge in the US state of Washington have now been completed and are due to be floated out of their graving dock tomorrow. Flooding of the dock starts today. A team of 50 inspectors from contractor Kiewit-General and Washington State Department of Transportation will inspect all 105 cells and plans are in place should any minor leaks be found. The pontoons will then be towed out of the Concrete Technology facility ready for delivery to the bridge site. Construction of the next batch of pontoons will begin as soon as the graving dock has been emptied of water.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority has approved the appointment of C Spencer for a US$15.5 million contract to install dehumidification equipment on the main cables of the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland. The equipment will inject dry air into the bridge’s two main cables, with the aim of preventing further corrosion. The bridge is at risk of weight restrictions from as early as 2013 if the corrosion cannot be halted. Nippon Steel has assisted Faber Maunsell with the system design. Installation is expected to be complete by September 2009.

Work to detonate portions of the drawbridge of the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge starts on Sunday with the removal of the west counterweight box. Five dates have been scheduled over the coming weeks, with a view to removing the entire drawbridge section by early 2007. This week's task is to fracture the large blocks of concrete which counterbalanced the original drawbridge leaves. Vehicles began crossing the new bridge in June.

Asian Development Bank is lending US$300 million to help build a 944km railway aimed at promoting growth in the interior regions of China. It wil be the first railway to connect the Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces with the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Total construction cost is put at more than US$3.7 billion and the project is due for completion in 2012.

Construction product designer and fabricator Canam Group has acquired the majority of the assets of Goodco and Z-Tech, which manufacture structural bearings and expansion joints. The two businesses wll be merged to create Goodco Z-Tech and will be relocated to Laval, Canada. The new manufacturing operation will be managed by existing Canam Group business Structal-Bridges.

The Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships has awarded its gold award for project financing to TransLink's Golden Ears Bridge project. The award recognises the cost savings of up to US$8 million compared to a project delivered solely by the public sector and the structuring of a fixed-price, date-certain contract which transfers responsibility for construction costs, on-time delivery and operating performance to the private sector. The 14km project will include a six-lane toll bridge across the Fraser River. It is being built by Golden Crossing Group General Partnership, led by Bilfinger Berger BOT.

The 2006 US transportation construction market has been the most robust in more than 20 years, with the value of work on highways, bridges, airports and transit up 15% over the last year, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Factors contributing to the rise include increased federal, state and local highway investments as well as repairs following Hurricane Katrina. The total value of construction for transportation projects is expected to hit US$106 billion in 2006. The value of construction work on highways and bridges alone grew almost US$11 billion to US$76.3 billion, the largest increase since 1984.

Columbia's national road concessions body Inco has said that six teams are competing for the 293km Ruta Caribe contract. The estimated US$226 million project involves 114km of new highway and 179km of upgades. The six joint ventures together represent 60 companies. Contract award is due in December and will take account of technical and economic factors.

Missouri Department of Transportation has shortlisted four teams for a contract to design, build, finance and maintain more than 800 bridges under its "Safe and sound" bridge improvement programme.

The US Department of Transportation has signed a record of decision for the St Croix River Crossing, clearing the way for progress on the long-planned bridge. The crossing between Washington County, Minnesota, and St Croix County, Wisconsin, was chosen in 2002 to be part of a scheme to streamline environmental approvals.

A bipartisan commission in the US state of Pennsylvania has issued a report offering a funding solution to pay for critical improvements to Pennsylvania’s highways and bridges as well as for public transit. The commission has recommended U$900 million in additional funding for highway and bridges. If the recommendations are adopted, the average driver would pay U$7 more per month so the state could fix deficient bridges, improve the quality of the most heavily used roads, modernise traffic signals and implement new safety features to reduce highway deaths.

A design by Ian Ritchie Architects/Schlaich Bergerman und Partner has been chosen as the winning entry in a competition for a new bridge in Stratford upon Avon, England. Both the public and the competition judges chose it ahead of four other entries. One of the considerations that swung the judging panel was the prospect of the bridge being the "thinnest arch bridge in the world". The panel also liked the sensitivity of the design to the setting, describing it as "modest, simple and elegant". No decision has yet been taken on whether or not to go ahead with the project.

A footbridge with a 230m-long free span has been completed, crossing the Rhein between Huningue in France and Weil-am-Rhein in Germany. The main support is a double hexagonal tubular steel arch. Another single arch leans against it to the south. The bridge has a 5m-wide steel deck rising 25m above the river. The 1,000t structure was built by Max-Bögl and assembled using Air Liquide Welding processes and products via German subsidiary Oerlikon. The design is by Feichtinger Architectes.

The Brazilian and Venezuelan presidents have inaugurated the second bridge over the Orinoco River in Venezuela. The cable-stayed bridge has four 120m-high towers and two 300m-long navigation spans. It has a total length of just over 3km. The bridge will aid transport of goods between Brazil and Venezuela's sea ports and the US$1.283 billion scheme seen by the Venezuelan government as the country's most important infrastructure project of recent years. Work was carried out by Brazilian contractor Oderbretch and supervised by Corporación Venezolana de Guayana.

The first of the two reinforced concrete girders that will make up a rail overbridge at Transit New Zealand's Awatere Bridge site will be moved into place this weekend. The girder and its temporary supports are 39m long by 7m wide and the girder weighs 750t. "The rail overbridge is an important piece of the Awatere Bridge project and it has proven to be a very technically demanding structure to build due to its size," said Transit New Zealand project manager Andrew Adams.

The transportation board in the US state of Nevada has voted to award Fisher Sand & Gravels a US$393.4 million contract to complete the Galena Creek Bridge and associated freeway. CC Myers will be subcontractor for the bridge. Work had stopped in May when Edward Kraemer & Sons and Nevada Department of Transportation ended their contract following technical disagreements over the construction. Construction is expected to resume in January.

The UK Ministry of Defence has unveiled the first of a new range of engineering tanks. Titan is said to be the fastest bridge-layer in the world, capable of bridging a 26m gap in two minutes whilst maintaining full protection for its crew. The Royal Engineers will be receiving 33 Titans and 33 Trojan mine-clearing units under a US$475 million contract with BAE Systems.

Botswana's government has announced that the Zimbabwe government has taken over the completion of the Ramokgwebana River Bridge at Matsiloje from the contractor originally appointed for the scheme. The bridge is one of two agreed to in 1999 by the two governments. Zimbabwe took responsibility for the Matsiloje bridge while Botswana took on the Maitengwe Bridge which was completed in 2001. Work on the Matsiloje bridge started in 2003 and is now expected to be completed by April 2007.

Construction of a US$17 million bridge started this week in Blackburn, northern England. The 78m-span bowstring arch structure will have a steel/concrete deck and carry a dual carriageway. It part of a new orbital route and will replace an existing one-way crossing with sub-standard load-carrying capacity.

Crews working on behalf of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have successfully lowered a 500t steel and concrete bridge into position between two existing sections as part of the US 101 widening project. Eight hydraulic jacks were used in the operation to lower the bridge some 700mm in steps of no more than 6.5mm. Crews would lift the bridge slightly, remove a shim and then release the bridge to rest at a lower elevation.

The Composite Bridge Alliance Europe's annual members' meeting will feature the latest uses of composites in civil engineering, with a visit to to a crossing over four rail lines in Lerida and a presentation about a large footbridge deck under construcution in The Netherlands. New COBRAE council member Dolores Pulido of Pedelta Engineering Consultants will be the special host for the meeting which takes place at the University of Barcelona on 29-30 November. The meeting will also include a visit to the university's laboratories where testing of pultruded and engineered composite components is under way. More information from [http://www.cobrae.org] . (opens in new window)

A pedestrian suspension bridge in a mountain resort in Java, Indonesia, collapsed yesterday killing five people and injuring more than 20. The bridge at the Baturaden resort was packed with tourists when it failed, plunging the people some 20m to a rocky riverbed below.

Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has awarded Conti Enterprises a contract worth more than US$87 million for rehabilitation of the the Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1) Toll Bridge. The project is aimed at improving safety and reducing congestion. Work includes adding a northbound auxiliary lane as well as toll plaza improvements, new noise barriers and improved interchange access.

More than 275t of machinery and steelwork will be transported in three huge loads this week as part of the Highways Agency's Surtees Bridge Replacement scheme in northern England. Six bridge sections up to 57m long are being taken in special loads, some of which exceed 70m. Fabricator Cleveland Bridge UK is supplying the bridge sections. Three journeys will be needed to move all the sections to site and each 19km journey is expected to take three hours. Some traffic signs, lighting columns and barriers have had to be temporarily removed to allow the vehicle's passage.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation has announced the start of construction of a US$30 million lifting bridge over Sturgeon Bay in the north east of the state. The new bridge is scheduled to open to traffic in September 2008, enabling rehabilitation of the Michigan Street Bridge to start.

The 4,000t barge Excalibur has arrived at the site of the new Upper Forth Crossing in Kincardine, Scotland. The bridge is being built by a joint venture of Morgan Est and Vinci Construction for Transport Scotland as part of a US$188 million contract. The existing Kincardine Bridge was temporarily closed to allow the barge to pass underneath as the clearance was just 2m. Excalibur will remain on site for six months, driving piles to form a foundation of 25 piers for the 1.2km bridge.

The Philippines government's house speaker Jose De Venecia Jr has announced that US$2.8 million more will be released to complete the 600m-long Domalandan Bridge in addition to the US$12.8 million already allocated. He said that the bridge is nearing completiion and is due to be inaugurated in January 2007. President Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Department of Public Works & Highways to ensure the continuous release of funds until it is completed.

Delaware Department of Transportation in the USA has picked three teams with cable-stayed bridge experience to compete for the US$130 million design and construction of a bridge over the Indian River Inlet.

Minister Jesmond Mugliett told Malta's parliament yesterday that a US$5.8 million contract for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Manuel Dimech Bridge has been awarded to BCP Joint Venture. Work will start in mid November. Inspection, design, tender preparation and project supervision is being carried out by Design & Technical Resources, Malta and Germany's Koing, Heunish und Partner.

Italian members of parliament have voted to shelve plans to build the world's longest single-span suspension bridge. They accepted a resolution to prioritise other projects instead of the Messina Bridge. The contract for the bridge was let in October 2005 to a consortium led by Impregilo, but since the change of government earlier this year, debate had continued about whether the construction should go ahead.

Moira and Corowa councils, in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales respectively, have held a "call to action" public meeting on the need for a new bridge over Lake Mulwala. The meeting voted for local politicians to argue the case for the crossing with a view to it being included in next year's state budgets. Consultants have put forward six options, costed at US$22 million to US$93 million.

Michigan Department of Transportation is opening a new bridge over the Ontonagon River today. Construction of the US$25 million crossing began last year to replace a 60-year-old swing bridge, which will now be removed. The opening was originally planned for last month but was delayed by the late delivery of the bridge’s railings.

Construction is set to start of a new bridge to carry the A27 highway over a railway in Beddingham in East Sussex, southern England. One of the main purposes of the US$60 million project is to improve safety as the current level crossing site is classified as "high risk" by the Railways Inspectorate. The scheme also includes 2.3km of single carriageway road. Client for the work is the Highways Agency, with construction undertaken by Alfred McAlpine Project Services to a design by Jacobs.

The last of 1,766 precast concrete segments for Hong Kong's US$141 million Lai Chi Kok Viaduct has been lifted into place. Contractor for the project is Acciona. Supervising engineer and joint venture member Hyder Consulting has overseen the glueing and stressing of the 100t segments which have been positioned using a 172m-long specially-adapted launching gantry weighing more than 900t. Lai Chi Kok Viaduct is part of the Route 8 Project which will link Cheung Sha Wan in the south and Butterfly Valley in the north when it is complete in 2007.

A construction bid of US$69 million has been received for the first of a trio of bridges designed by Santiago Calatrava for the city of Dallas in Texas, USA. Williams Brothers Construction's bid to build the Woodall Rodgers Bridge is US$4 million above the city's budget but considerably less than the sole bid of US$113 million that was received when the project was initially tendered earlier this year. Some cost-saving alterations were made before re-tendering the steel arch structure.

The chief minister of the Indian state of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy, has inaugurated construction of a bridge across the Lakshmanatheertha River near Sagarakatte. Mumbai-based Gammon India is carrying out the US$4 million project, which is expected to take about 14 months. The bridge will cut the distance between Mysore and KR Nagar by 12km and provide a key connection for more that 50 villages.

Evaluation has begun of four tenders received this week for construction of a 2km road and rail bridge over the River Danube between Vidin in Bulgaria and Kalafat in Romania. The bids - which range between approximately US$130 million and US$340 million - were received from:

A motorway flyover built in 1970 collapsed on Saturday near Montreal in Canada, killing five people in two cars that were passing underneath. The collapse occurred on a bridge connecting the island of Laval with Montreal in the province of Quebec. The Quebec government has announced a public inquiry into the accident. A similar concrete overpass built at the same time has been closed as a precaution and other structures have been identified for close review.

Bulgarian transport minister Petar Mutafchiev has said that there will be a third bridge joining Romania and Bulgaria across the Danube River. He said that it will be built at Oryahovo, 190km northeast of Sofia. The bridge would stand at narrowest part of the river in the region and would be 860m long. Preliminary calculations have put the cost at US$88.8 million.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission has awarded Road-Con a US$8.4 million contract for the rehabilitation of the Centre Bridge-Stockton Toll-Supported Bridge. The commission has also ratified construction management and inspection contracts for three further projects that are part of its long-term capital improvement programme. The contracts cover the Riverton-Belvidere Toll-Supported Bridge, Trenton-Morrisville (Route 1) Toll Bridge and Scudder Falls Toll-Supported Bridge. They have been awarded to French & Parrello, Hill International and STV respectively. Largest of the three is Hill International´s contract with a fee of up to US$6.95 million for the US$100 million improvements to the Trenton-Morrisville bridge.

Hyder Consulting has completed the concept and preliminary design for a glass-clad bridge over the Haihe River in the Chinese city of Tianjin. The concept for the 192m-span bridge – which was developed in conjunction with architect Ronald Yee – incorporates steel pylons clad in glass panels. The cable-stayed structure´s two main and two secondary pylons are arranged in a radial maner. Bearings at the base of the pylons allow rotation to minimise moments in the foundations, deck and pylons. “The design is unique in geometry and articulation with no resemblance to any other road bridge that we have seen,” said Hyder’s project director, Francis Kung.

The semi-submersible vessel Swan is preparing to return to South Korea after delivering the first 16 deck sections for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Its place will be taken by its sister cargo ship, Teal, which is carrying the next 15 sections. Swan will be loaded with the final 15 sections in South Korea before making another trans-Pacific journey to Tacoma. Deck lifting activities will continue until the end of the year.

The Leighton Abigroup Joint Venture has been announced as the preferred team for the US$1.4 billion Gateway upgrade project. The design, construct and maintain scheme involves the duplication of the Gateway Bridge in Queensland, Australia, as well as upgrading 20km of motorway and improving the existing bridge. Other teams working with the joint venture include Maunsell, SMEC, Cardno, AAS Jakobsen, VSL

The new Clyde Arc bridge has opened, providing the first new crossing in more than 30 years across the River Clyde in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The bridge spans the river at a diagonal and has been nicknamed the Squinty Bridge. The four-lane, 140m-span arched structure cost US$38 million.

Two tower cranes fell yesterday during a burst of high wind at the Colorado River Bridge site in Nevada, USA. The working day had ended and no injuries were reported. The tower cranes stood on opposite sides of the canyon, enabling the set-up of dual high-lines. This meant that the entire bridge length was accessible by crane hook for delivery of materials used in both foundation structures and the main arch crossing, as in this photograph taken prior to the collapse. One of the cranes and its attached cables fell onto the US 93 highway on the Nevada approach, neccessitating a complete closure of the road.

A pedestrian and cycle bridge opened this week in Newport, on the same day that the Welsh city's famous Transporter Bridge celebrated its centenery. The new footbridge features two A-frame masts, 80m and 70m long, supporting the deck structure from the west bank. The bridge was fabricated locally by Rowecord before being positioned by contractor Alfred McAlpine. The engineering design was by Atkins.