Mississippi Department of Transportation has issued requests for qualifications for the replacement of bridges carrying the US 90 road across Saint Louis Bay and Biloxi Bay. Both projects will be carried out on a design and build basis. The Mississippi Transportation Commission will use a two-step process to select a proposer for the schemes, with three tenderers shortlisted once the requests for qualifications have been evaluated.

Ireland's National Roads Authority has awarded Jacobs a contract to provide design services for the US$137 million upgrade of the N6 between Kinnegad and Kilbeggan. Jacobs is providing detailed design services and site supervision in support of the project's civils contractor Ascon. The project's scope include the construction of 28km of dual carriageway, 18 bridges and three grade-separated junctions.

Transit New Zealand is developing plans for the US$97.5 million replacement of Auckland's Newmarket Viaduct. The state highways operator has scheduled an open day next week as part of its public consultation on the project. The viaduct will be replaced in stages and moved eastwards by 12m with the addition of an extra southbound lane. Construction will take three years, with completion scheduled for 2011/12.

A consortium led by Skanska has been awarded the contract to rebuild 24km of railway line in the Czech Republic, including construction of a new bridge. The total contract value is approximately US$146 million and relates to a section of the main railway line between Cervenka and Zábreh na Morave in the central Czech Republic. The project, for client Czech Rail Administration, is being financed by the EU Cohesion Fund and the State Transport Infrastructure Fund and aims to enable rail traffic to reach speeds of up to 160 km/hour and to improve safety.

Launching of the Alvares viaduct in Asturias, Spain, is on track for completion at the end of October. Specialist subcontractor ALE Lastra has completed the first phase of the launching for contractor ACS/Dragados on schedule. The bridge, designed by Torroja Engineering, has a total length of 384m, main span of 105m, six piers and incorporates 2400t of steel in its composite deck. The first phase of launching involved a total length of 235m from one abutment; the remainder will be carried out from the other side.

Architect Spence Associates and structural engineer Techniker have won the competition to design a new vehicle and pedestrian bridge over the River Wear in Sunderland, north-east England.

Parliamentary approval for the construction of the Hardanger Bridge over Hardangerfjord in Norway is due to be sought in the next few months. The bridge will replace the existing ferry service on the main road link between Oslo to Bergen, and will be the longest suspension bridge in Norway. The estimated cost of the bridge, which will have a main span of 1310m, is approximately US$265 million.

The US Army Corps of Engineers has awarded American Bridge a contract for construction of two new bridges over the Tennessee River just below the lock and dam of Kentucky Lake. The contract is valued at US$88.6M and will be complete in February 2010. The 10-span road bridge is a deck plate girder structure with a total length of 950m. The 18-span single track railway bridge has an overall length of 943m. American Bridge has developed an erection methodology using float in and strand jack lifting techniques for the main channel span of the roadway bridge. The 1,905t railway truss span will be fabricated in American Bridge’s Coraopolis shops and assembled on falsework near the site, then floated into place.

Work has begun to repair the hurricane-damaged Twin Span Bridge that carries Interstate 10 traffic between New Orleans and Slidell. Boh Brothers Construction of New Orleans is carrying out the contract to reopen the bridge which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The eastbound span will be repaired in an intial 45 day phase, providing one lane of traffic in each direction, said US transportation secretary Norman Mineta. The second phase of the work will result in repair of the westbound span, providing two-lane traffic in each direction within 120 days.

A joint venture of Costain Group and Mowlem has been awarded a US$782 million contract to widen a 40km stretch of the M1 motorway near Luton, England and construct a new link. It is the largest contract awarded to date under a Highways Agency scheme that involves contractors from an early stage of project development. Construction is expected to begin in 2008.

Businesses in Dorset have expressed support for Poole's application for a second harbour crossing. The public inquiry into the project in southern England begins later this month and the leader of the local chamber of commerce and industry has said that a large majority of local businesses were convinced the bridge is needed. Dorset Business chief executive Peter Scott said that he believed that the bridge balances factors such as upgrading transportation links, enhancing prospects for business and minimising the impact on the environment.

A single tower self-anchored suspension bridge is to be built in Guanghzhou, China. The final design has been approved and planning is under way for construction. The single 131m-high tower will be built from two linked arches in a shell-like design. It will carry a 742m-long roadway across the Pearl River.

Three consortia will be invited to tender for the US$1.2 billion Gateway upgrade project, Queensland's transport and main roads minister Paul Lucas has announced. He named the three as:

The governments of Botswana and Zambia are to expected spend more than US$70 million on construction of the Kazungula Bridge and to own the bridge jointly, the Botwanan government has said. Bidding for the project is ready to start once the two governments have agreed to proceed with this financing arrangement, said Ministry of Works & Transport permanent secretary Nyadza Thipe. Nine international consortia have already expressed interest in developing the bridge on a build-operate-transfer basis and six have been shortlisted.

The Nass Murray Roberts joint venture is to build 13 bridges for Bahrain's Durrat Al Bahrain project. The US$51 million contract involves construction of 3.5km of precast post-tensioned bridges to link the 13 islands of a seaside city resort containing more than 2,000 villas and 3,000 apartments. The bridges have been designed by WS Atkins & Partners Overseas.

Bids for construction of the new Ironton Russell Bridge over the Ohio River are due to be invited in November this year. But the designers of the crossing, which will link Ironton in Ohio with Russell in Kentucky, have had to resolve conflicting constraints in order to provide a solution that suited all the parties involved.

The company behind plans for a bridge across Morecambe Bay say that a new study concludes that the project could generate enough energy to supply 80% of households in the north west of England. Bridge Across the Bay proposes building the 20km bridge from Heysham to Barrow and aims to integrate tidal turbines to generate renewable energy. It commissioned HR Wallingford to examine the feasibility.

A cantilevered glass bridge is to open in January at the western rim of the Grand Canyon, 1,220m above the Colorado River. The Skywalk will give visitors panoramic views from a walkway extending out from the canyon’s wall adjacent to a visitors’ centre. It is being developed as part of the Hualapai Nation’s Grand Canyon West development.

Florida's new Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge was officially opened on Saturday, celebrated by a community event. The US$64.2 million high-span structure replaces a drawbridge which was built in 1963. The 774m-long crossing carries two lanes in each direction.

Local artist Robin Popp depicted the bridge on artwork for use on commemorative materials such as t-shirts and invitations.

Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) and Kajima Corporation have signed a US$45.9 million contract for the construction of the Abay Bridge and the Goha Tsion-Dejen road. Work is due to start in September with completion in December 2008.

CTL Group’s sensors and structural diagnostics team is to take part in a testing programme next month to determine how well the Homer Hadley I-90 floating bridge across Lake Washington in Seattle could support a proposed light rail transit line. Under a contract with long-time client KPFF Consulting Engineers, CTL Group will produce and install about 60 sensors and a wireless data acquisition system that will be used to monitor the behaviour of the bridge during live load tests. Heavily loaded flatbed trucks will simulate the weight and movement of light rail trains during the tests.

Construction of Botswana’s Kazungula Bridge should be carried out as a matter of urgency, according to president Festus Mogae. He said that the bridge would be an important part of the infrastructure necessary for intensified trade with other countries in the region and the rest of Africa.

A worker was killed yesterday while working on the demolition of the Silas N Pearman Bridge in South Carolina. Part of the structure collapsed while a steel girder and concrete section were being removed. The work is part of a US$57 million contract following on from last month’s opening of the Ravenel Bridge. The contract also includes demolition of the John Grace Memorial Bridge.

Public comments are being tallied following months of local consultation about the proposed would link the Port of Anchorage and the Port Mackenzie areas. Hundreds of comments are now being sifted for inclusion in a report due to be presented early next month to the Knik Arm Bridge & Toll Authority and the Federal Highway Administration. Early indications are that responses are split roughly equally between those broadly in favour of and against the crossing.

Official opening of the Four Bears Bridge in North Dakota is set for 3 October. The ceremony will also mark the 50th anniversary of the original bridge's dedication. The new 1,370m-long bridge over Lake Sakakawea is being built by Fru-Con Construction at a cost of US$55.4 million, making it the state's largest-ever bridge contract. The original bridge will be demolished once the new crossing is in use.

Yooshin Engineering has awarded Mott MacDonald two contracts in Korea. One is the design review for the 800m main span cable-stayed bridge to Korea’s new airport on Incheon Island. The bridge is part of a 12km road link that includes approach bridges and viaduct spans. The US$1.24 billion bridge is due for completion on October 2009. The other contract involves assisting in supervision of a US$1.6 billion fixed link from the Korean mainland near Busan to the island of Geoje. The project will involve building two cable stayed bridges with main spans of 475m and 230m, and an immersed tube tunnel 3.7km long.

Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority has awarded Skanska a US$271 million rehabilitation contract on the Triborough Bridge in New York. Triborough Bridge consists of three bridges, a viaduct, and 23km of approach roads connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. The principal part of Skanska's contract is the replacement of the bridge deck on approximately 1,200m of the Randalls Island and Wards Island Approach Viaduct. Work will start in September and is scheduled for completion in 38 months.

Precast segmental construction is now probably the most common method of construction of long or multiple span structures particularly for roads or railways. In basic terms the superstructure is broken down into a series of elemental segments - usually the full width of a structural element over a partial length. Precasting of bridge decks involves an industrialised process which allows the mass production of standardised components.

Two bridge deck overlay replacement projects that have been under way in the Netherlands this summer represent the culmination of a major research effort into solving problems with fatigue damage to steel deck bridges.

California Department of Transportation has announced that the seismic retrofit on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge has been completed for US$136 million less than last year's US$914 million projection. This is the sixth of seven toll bridges to be retrofitted since 2000 - only the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge is still under way. Its west span retrofit has been finished while the west approach and skyway sections of the east span are respectively 51% and 77% complete. The showpiece self-anchored suspension bridge was put out to tender last week with the contract due to be awarded in late March 2006.

Transit New Zealand has announced plans to advance three major projects following the government's allocation of additional funding for highways. Transit is to spend US$270 million on schemes including the Western Ring Route in Auckland, the Waikato Expressway, Wellington's Dowse to Petone route and some smaller projects.

Roads minister Stephen Ladyman has said that there will be no decision before early 2006 about the proposed Mersey Gateway bridge in north west England. He has asked the local authority and its partners to continue to work with officials in the Department for Transport to resolve outstanding issues.

Vancouver's transport authority Translink is allowing extra time for both the technical and financial proposals for the US$460 million Golden Ears Bridge. Technical submissions now have to be in by 13 September and the revised date for financial information is 28 October. “These new dates reflect the complexity of the procurement process and will help ensure the best value for the region,” said project director Fred Cummings. Proposals are being prepared by two competing consortia – The Golden Crossing Group and The Fraser Valley Connector Group. A winning bidder is due to be recommended to the Translink board meeting on 5 December.

A package of construction work including seven new pedestrian bridges has been approved by Dubai Municipality. The pedestrian bridges will be built at seven sites where both pedestrian and traffic flows are high. All will be enclosed and will be accessible by lifts as well as stairs to enable use by all.

Contractor Edmund Nuttall has begun building Glasgow's new US$35 million Finnieston Bridge. The Halcrow-designed structure is the River Clyde's first new crossing in more than 30 years. It will carry two lanes for public transport together with two lanes for other vehicles. One of the key features of the 100m span is a capability to cope with the addition of a light transport system, such as a tram, in the future. The bridge is funded by Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and Glasgow City Council.

Tendering has now restarted to build the self-anchored suspension section of the San Francisco -Oakland Bay Bridge East Span. The mega-project was slotted into this week's list of California Department of Transportation projects out to tender, following a series of political agreements on how to fund it. The original tender, opened in May 2004, had drawn a single bid of US$1.8 billion using domestic steel or US$1.4 billion for a foreign steel alternative. The project has now been given an estimate of US$1.45 billion with 2,130 working days allowed for construction. Bids will be opened on 2 January 2006.

The US Senate has approved a US$286.5 billion highway and transit construction bill. President George Bush will now sign the bill which sets out guaranteed amounts for thousands of projects over six years. Funding earmarked for bridges includes US$100 million for replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge in California, US$200 million for repairs to bridges on Interstate 5 in Oregon and an additional US$46 million towards the projected US$1 billion cost of a new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge on Interstate 95.

Dan Dock has joined Finley Engineering Group as vice president - engineering. Dock has 28 years' experience in the design, construction, inspection and business development of major bridge projects and joins FEG from Parsons Corporation. Schemes he has worked on include the Central Artery project in Boston, the I-10 bridge replacement in Florida and design-build projects such as the St. Francisville Bridge in Louisiana.

The last of 484 concrete segments has been placed at the 457m-long Four Bears Bridge across Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. The precast concrete segmental structure, designed by Figg Engineering Group, has been constructed by Fru-Con Construction using the balanced cantilever method. The US$55.4 million scheme is the state's largest ever bridge project and replaces an existing bridge 30m to the south which will be demolished once the new crossing is in use.

Groupe Egis has announced agreement on the conditional sale of its German subsidiary Dorsch Consult to engineering company Hoffmann Röder. The acquisition will add specialised infrastructure engineering to Hoffmann Röder's existing business in general planning, architecture and construction. Dorsch Consult had been acquired by Egis in 1996.

Cambridgeshire County Council has backed a project to build a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Cam. The striking curved steel arch design by WhitbyBird and sculptor Gerry Judah was chosen last year as the winning entry in an international competition. The bridge includes a low level walkway, a separate and slightly elevated cycleway and a number of sculpted seats. "The simple modern design has struck the right balance of respecting the existing surroundings yet providing a high quality, innovative and attractive structure," said cabinet member John Reynolds. The proposal will now be referred to the office of the deputy prime minister.

The proposed Padma Bridge is highlighted in a new statement of co-operation issued jointly by the governments of Japan and Bangladesh. In the statement, the governments express their determination to build co-operative relations in more than a dozen areas. The list includes the Padma Bridge: Japan conveyed its intention to give due consideration to to Bangladesh's request for assistance. No agreement on financing has yet been signed by Japan. The bridge over the Padma River would be some 6km long and the client for the project is the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority.

Australia's Macquarie Bank has committed to invest US$65 million in the Incheon Grand Bridge project in Korea. The 12.34km-long, six lane cable-stayed bridge will improve access to Incheon airport from Seoul. It will be the longest bridge in Korea. The bank's investment will represent a 41% interest in Koda - Korea Development Company Ltd - the concessionaire which will build the bridge and operate it until 2039. Macquarie Bank will also provide a US$267 million loan to Koda.

North America's longest cable-stayed bridge is set to open following a week of celebrations. The Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge in South Carolina will be dedicated at a public ceremony tomorrow before being opened to traffic. The US$632 million bridge has a distinctive diamond-shaped pair of 174.5m-high concrete towers, with a 471m main span. The design and build joint venture was Palmetto Bridge Constructors, made up of Tidewater Skanska and Flatiron Constructors, with Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas providing design services.

Botswana minister of works and transport Lesogo Motsumi has confirmed that the government is to spend US$8.3 million building the Okavango Bridge at Mohembo. Design work should be finished by the end of the year, she said, and construction is expected to begin as soon as the design is complete. Local residents complain that they are currently unable to cross the river after 6.30pm, when the boat stops operation.

Plans are moving ahead for a new bridge serving the Port of Anping in Tainan, Taiwan's government has confirmed. Work could begin this month on the Yukuang Bridge, which will occupy space now serving as an auxiliary navigation channel. The 320m-long reinforced concrete arched bridge will have a total of five spans and will be built using both a form traveller and a stationary shoring system.

A set of plans and drawings for the Forth Rail Bridge is being auctioned by Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh today. The documents, dated 1881 and 1882, include maps of the planned course of the railway, drawings of the structure and some annotations. The original owner was Patrick Meik who was resident engineer for the bridge's foundations and piers. The set is expected to sell for up to US$4,000.

California's senate has approved a deal that paves the way for construction of the self-anchored suspension span of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge. The senate ratified an agreement to increase bridge tolls and provide US$630 million for the bridge. Last year's sole tenderer for the signature span had put in a price far higher than budgeted. This prompted calls for the eastern section of the crossing to be replaced by a less dramatic causeway structure. The state's assembly is expected to pass the bill next week. It will then take effect as soon as governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs the measure. Caltrans will then be able to readvertise the contract.

The Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development has this week signed a loan agreement with Bangladesh to provide US$51.2 million to finance the building of Karnavoli Bridge. The 900m-long, four lane tolled crossing will provide a link between residential and commercial areas on the northern bank with an industrial region to the south.

British Columbia has awarded SNC-Lavalin a 30-year concession to design, build, finance and operate a new five-lane bridge across Okanagan Lake. Capital cost of building the new crossing is US$116.5 million and the total cost of payments during the concession period is put at US$144 million - a saving of some US$13 million over a traditional procurement route. The contract also covers decommissioning of the existing 880m-long three-lane floating bridge once the new crossing has been completed in 2008.

The San Franscisco-Oakland Bay Bridge may yet have its landmark self-anchored suspension main span following a new agreement. Plans for the dramatic structure were hit last year when costs soared and a simpler causeway section was proposed. The switch in fortunes of the two designs follows a new deal between California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and senate president Don Perata. Client Caltrans has this week reflected the change in emphasis by returning an image of the suspension structure to its home web page and captioning it as a simulated view of the proposed main span.