Displaying items by tag: Roads

India: Road Transport and MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari says that ‘huge demand’ is being created for steel and cement companies due to the rapid construction of road infrastructure. However, he also accused the industries of creating cartels and exploiting people, according to the Press Trust of India. The minister said that the government is now looking for some alternative for steel and cement. At a webinar Gadkari said that road construction has reached 37km/day day.

US: Cemex USA, part of Mexico-based Cemex, has won a contract to supply 90,700t of cement and 153,000m³ of concrete for the latest phase of construction of the Houston Grand Parkway. The cement and concrete will help build the road’s I-1 and I-2 sections. The ring road around Houston is the longest of its kind in the US. Cemex USA will provide a portable central mix plant for the project.

Texas regional president Scott Ducoff said “Cemex USA is proud to be part of an iconic infrastructure project in our headquarters city of Houston, and one that will help ease traffic and improve local travel for commuters.” He added “Completing the Grand Parkway is a significant endeavour and opportunity for us to continue to innovate how we efficiently and effectively deliver our best-in-class materials to meet the demands of inspiring projects such as this one.”

Russia: SibCem subsidiary Iskitimcement has added an eighth cement to its product line. The company has launched production of a CEM-I special Portland cement for use in roads and airstrips. It says that the product produces concrete with increased resistance to aggressive media, frost and water resistance and strength, lower heat generation during hardening and longer service life than concrete produced with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC).

Managing Director Vladimir Skakun said, “Considering that the strategy for the development of the building materials industry until 2030 provides for an increase in the share of cement-concrete roads in the total volume of new roads in the country to 50%, we are preparing to increase the demand for road cements.” He added, “The development of a new type of product is another step in matching consumers’ changing needs.”

Mexico: Cemex Mexico has signed an agreement with the state government of Puebla for the repair of 5km of road near Tepeaca. The El Sol de Mexico newspaper has reported that under the agreement Cemex will supply hydraulic concrete for the works. The company plans to first repair a 3km stretch of the road, then complete the remaining 2km in 2022.

President Juan Romero said “The purpose of Cemex is to build a better future. That is the reason that drives us to get up every day. We started at home, by building it for the more than 12,000 employees who work in the company and we made sure that everyone found in Cemex the best place to work and develop personally and professionally; but we also do it for our clients, with products of the highest quality and giving the greatest focus and attention to all the projects in which we participate, from the smallest expansion or remodeling of a small rural house to the large infrastructure works that they are underway in the country.”

In 2019 and 2020 the company invested US$3.5m in social projects in Puebla State. It repaired 4.5km of roads and donated 160t of concrete.

Nigeria: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge Africa says that it has signed an agreement with the Cross River State government to build a 38km concrete road connecting its local cement plant to the wider network. Chief executive officer (CEO) Khaled El Dokani said the project was a major contribution of Lafarge to the state at large with the purpose of making the roads safer for the citizens. The road is intended to divert trucks away from a nearby city centre once it is completed.

Uzbekistan: The Ministry of Transport has secured a US$274m loan from the Asian Development Bank for investment in the construction of a 240km road in Karakalpakstan. Asian Development Bank senior transport specialist Pavan Karki said, “As a landlocked country, Uzbekistan has made regional connectivity a central element of its transport policy. This project will help develop the country's potential as a regional transport and logistics hub between Europe and Southeast Asia, contributing to economic growth.” The road will be part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Programme Corridor 2. Uzbekistan Newsline has reported that the project will generate ‘significant demand’ for the country’s cement producers.

Germany: HeidelbergCement has reported the successful resurfacing of a section of Federal Motorway 5 (BAB 5) between Karlsruhe and Frankfurt using a concrete made from low-alkali cement produced at its 1.4Mt/yr-capacity Schelklingen, Baden-Württemberg integrated cement plant. The company used over 3600t of cement to produce the 12,000m³ of concrete required for the 3.2km stretch of road. Traffic infrastructure product manager Klaus Felsch said, “The cement’s low alkali content significantly reduces the risk of an alkali-silica reaction and maximizes the durability of the concrete.”

India: Odisha has received its first cement-free road near Amanapada, Cuttack District. The Pioneer newspaper has reported that researchers from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) developed the new material, made from 100% industrial waste, in order to cut the CO₂ emissions involved in cement production and in anticipation of an acute limestone shortage in India in 25 – 50 years. KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta thanked the students whose work brought this pilot project to fruition. “The new technology has the potential to bring about a revolution in engineering construction,” he said.

India: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has asked the government to restart home and road building to help cement producers. The Press Trust of India newspaper has reported that all construction work has stalled since 25 March 2020 due to the coronavirus lockdown. The FICCI believes that Indian cement demand is currently set to decline by 10-12% year-on-year. To relieve the sector, the FICCI urged the Indian government to lift the lockdown in metropolitan areas in order to allow the continuation of residential construction, which accounts for 60-65% of cement demand.

To protect domestic producers from any import dumping post-crisis, the FICCI has suggested that Indian cement sales should be subsidised. It also requested a ‘relaxation of environmental emission norms’ until mid-2022 ‘to save the industry from additional capex expenses.’

Colombia: Mexico-based Cemex has announced the resumption of operations at its 2.8Mt/yr Caracolito plant in Ibagué, Tolima Department on 13 April 2020. Noticias Financieras News has reported that Cemex Colombia will resume the supply of its products to ‘infrastructure and public works that cannot be suspended, as well as for emergency care projects and road projects.

Cemex will have to wait for the Colombian government to lift its coronavirus lockdown to restart supplies to customers.