This Week in Construction (and Other) News | 27 September 2020

New plant making noise reductions possible, a major highway tunnel in India, and confused UK drivers all feature in this week's round-up, as:

• Contractors in Hong Kong are doing their bit to reduce site noise.

• A 4-hour winding journey becomes a ten-minute drive in India.

• A new roundabout causes a stir in the UK.

Gammon Doing its Bit to Reduce Construction Noise

Hong Kong contractor Gammon Construction Ltd is leading the charge* towards a switch from diesel to lithium-ion powered generators. The generators power giant cranes during the erection of high-rise buildings and provide a reminder that many within the industry are looking at ways to save money and increase efficiency on job sites.

BNN Bloomberg reported this week that the batteries have minimal impact on the local power network whilst reducing air and noise pollution.

Read the full story here.

*no apologies

World's Longest Highway Tunnel set to open

India is set to open the longest high-altitude road tunnel on earth, after completion of the Atal Tunnel. The 9.02-km long tunnel runs underneath the Rohtang Pass at an altitude of over 10,000 feet and turns a 4-hour journey along winding mountain roads, into a 10-minute drive in a straight line.

The Times of India reports that the tunnel is expected to see traffic levels of 3,000 cars and 1,5000 trucks per day.

Read more here.

A Very British Argument

The BBC reported this week that a new "Dutch-style" roundabout in the UK city of Cambridge is making national headlines as local drivers struggle with the concept. The new construction has polarised people to such an extent that the national press has called it a "£2.3m 'cyclist killing zone'".

In a city of many cyclists, the same site had been the scene of 12 collisions between cars and cyclists over 5 years from 2012 - 2017, leading the local council to take action. However, local drivers are unhappy with a previously unseen road layout that could - they believe - cause congestion and lead to further accidents.

Leave your comments on this revolutionary/awful design below...

Image credit: BBC/Terry-harris.com