News - Press Release

Lao PDR, Implementation Supervision Consultant

SweRoad has signed a contract for”Implementation Supervision Consultants for the Improvement of National Road 1B and 6A” with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Lao PDR. A grant from the International Development Association is funding the project.

Lao PDR is a low-income country with enormous need for external financing of its development programs. The World Bank has agreed to finance Road Network Improvement and Preservation of Road No. 1B in Phongsaly Province (2 contracts) and Road No. 6A in Huaphan Province, two critical national road links. The total road length is 109+62 km. Total construction time is 32 months. A team consisting of 27 International and national engineers and administrative assistants will handle the project. A resident engineer on each site will be responsible for each road package reporting to the Team Leader. A total professional staff input of 615 months are agreed.

The objectives of the Consultant are to assist Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) in administrating the civil works contract as well as in the planning and implementation of Environment Management Plans (EMP) for the above mentioned contracts. The consultant will review and verify all key project documents (detailed engineering, environmental etc.) to be provided by MPWT. The prime objective of the services is to ensure timely completion of high quality construction at reasonable costs and within the contractual framework.

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China – Three study tours to Sweden

The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) in collaboration with Sweroad has hosted three Chinese study trips during 2010-2011. The groups international travelling has been organized by TTA - Technology Training Associates Ltd. from Canada whom also have been the client for the study trips. Initial funding comes from the World Bank’s China Third Jiangxi Highway Project.

The study tour program has included presentations, discussions and project site-visits for a varied learning experience with the following focus areas having been studied:

Road Sector Investments with visits to Traffic Stockholm (traffic management centre), the SRA regional office in Stockholm with presentations of planning and strategic decisions as well as investments in general and bridges and tunnels in particular, presentation of Stockholm northern by-pass project (not yet constructed, planned cost 2.9 billion Euro), an introduction to Ruijin-Ganzhou expressway project by the group, and site visit to the Stockholm southern by-pass system. 

Maintenance of roads, bridges and tunnels with visits to SRA regional office in Gothenburg, presentations and discussions of maintenance, special focus on the two bridges Älvsborgsbron and the tunnel Tingstadstunneln, introduction to the planned connection “Marieholmsförbindelsen”, site visits to Götatunneln (tunnel), Älvsborgsbron (bridge), Lundbytunneln (tunnel) och Tingstadstunneln (tunnel). Travel from Gothenburg to Malmö by car with stops at interesting locations showing concrete roads, train tunnels, etc.

Environment and Architecture with visits to SRA regional office in Malmö, presentations & discussions focusing on Environmental management and Architecture, case study of the bridge & tunnel between Sweden and Denmark (Öresundsbron), site visits to Citytunneln (tunnel) and Öresundsbron (bridge & tunnel).

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Bosnia and Herzegovina/Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Setup Federation of BiH Road Strategy, Action Plans and Mitigation in High-Risks Road Sections

In December 2010 Sweroad signed a contract with JP Direkcija cesta (Public Directory for Roads) for a Road Safety project funded by the World Bank. The team initially mobilised early December 2010 and the job is planned to run during the whole of 2011.

The primary objective of the Consultancy is to provide technical assistance to the Government of the FBIH in strengthening both its road safety management capacity and the results focus for road safety. To support the objective the consultancy will:

  • support the creation of a working institutional framework and coordination functions and procedures between authorities, including the establishment of a lead road safety agency at the FBIH level, coordinated with activities at the State and RS levels;

  • review and propose improvements in existing road crash databases and access to vehicle registration databases;

  • assist the client in planning and implementing road safety measures in pilot areas;

  • review current strategy and action plan focusing on harmonize with best practice and enhance the results focus;

  • establish socio-economic costs of road accidents;

  • support the creation of a monitoring framework for road safety activities; and

  • build capacity within key road authorities to monitor and assess performances indicators in order for the client to enforce initiatives and action plans.

 

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Preparation of Term Maintenance Contracts for Main and Rural Roads in The Republic of Yemen.

SweRoad has signed a contract for Preparation of Term Maintenance Contracts for Main and Rural Roads with the Ministry of Public Works and Highways (MPWH), Road Maintenance Fund (RMF).

Due to historical and geographical circumstances, especially the rugged and mountainous conditions in the northwest of the country where most of the population lives, Yemen suffers from isolation of much of the rural population leading to high poverty rates. The Government of Yemen has strived over the last two decade to address this by, among other actions, upgrading rural roads to improve access of the rural population to services and markets. The provision and maintenance of rural roads of appropriate standards is especially challenging, given that a large proportion of the population lives in small settlements in rugged to mountainous terrain relatively far from trunk roads.

Recognizing the sustainability issue and need to address road maintenance in Yemen, the World Bank financed Second Rural Access Project (RAP2) includes a component for contracting out highway maintenance in two pilot contracts to the private sector using performance based maintenance management (PMMR) contracts. What is lacking for rural roads is a framework and tender documents for simple (not PMMR) short to medium term maintenance contracts for upfront repairs and emergency maintenance followed by routine maintenance of a suitably sized network.

The objectives are to: 

  • prepare and agree on a framework and strategy for introduction of term maintenance contracts for Yemen;

  • prepare tender documents including a complete term maintenance contract for the above mentioned roads;

  • prepare specifications for routine and emergency maintenance operations to supplement  the technical specifications available in Yemen and be included in the term maintenance contract;  and

  • design appropriate arrangements for ordering and supervising maintenance works, including the formulation of the TORs for the supervision consultants and a brief operations manual defining the role of the RMF as employer during contract implementation.

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SweRoad has a new project started in Sierra Leone – Review of Road Safety Management Capacity Review and Advisory Services

The World Bank Global Road Safety Facility has and will finance a number of Road Safety Capacity Reviews. This review in Sierra Leone has been awarded to SweRoad to perform.

Operational guidance for implementing the findings of the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention is contained in the Global Road Safety Facility Guidelines. These recommends that before preparing a safety strategy and/or investment plan, a systematic review of national safety management capacity should be prepared using the capacity checklist provided. A country capacity review is therefore a mandatory first step in setting out an integrated multi-sectoral framework for dialogue between Bank staff and their country counterparts on potential road safety investments. The guidelines acknowledge the complexity of safety management systems but conclude that country capacity can be readily reviewed across three best practice dimensions – 1) focus on results, 2) safety interventions and 3) implementation arrangements – and the country capacity checklist sets out questions to guide such a review.

SweRoad will review safety management capacity in Sierra Leone in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Global Road Safety Facility guidelines; and reach consensus with the government and senior officials on a multi-sector strategy for improving road safety management capacity in the country, and short-term measures to overcome revealed capacity weaknesses for inclusion in a forthcoming investment project, in accordance with the World Bank guidelines.