As reported by Reuters.com, a key Los Angeles freeway closed for construction work and reopened about 16 hours ahead of schedule on Sunday. After freeway reopened, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed "Mission accomplished and the early reopening saved about US$ 400 thousand in salary and other costs associated with the project". A 6.2-kilometer stretch of Interstate 405 that ranks as the most heavily traveled section of freeway in the United States was shut down on July 17 night to allow for demolition of half a bridge as part of a US$1 billion freeway widening project. Crews finished demolition work on the bridge in 37 hours, toppling two massive pillars, which interfered freeway widening. Villaraigosa said, that workers had made "great progress" on demolition of the half-century-old Mulholland Bridge. Powerful machines with long booms hammered away at the south side of the span, which was being removed to allow construction of an additional freeway lane. The plan was to leave the north-side lanes standing until the south side is rebuilt. Another closure will be required in about 11 months to demolish the north side. According to newser.com, city authorities worried about "Carmageddon" of traffic jams. That's why officials had set a fine to contractor. Project contractor Kiewit Infrastructure West faced a US$ 6 thousand fine in each direction for every 10 minutes of delay in getting the freeway reopened, according to the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. That's a total of US$ 72 thousand an hour. Despite of this, for weeks, authorities warned people that driving as usual this weekend could trigger what's been hyped as Carmageddon _ an event that could back up vehicles from the I-405 to surface streets and other freeways, causing a domino effect that could paralyze much of Los Angeles. JetBlue Airways also helped offering US$ 4 flights between Burbank and Long Beach as a special weekend promotion.

A $33 billion high-speed rail line connecting two of the world's largest cities made its debut on 30 June. The Beijing-to-Shanghai high-speed train has been operating on a trial basis since May, and is finally ready to open to the general public, reported constructiondigital.com. This line is expected to help improve China's overloaded transportation system. The country has been pursuing several large-scale infrastructure projects to help cut down on airport delays and cancellations. However, the entrance of the new high speed rail line has led some airlines to slash ticket prices by as much as 65 percent amidst concerns that the new rail line could cause a negative effect on the air travel industry. One-way tickets prices will range from US$ 63-270 compared to about US$ 200 for a flight on an airplane between Beijing and Shanghai. This new high-speed rail line is opening a full year ahead of schedule despite delays in construction as a result of safety concerns. Construction began in April 18, 2008. Once operational, the new Shanghai-to-Beijing line will cut the travel time between the two cities in half to under five hours. The rail line will be capable of carrying about 80 million passengers a year, twice the current capacity for the 1,318 kilometre route. The line carries 90 pairs of trains every day, including 63 pairs that run at 300 kilometers per hour, which can reach the terminal in 4 hours and 48 minutes, and 27 pairs that travel at 250 kilometers per hour, which can reach the terminal in 7 hours and 56 minutes.

As reported by Reuters a five-year project for French engineering group Alstom to build an above-ground urban metro line in Baghdad will cost $1.5 billion and be funded by the French government and banks, according to Iraqi officials. The planned line, with a capacity to carry 30,000 passengers an hour, will have 22 km of track and 14 stations linking northern Baghdad districts with the city centre. France's Alstom signed a memorandum of understanding for the deal in January. A follow-up agreement signed in Baghdad on 30 May paved the way for French financing for the project. "The company has obtained agreement from several French banks and the French government to implement this project," Shaker al-Zamili, head of the Baghdad Investment Commission, told Reuters. A final accord on the Baghdad metro project would have to be approved by the Iraqi cabinet, he added. The loan would be repaid by Iraq after the railway started operating, through a mechanism yet to be determined, Zamili added. Iraq's roads, railways, ports and power plants have been badly decayed by years of war, economic sanctions and underinvestment. Alstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. Alstom is active in the field of hydroelectric power generation, in conventional islands for nuclear power plants, and in environmental control systems. Alstom is also present in the urban transport market, and is behind regional train models, signaling infrastructure equipment, and a number of associated services.

As reported news agency Xinhua, construction of a tunnel that will traverse Trola Mountain in southwestern Sichuan Province began on June 1. At an altitude of 4.24 to 4.38 kilometers, the Trola Mountain tunnel will be the world's highest on a highway. As part of Sichuan-Tibet Highway that links Chengdu, Sichuan in the east with Lhasa, Tibet in the west. The 7-kilometers tunnel will shorten travel time across the mountain from more than two hours to only about 10 minutes, construction manager Li Ming said. He also added that, workers must first build an approach that is 14.06 kilometers long on the east side of the mountain. The tunnel is scheduled to be completed in four years with an investment of $US173 million. The 2,415 thousand kilometers Sichuan-Tibet highway is considered one the world's most deadly as it traverses a dozen rivers and 14 mountains with altitudes of 4 to 5 kilometers. China has spent nearly $ US 21.6 billion on development of 188 key projects in Tibet between 2005 and 2010, and key among them are projects that link Tibet to the rest of China. And the governments of Sichuan and Tibet are planning to build more tunnels on several key mountains to improve traffic.

A new terminal at Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport is going to open its doors in autumn. After commission Zvartnots airport will be ranked as class "B". By the standards of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airports are ranked by 4 classes - A, B, C, D. Highest class is "A ". According to Deputy Director of Armenia International Airports Andranik Shkhyan, new terminal building of the airport will make a holistic new complex. Total area of the new complex is 34 thousand square meters. A registration hall will consists of 46 check-in desks and a new two-storey 20 thousand square meters parking area for 600 cars will be added. Shkhyan told reporters, that construction total budget is $ 244 million, and so far they have already attracted $160 million investments for the construction work. A new airport is able to handle 3 million passengers a year instead of current 1,6 million. New airport building is a necessity, as over the past 4 years passenger flow in Armenia has increased by 8-12 percent per year. Construction of new airport began in 2008. Construction works carries Argentine Courthill Corporation, which built both the current and new airport buildings. Car parking construction is led by Armenian construction company SahakyanShin. Another Armenian company MLL Industries carries sewage and finishing works. There are also other companies including in construction works.