Roads Oct/Nov 2012 Sample by CommStrat

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012

ROADS A U S T R A L I A’ S r o a d M A N A G E M E N T an d c o nstru c ti o n maga z ine

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UPCOMING FEATURES DECEMBER ISSUE Survey Gear Road Safety Safety Barrier Systems Road & Tunnel Lighting AustStab Segment (Stabilisation) EQUIPMENT REVIEW: Pavers & Profilers

February ISSUE AAPA Asphalt Review Road Safety Traffic Management Road Construction Compaction Earthworks Pipes & Pipeline Technology Water Efficiency Stormwater Review Technology in Government

Infrastructure NSW Blueprint New road capacity is urgently required to meet the challenges of population growth and increased freight volumes in Sydney, according to a 20-year New South Wales Infrastructure Strategy released by Infrastructure NSW. Infrastructure NSW Chairman, Nick Greiner, released the strategy as this issue of Roads was going to press, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have details of the strategy in a feature article in the December 2012-January 2013 issue of the magazine.

ROADS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012

SPECIAL FeatureS Bleak short-term outlook for road maintenance

First National Land Freight strategy

20-year vision for NSW Transport

Caterpillar celebrates its M Series success in a mature Australian market

AsphaltReview FeAtures includE: CEOs report

Chairmans report

Asphalt Pavement Smoothness Quantifying the Environmental Impacts

Two Significant Legal Decisions

Recognising excellence in road construction

Everything old is new again including old pavements

New Longitudinal Joint Density Specification

Calculating the Greenhouse Footprint of Roads

Feature Sections Road Safety

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Regular articles major projects

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FEATURES

Bleak short-term outlook for road maintenance Old roads maintenance falls behind new road construction as sector faces a bleak short-term future By Daniel Gradwell, Economic Analyst, BIS Shrapnel

In BIS Shrapnelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recently released Maintenance in Australia 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2027 report, we outlined how Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maintenance activity, while growing in aggregate, has not kept up with the unprecedented increase in public infrastructure investment over the past decade. For every $100 of net assets in Australia, we are only spending $1.44 on maintenance today compared to nearly $1.70 last decade. Unfortunately, a significant contributor toward this trend has been the roads sector. Construction of new roads more than doubled between 2002 and 2009, but maintenance activity has not kept pace with the rapid additions to the network . Valued at $6.4 billion in 2010/11, the majority of road maintenance occurred in the highways and arterials sector. Although the local government roads network is four times larger, the higher speeds and traffic volumes present on the highways and arterials ensures that maintenance requirements are actually higher on this network. Of the total $6.4 billion, contractors are used for an estimated $2.4 billion. At 37 per cent of total maintenance, this is the highest proportion on record, and represents

ROADS OCT/NOV 2012

significant growth since the average of 16 per cent through the 1990s. This can be explained by the success of large contracts employed by various state governments, with Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory now almost completely contracting out their statecontrolled works. Improved accountability and enhanced ability to prevent expensive cost blowouts are generally cited as favourable reasons for using external contractors as opposed to retaining an inhouse labour force. The proportion of road maintenance activity conducted by external contractors is likely to only rise from here. The states with the largest road maintenance requirements; New South Wales and Queensland, currently use particularly low levels of contract labour as previous governments have preferred to retain an in-house labour force. The new coalition government in New South Wales has made clear that increased outsourcing of road maintenance is firmly on the agenda, while we believe Queensland is also likely to follow suit in time. However, maintenance on local roads is expected to stay away from the contract model, as councils believe it is important to directly provide jobs for their local area. Although nationwide road maintenance has risen significantly due to the effects of the Queensland floods over summer 2010/11, the underlying picture remains one of funding constraints preventing maintenance from reaching adequate levels. As can be seen in Chart 2, the only significant impetus to increasing maintenance over the past decade has been the floods, and this is likely to unwind over the near term. This is at least partly because

construction of new roads is much more attractive in a political sense, and available roads funding tends to flow in this direction, further exacerbating the problem. The lack of available funding is even more prevalent for local councils, whose revenue base has suffered significantly since the onset of the GFC, and has resulted in very weak maintenance activity, particularly in New South Wales. These financial problems are unlikely to be resolved in a hurry, leaving the outlook for road maintenance bleak over the shortterm. Combined with the completion of the Queensland flood rebuild, maintenance is expected to fall sharply over the next few years, slipping below the level of activity in 2000. It is hard to see a sustained recovery in road maintenance until financing conditions improve and governments move maintenance up their priority list. Finding room for maintenance funding will be increasingly important as population and traffic should continue to grow strongly and roads continue to age, boosting the size of the maintenance task. We believe robust economic growth will eventually improve revenues at all levels of government, and the presence of a significant backlog of work should see another upswing in road maintenance activity through the middle and second half of this decade.

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FEATURES

First National Land Freight strategy A national, integrated network is one of the key principles underpinning Australia’s first National Land Freight Strategy released in the first week of September by Federal Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese. Mr Albanese said such a network would replace fragmented, ad hoc decision-making with a proper, long term planning approach that identifies the existing and yet-to-be built roads, rail lines, intermodals, ports and airports which form a workable, national freight network. The Minister said this process endeavoured to protect current and future transport corridors and other strategic pieces of land from urban encroachment. He said other key principles of the strategy were making better use of existing infrastructure and fairer, more sustainable financing arrangements. “Over the long term it will be far smarter and cheaper to get the most out of our existing infrastructure than to always build anew. “In practice this could mean fitting new technology to improve traffic flows along major motorways, using higher productivity vehicles, creating dedicated freight routes and separating passenger trains from freight trains,” Mr Albanese said. With regard to fairer, more sustainable financing arrangements, the Minister said there had, in recent years, been a surge in spending on the nation’s roads (up 50 per cent), railways (up 118 per cent) and ports (up 305 per cent). He said building and maintaining a network fit for purpose required mechanisms for ensuring the right investment occurred “in the right place at the right time”. Mr Albanese said the National Land Freight Strategy represented a long-term blueprint for a streamlined, integrated and multi-modal transport system capable of moving goods into and out of major ports and around Australia quickly, reliably and at the lowest cost. It was developed by Infrastructure Australia with extensive input from the National Transport Commission, industry and state and territory authorities. Minister Albanese said it would now be up to the nation’s Infrastructure and Transport Ministers to work together to develop an action plan for turning the strategy’s vision into a reality. 4

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“Our freight and logistics network is the lifeblood of the Australian economy. But at present it is struggling to cope with the existing demands being placed on it, let alone the doubling in freight volumes expected between now and 2030. “Release of the strategy gives us a unique opportunity to fix the regulatory and infrastructure failures which have to some extent held our miners, manufacturers and farmers back, and cost the Australian economy tens of billions of dollars in lost export earnings. Quite simply, Mr Albanese said, the government’s aim was to build and maintain a modern, well-planned, efficient and safe freight and logistics network that supported rather than hindered Australia’s future economic development. “Together with the National Ports Strategy – which all the State and Territory Governments have now signed up to – the National Land Freight Strategy provides the roadmap our nation needs in order to lift productivity and stay internationally competitive. “In the globalised world of the 21st Century, the prices consumers pay, the profits businesses make and the export income Australia earns will more than ever depend on having better, less congested roads, faster, more reliable railways and modern, efficient sea and air ports.” The strategy, which can be found at www. infrastructureaustralia.gov.au, said bigger trucks should be used more widely on major freight routes in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania to increase efficiency and cut fuel use and pollution. It recommends greater use of B-Triple and B-Double trucks on routes such as the Hume Highway. A B-Triple is a prime mover with three trailers linked by turntables. Two B-triples can do the work of more than four standard semitrailers. A super B-double consists of a prime mover and two trailers that can carry more cubic freight – such as lightweight paper products – than a conventional B-double.

Minister Anthony Albanese

The Australian Trucking Association said the strategy would boost productivity and safety on the nation’s roads. Chief Executive of the association, Stuart St Clair, said increasing the use of high productivity vehicles would enable the trucking industry to use freight routes more efficiently and reduce the need for new infrastructure. He said it would also boost safety, because reducing the growth in the number of trucks and other vehicles on the road would result in fewer accidents. “It takes 42 semitrailers to deliver a thousand tonnes of freight, but only 20 B-triples. The chance of an accident is influenced by the number of vehicles on the road, so when you reduce the number of vehicles you need to do the job, you reduce the accident risk,” Mr St Clair said. “In addition, the prime movers used in high productivity vehicles like B-triples and super B-doubles are new and equipped with the latest safety features, such as adaptive cruise control and lane assist technology to alert the driver if the truck drifts from the centre of its lane. “And finally, their drivers are licensed to a higher standard than semitrailer and rigid truck drivers.” Mr St Clair said increasing the use of high productivity vehicles would also deliver environmental gains. “If we take the example of moving a thousand tonnes of freight again, by using 20 B-triples you would emit 32 per cent less carbon dioxide than the 42 semitrailers you would otherwise need,” he said.

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ROADS OCT/NOV 2012

FEATURES

20-year vision for NSW Transport Expansion of the M5 East motorway, the M4 extension, the Inner West Bypass, the F6 corridor, and the F3 to M2/Sydney Orbital connection are key road components of a 20year vision for transport in New South Wales released in the first week of September by the O’Farrell Government. The multi-billion-dollar vision will deliver what the government describes as a world-class public transport, road and freight network. Premier, Barry O’Farrell, said this was the first time New South Wales would have an integrated transport plan which included all modes of public transport, roads, freight, cycling and walking. “This is a plan for the whole of NSW developed with the people of NSW and it will deliver for major cities and rural and regional areas,” Mr O’Farrell said. 6

ROADS OCT/NOV 2012

The draft Long Term Transport Master Plan includes more than 200 short, medium and long term actions and recommendations. “While we are planning properly for the future, we are working hard today, and have made great progress on the North West Rail Link, Opal electronic public transport ticketing, and the widening of the M5 west. “We have more than $53 billion earmarked for transport and roads infrastructure and services over the next four years.” Minister for Transport, Gladys Berejiklian, said an evidence-based, integrated transport plan was badly needed in NSW. “For too long, transport planning in NSW has been piecemeal and political – we want to turn that around so taxpayers’ money is appropriately spent, and transport infrastructure is properly planned and delivered,” Ms Berejiklian said. Minister for Roads and Ports, Duncan Gay, said the draft plan identified 19 future transport corridors which is work that will benefit generations to come. “Unfortunately, the fact that this corridor preservation was not done in the past significantly adds to the cost of major projects we are building today,” he said. “We’re committing to completing Sydney’s missing motorway links and investing heavily in the bush on key road links like the Pacific and Princes Highways. We’ve listened closely to what people have had to say and we’ve come up with a draft plan that’s deliverable,” Mr Gay said.

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FEATURES “For too long, transport planning in NSW has been piecemeal and political – we want to turn that around so taxpayers’ money is appropriately spent, and transport infrastructure is properly planned and delivered,”

Following the completion of the final Long Term Transport Master Plan, the Government will develop transport plans for 10 regions, and integrated modal and freight strategies. The draft master plan has been drawn up based on extensive consultation which included: • more than 1,200 submissions on a discussion paper; • advisory groups – representing customers and community, local government, industry and transport specialists, in addition to freight customer consultation; • more than 65,000 hits on the master plan website and 8,500 discussion paper downloads; • 14 regional forums across the state involving more than 1,000 participants, both ministers and senior Transport for NSW staff; • discussions with more than 130 key stakeholders; and • a dedicated 1800 phone number and Twitter feed. The full 370-page draft plan and a summary are available at www.transportmasterplan. nsw.gov.au and responses are due by 26 October 2012. The final plan will be released later this year.

Highlights of the draft master plan Sydney • a long-term plan to complete critical links in Sydney’s Motorway network, with Infrastructure NSW to advise on the next major project. Projects identified include M5 East motorway expansion, the M4 extension, the Inner West Bypass, the F6 corridor, and the F3 to M2/Sydney Orbital connection; • a program of work to expand capacity on Sydney’s six most congested corridors, including road, rail and bus improvements such as bus rapid transit for the Northern Beaches and along Victoria Road. 8

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• a redesign of the city’s bus network to a highly integrated network that gives customers more choice and more frequent services, including a new Bus Head Start program to provide more services to the North West and South West Growth Centres, along Strategic Bus Corridors, and a shift towards high capacity bus rapid transit or light rail for busier corridors; • a detailed feasibility study for new bus interchanges in the Sydney CBD to reduce congestion; • a once-in-a-generation modernisation of Sydney’s metropolitan rail network, including investment in network capacity, North West and South West rail links, more frequent services and faster journey times, a second tunnel under Sydney Harbour as part of a new CBD rail link and the establishment of Sydney Trains to provide better customer service; • build light rail in the CBD, subject to ongoing feasibility work, construct the Inner West Light Rail Extension, and continue investigations along other corridors through the Light Rail Strategic Plan; • a Barangaroo Ferry Plan that will improve ferry services to the CBD; • a new integrated electronic ticketing system, Opal, and other measures to integrate and align Sydney’s transport networks; • new ferries, trains and buses; • investing in the cycling network around Sydney’s urban centres and the CBD; and • improved pedestrian infrastructure, including better direction at interchanges and priority at signalised intersections.

Regional • rural highway upgrades, including a significant investment in the Pacific Highway and pinch points on the New England, Newell, Princes, Great Western and Golden highways; • better bus services for regional towns and growing regional cities, focused on more frequent services, wider network coverage and better integration with other travel modes; • renewed focus on improving and strengthening the community transport sector; • initiatives to move regional freight more efficiently, including a Bridges for the Bush program to replace and upgrade bridges to address constraints on High Mass Limit routes; • the Growth Centres Roads Program to upgrade major roads in growing regional centres to improve travel times and reliability; • a program of town bypasses for regional centres to reduce heavy truck traffic through town centres based on priorities developed in consultation with the regions and based on defined criteria; • working in partnership with local councils to identify important rural roads for freight; • a new 10 year Road Safety Strategy with a major emphasis on reducing fatalities and injuries on country roads; and • establishment of NSW Trains and the development of a Country Passenger Rail Services Strategy to improve regional NSW rail connections.

Major projects

Work on schedule on Hunter Expressway Work has been underway for more than two years on the $1.7 billion Hunter Expressway in New South Wales and the project is running to time and budget despite the engineering challenges involved. The 40 kilometre expressway will deliver a four-lane freeway link between the F3 Freeway near Seahampton, and the New England Highway, west of Branxton. When finished at the end of 2013, it will cut travel times between Newcastle and Branxton by half an hour and take up to 30,000 vehicles a day off the New England Highway and away from the towns of Thornton, Maitland and Rutherford. Eight bridges are being erected as part of the new road’s Newcastle Interchange. The biggest of the bridges stretches 155 metres across the F3 and was erected using a technique called “incremental launching”. Each of the bridge’s eight segments was pushed into place by 800 tonne hydraulic jacks. This process began in April and was completed at the end of August.

ROADS OCT/NOV 2012

major projects

Asphalting work on Peninsula Link Asphalting work has started on the $759 million Peninsula Link – a major Public Private Partnership project in Victoria. Peninsula Link is a 27 kilometre road link between EastLink at Carrum Downs in Melbourne’s southeast and the Mornington Peninsula Freeway at Mount Martha. The project will save road users time with a full trip between Mt Martha and Carrum Downs taking just 17 minutes – a saving of up to 40 minutes in peak periods. The asphalting work will continue until December 2012. The Linking Melbourne Authority has written to households and businesses advising them of the asphalting and the possibility of last minute changes to the scheduled times for work in the areas. The authority said asphalting relied on dry weather and might be cancelled if there was a high chance of rain. It said asphalting crews had to take advantage of any favourable weather conditions. It said asphalting at night was generally a low-impact, short duration and low-noise

activity because the work location was constantly moving along the freeway. Peninsula Link will be delivered toll-free as an Availability Public Private Partnership. Under the model, the Southern Way

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major projects

Another billion dollar road project for Brisbane The two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) being used on Brisbane’s $1.5 billion Legacy Way have been recycled from parts of the giant machines used on the Clem7 project. The machines have been restored and modified for Legacy Way which will comprise twin, two-lane tunnels, approximately 4.6 kilometres long. The tunnels will run between Toowong and the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove. The machines have been modified to suit construction conditions of the project – an initiative that has resulted in significant cost savings. The first of the TBMs – Annabell – has been on the job since late August and it is expected to excavate more than 500,000 cubic metres of rock and dirt along the tunnel. It will progress about 15 to 20 metres per day. Annabell’s sister TBM – Joyce – is being progressively assembled in preparation for tunnelling later in 2012. Each of the machines is: • 110 metres long; • weighs 2,800 tonnes; • 12.4 metres in diameter; and • Takes a crew of 21 workers to operate.

Spoil taken from the tunnels by the TBMs will be loaded onto a 530 metre conveyor tunnel. That will transfer the excavated material from Legacy Way to the Mount Coottha Quarry. The Transcity Consortium was the contractor appointed to design, construct, operate and maintain Legacy Way – formerly Northern Link. Transcity comprises BMD Constructions, Italian company Ghella and Spanish company Acciona. Construction on Legacy Way commenced mid-April 2011. The project is on track to complete construction by December 2014, ahead of the scheduled completion date of 2015. Legacy Way will include: • two separate parallel road tunnels, each with two lanes of traffic; • a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour; • a ventilation system to manage air quality; • safety systems, including emergency exits, fire protection and monitoring systems; and • a fully electronic tolling system. The project will be delivered under a Design-Construct-Maintain-Operate (DCMO) model under which Brisbane City Council

M5 West widening to increase motorway’s capacity Widening of the M5 South West Motorway in Sydney is expected to create employment for over 500 people and is scheduled for completion by late 2014. The $400 million project involves extending 21 kilometres of the M5 from two to three lanes in each direction between Camden Valley Way at Prestons and King Georges Road at Beverly Hills. It is predicted to increase capacity on the busy route by up to 50 per cent. The motorway will remain operational throughout the construction period, with two lanes open during peak periods and daytime hours. During night 12

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works, the motorway may be reduced to one lane in each direction for short periods. Abigroup is undertaking the work and NSW General Manager, Mark Palmer, said it was of major importance to the people and economic functioning of Sydney’s south‐west. “Abigroup has a strong history in infrastructure delivery across south‐west Sydney. In recent years we have delivered the Westlink M7 Motorway and the new Alfords Point Bridge, and look forward to delivering another piece of vital infrastructure to the community.”

owns and operates the tunnel. Council secured approval from the Queensland Government to borrow the funds to build Legacy Way and the Federal Government committed $500 million to the project to help the council to fund it. Legacy Way will operate as a user-pays system, which will require road users to pay a toll each time they use the tunnel. The TBMs have been named in recognition of Brisbane City Council’s commitment to Legacy and the organisation’s tireless work with the families of deceased veterans. Annabell takes its name from Annabell MacKinney , the daughter of the late Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010. The naming is representative of the many children left without fathers as a result of their service in the Australian Defence Force. The other TBM – Joyce – is named in honour of a nurse who served in World War II. Joyce Tweddell showed immense courage while being held as a prisoner of war in Sumatra for three years and, after the conflict, she went on to become Queensland’s Chief Radiographer.

Cardwell Range realignment The opening of a 900 metre section of the highway in midSeptember marked a major milestone and followed the completion earlier this year of the 180 metre long viaduct, Rungoo overpass, and bridges. The Federal Government is providing $115 million to realign a four kilometre section of the Bruce Highway through the Cardwell Range, starting about 15 kilometres north of Ingham. The realignment will reduce the steepness of the road and the sharpness of curves which will improve traffic flow and safety for the 3,200 vehicles that use the road daily. New climbing lanes are also being installed on both sides

of the range to allow heavy vehicles to move to the side so faster vehicles can pass safely. The new climbing lanes will be opened to traffic in the first half of next year. The combination of two wet weather seasons and Cyclone Yasi has seen eight metres of rain fall on the site since work began in 2010, but despite these setbacks, the project is progressing well with the realignment to be completed by mid-next year. Work on the Cardwell Range section is just one of many upgrades currently underway along the 1,700 kilometre road, all part of the $2.8 billion Bruce Highway capital works programs.

5th Australian

19-20 November 2012

Small Bridges Conference

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for Small, Medium & Local Bridges

www.smallbridgesconference.com 10 International Speakers | Over 50 Presentations | Focused Bridge Exhibitions

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND

TOPICS INCLUDE

The Australian Small Bridges Conference has been designed to alert bridge and road engineers, managers, contractors and suppliers about significant new developments and requirements for bridges.

• timber bridge inspection & restoration

The two day conference program will focus on small to medium bridges, both road and pedestrian, the most common type of bridge in Australia.

• pedestrian, road and railway bridges

Local Government Authorities are in particular currently faced with major challenges in their management and so Local Government Projects are a major theme of the conference.

• viewing platforms

This event will bring together councils, state government road managers, railways, government agencies and the private sector. State and Local Government Engineers, leading practitioners and consultants in the bridge sector will present highly relevant information to assist asset owners, road managers and engineers to perform their roles in an increasingly complex bridge and road environment.

• bridge investigation & evaluation

• elevated boardwalks

• bridge aesthetics and innovations • concrete, steel and modular bridges • bridge maintenance and replacement • informative case studies

See our speakers overleaf.

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major projects

New generation maintenance for West Gate Bridge Australia’s largest mobile bridge inspection platform will improve access for maintenance inspections on Melbourne’s iconic West Gate Bridge. The mobile bridge inspection platform will replace permanent “hanging” inspection platforms for the bridge, providing more efficient and cost effective maintenance. “Mobile bridge inspection platforms are becoming more and more common on large bridges around the world as sustainable and cost effective maintenance tools,” said Victoria’s Minister for Roads, Terry Mulder. “This innovation will provide a great cost saving, as we do away with expensive and heavy permanent inspection platforms that span nearly one kilometre. “It also improves access to all areas under the West Gate Bridge with an expanding platform that can extend for 20 metres under the bridge deck. “This will make it is easier for maintenance inspectors to see more of the underside of the bridge and because it is mobile, they can manoeuvre it to exactly where they want to be,” Mr Mulder said. In what can only be described as an “upside down crane”, the unit includes a 17 metre boom arm that extends over the bridge barriers and lowers the inspection

platform in place. To stabilise such a large operation, the base truck, at 12 metres in length, has six axles when in operation and weighs 37 tonnes. “The West Gate Bridge provides a critical link as Melbourne’s major cross-town freeway route, carrying around 180,000 vehicles each day,” Mr Mulder said. “To ensure the good condition of the West Gate Bridge more than $12 million is spent each year for bridge maintenance works. “The Mobile Bridge Inspection Platform has come to Australia all the way from Germany and is a great example of Victoria delivering innovative solutions to manage key infrastructure well into the future.” When operating, the unit requires two lanes to be closed on the West Gate Bridge to complete an inspection. These will be conducted during off peak periods and at night to reduce delays to traffic.

Drivers are encouraged to plan their journey in advance and check the VicRoads website for changes to traffic conditions. The Mobile Bridge Inspection Platform may be used by other state road agencies, such as CityLink Melbourne Limited, when not required for the West Gate Bridge. Mobile Bridge Inspection Platform facts: • 12 metres long; • 2.5 metres wide; • 4.4 metres tall; • 37 tonne mass; • 800 kilogram maximum payload; • 20 metre long access platform; • 17 metre long boom arm; and • 6 effective axles when in operation. West Gate Bridge facts: • Five lanes each way; • 2.56 kilometres long; • 4.8 kilometres of public safety barriers; • Overhead electronic speed limit and lane use signs; • Traffic lights on entry ramps to smooth traffic flow onto the bridge and freeway; and • Opened in 1978. At 2.56 kilometres, the “cable stayed” steel box girder bridge is twice as long as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and is one of only a few of its kind in the world.

Perth Airport rail link route released A preferred route determined for the planned rail line to Perth Airport under the $1billion Gateway WA project encompasses a number of road network improvements to provide effective movement of people and freight, according to Transport Minister, Troy Buswell. “We understand people want options when considering how to get to and from the airport and this is the first step in securing a major public transport opportunity,” Mr Buswell said. He said the planned alignment branched from Bayswater station (Midland line) to the future consolidated Perth Airport terminal. Options eastwards from the airport are also planned. “Cabinet has approved the reservation of the surface route on land under control 14

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of the State and has endorsed ongoing discussions between the Public Transport Authority (PTA) and stakeholders to ensure the route is protected.” Mr Buswell said the rail line would not only provide public transport to Perth Airport, but also improve access to the eastern foothills. “Perth Airport will continue to experience substantial passenger growth and it is critical that transport infrastructure is planned to ensure adequate services are in place to cater for the projected demand,” he said. The project has been identified in the Public Transport Network Plan as a stage 2 (20212031) project and the government is keen to understand the development’s full scope and cost to determine where it sits in relation to other infrastructure investment priorities.

Details of the route include: • spur from Midland line east of Bayswater station running south-east within Tonkin Highway median as far as Stanton Road; • at a point near Stanton Road, the line dives before tunnelling under eastbound lanes of Tonkin Highway; • line then runs towards existing domestic airport site for a station central to the proposed business/industrial park; • from the business park station, running directly towards a consolidated terminal, boring under the two main runways to an integrated station within the terminal area; and • alignment continues east-bound within a tunnel to an ‘Airport East’ station in the vicinity of High Wycombe-Forrestfield area.

BrisConnections ‘encouraged’ by AirportlinkM7 traffic flow Traffic using Brisbane’s newly opened AirportlinkM7 for the first whole month of operations showed a steady take-up according to BrisConnections, the operator of the 6.7 kilometre toll road. Average weekday traffic using the toll road was 85,862 vehicles during the month. Traffic volumes are about 40 per cent below the operator’s targeted figure, but BrisConnections CEO, Ray Wilson, said he was encouraged by the data which showed motorists were starting to appreciate the benefits of the infrastructure. Mr Wilson said BrisConnections was receiving positive feedback from motorists on the time savings achieved by using AirportlinkM7. Chairman, Trevor Rowe, said he was confident traffic numbers would grow as more users became familiar with the link. “Our current objective and focus is to encourage as many road users as possible to try AirportlinkM7 to experience the convenience and time saving benefits it delivers during the extended toll-free period and initial ramp-up phase.

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“Based on the strongly supportive feedback we have received so far, we believe the traffic numbers should continue to grow as more and more motorists become familiar with AirportlinkM7 and experience the time savings and journey benefits for themselves.” Airportlink will remain toll-free for account holders until October 17 when a discounted toll of $2 and $2.50 will apply for a six-month period. The tunnel has been a boost for the troubled Clem7 Tunnel which during August reported an increase in vehicles of nearly 12,000 a day since the Airport Link opening. AirportlinkM7 is a multi-lane toll road with dual 5.7 kilometre tunnels which opened to traffic on July 25. It connects Brisbane’s northern suburbs with the city’s CBD and Brisbane Airport, the Clem7 Tunnel and the Inner City Bypass. It serves as a key distribution road connecting some of Brisbane’s major destinations including the airport and CBD, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Australia TradeCoast and the Chermside Shopping Centre.

6/07/2011 12:08:44 PM

major projects

Bruce Highway upgrade

Improving technology on Sydney’s M4 and Melbourne’s Westgate Freeway The Federal and New South Wales Governments have taken the first step towards equipping the M4 Motorway with technology which will improve traffic flows and ease congestion. The M4 is a 40-kilometre motorway which extends from Concord in Sydney’s inner west to Lapstone at the foothills of the Blue Mountains. It was previously a toll road, but the charge was removed in mid-February 2010 and the operation of the road was handed back to the NSW Government. The Federal and state administrations are each providing $8.5 million to begin planning for the installation of an electronic freeway management system along the full length of the M4. Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) will soon call for tenders from companies interested in designing the system, planning its rollout and securing the necessary environmental approvals. Retrofitting the motorway with the latest technology will give authorities the tools to better manage traffic flows, respond quickly to accidents, and deliver real time information to motorists so they can plan their journeys and avoid frustrating delays. An M4 electronic freeway management system will consist of variable speed limit

signs; entry ramp signalling; CCTVs; digital message signs providing live updates on traffic conditions and delays; and signs advising drivers of lane and speed restrictions. Meanwhile, companies keen to install electronic freeway management technology along Melbourne’s West Gate Freeway had until 22 August to register their interest with VicRoads. The technology will deliver faster, safer and less frustrating driving conditions for the 160,000 motorists and truck drivers who use the freeway every day. The West Gate Freeway project is being jointly funded by the Federal ($12.5 million) and Victorian ($12.5 million) governments. It will deliver similar features as those that will be installed on the M4. Work will begin next year on the West Gate Freeway project and once completed in 2014, there will be a seamless technology link between the M1 east of Williamstown Road and the current M80 Upgrade, with the full integration of these systems expected to improve safety and traffic flows along what are Victoria’s two busiest freeways. If used nationwide, such management systems have the potential to greatly reduce congestion and save Australians more than $500 million a year in fuel and related costs.

Construction work to duplicate the Bruce Highway from Vantassel St to Cluden in Townsville will begin in the second half of 2013, following the release of funding by the Federal Government for land acquisition and final planning work. The release of funds allows final planning work for the seven kilometre section of the highway to commence immediately. The project is expected to involve a new high level bridge over Stuart Creek and a road overpass of the North Coast Rail Line at Cluden. Jointly funded by the Federal ($110 million) and the Queensland Governments ($23.7 million), this project will better connect major industries in Townsville to key infrastructure such as the Port of Townsville. For the growing communities of Cluden, Julago, Rocky Springs and Alligator Creek, the duplication will mean reduced travel times, better local access and improved road safety. Planning work will be wrapped up later this year with construction to begin in the second half of next year. The project should be completed by 2015. The Vantassel St to Cluden duplication is one of many upgrades currently underway along the 1,700 kilometre length of the highway under the $2.8 billion Bruce Highway capital works program. The commissioning of the Ring Road’s final section – together with other local projects such as the Douglas Arterial Duplication and new Port Access Road – takes Federal investment in Townsville’s road infrastructure to $420 million through the Nation Building Program.

Building a safer Dukes Highway The $100 million Dukes Highway Safety Upgrade is progressing on time and under budget with the savings to be used to deliver nearly double the number of safety improvements originally planned. Dukes Highway is a key link between Adelaide and Melbourne and a nationally important road and freight corridor. 16

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More than 3,000 vehicles that use the road every day will experience improved safety and reduced travel times as a result of the upgrade. While the project’s original scope was for 64 kilometres of safety barriers to be installed at 150 locations, the good progress has meant 86 kilometres of safety barriers at 220 sites can be delivered along the highway.

The safety barriers will prevent vehicles from crossing onto the wrong side of the highway into the path of other vehicles. In addition, 90 kilometres of the highway, up from the original 50 kilometres – is being widened to better separate vehicles travelling in both directions. The Dukes Highway was first built in the 1800s as the main artery linking Melbourne to Adelaide.