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Cover Feature: VAC Group
December 2016 Volume 48 Number 4
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20 IPWEA NSW News - Civenex 2017 22 Bridges In Focus
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24 Road Safety 30 Major Projects 34 Innovative Solutions 35 ITS World Congress Special Feature
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46 AAPA News 48 Asphalt In Focus 54 ACA Corrosion Feature
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50
EDITOR’S COLUMN
Driver Education
Teach them Young & Teach them Well Dear Readers, It seems that not a day goes by when we aren't confronted with the seemingly neverending carnage on the nation’s roads. Every day people are having their lives cut short, or dramatically and permanently changed by a serious road accident. Together with the ‘big three’ accident causes (speed, alcohol and fatigue), other factors such as drugs, aggression, ‘hoon’ driving behaviour, and a lack of driving experience will all no doubt play a significant role in numerous serious accidents each week - particularly across the younger driver population. Not surprisingly, the over-representation of young drivers in road trauma statistics generates a significant level of, often heated, debate about what can be done to improve the attitude of young drivers on the road. Even though these discussions inevitably result in a myriad of ideas and laws, including increasing the legal driving age and limiting the number of passengers, it’s interesting to note that the general consensus appears to be that improving driver education for young drivers will play a key role in reducing road trauma. Regrettably, this ‘consensus’ of opinion has yet to translate into any significant changes in mandatory professional driver training and license testing procedures throughout Australia.
2 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Unfortunately, it is still possible to obtain a Driver’s License in some Australian States with little more than a basic understanding of the road rules, a minimal level of professional driving experience (which tends to place a heavy emphasis on learning how to reverse parallel park) and absolutely no mandatory high-speed highway, freeway and/or rural road driving experience whatsoever. And while some jurisdictions have introduced Learner’s Log Books with required hours of driving prior to taking the practical test, this is not a uniform national requirement. Furthermore, it does not involve any mandated professional driver training. For many young male drivers, and an ever-increasing number of young female drivers, the issues associated with this lack of driver training are being further compounded by the fact that when they obtain their driver’s license, in some states there are still very few (if any) limitations on the type of vehicle they may drive. The combination of a lack of driver knowledge and experience, excessive horsepower and youthful ‘bravado’ is a deadly cocktail. While we may only be limited in our capacity to control youthful bravado, we do have the capacity to address the issues of lack of driver knowledge and excessive horse-power.
If we are truly serious in our approach to road safety and in reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, we must all work together to improve both driver education and licensing standards throughout Australia. Furthermore, rather than considering delaying our children’s involvement with driving, I believe that we should be looking to incorporate formal driver education programs, including advanced driver training and ‘emergency response’ training, as part of the high school curriculum as early as possible. For maximum effectiveness, these education programs also need to be backed up with strict, nationally ‘standardised’ legislation governing the types of vehicles that can be driven by young and/or inexperienced drivers. Although we may never achieve the ‘utopian’ goal of a zero road toll, helping to eliminate the ‘culture’ of bad driving through education and enforcement will no doubt help the young drivers of today increase their chances of surviving to become the older, more experienced drivers of tomorrow. .
Anthony T Schmidt Managing Editor
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SPECIAL FEATURE
Launch of world first infrastructure pipeline
A
n online portal, known as ANZIP, reflects a shared commitment by Australia and New Zealand to delivering an integrated infrastructure market. The Australia & New Zealand Infrastructure Pipeline was developed by the independent infrastructure intelligence unit, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, and was launched by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand on 28 October. It is focused only on major infrastructure activity, above the following thresholds: • Australia - Construction projects: AUD$300 million/Investable greenfield and brownfield AUD$100 million; • New Zealand - All greenfield and brownfield projects and divestments: > NZD $100 million. Australian Treasurer, Scott Morrison, and New Zealand Finance Minister, Bill English, said ANZIP reinforced a shared commitment to Trans-Tasman collaboration, open markets, innovation and investment. “This initiative reflects the importance of trade and open markets in delivering continued economic growth, more jobs, security and prosperity for our people,” said Mr Morrison. Mr English said: “The launch of ANZIP signals a joint commitment to building a more integrated infrastructure market between the two countries. “The pipeline will improve the visibility of the Australian and New Zealand infrastructure markets, attracting further private sector investment needed to fund our countries’ infrastructure needs.” The comprehensive view of the Australian and New Zealand infrastructure markets offered by ANZIP will increase certainty around the forward work program for investors, constructors and governments alike. “Both nations have ambitious infrastructure building programs,” said Treasurer Morrison. “As part of our national economic plan, the Australian Government is investing a record $50 billion in infrastructure to support economic growth. There are over 1,000 projects currently underway across Australia, including roads, airports, bridges and passenger and freight rail.” Minister English expects that “ANZIP will help grow foreign direct investment in both countries, as well as giving greater visibility of future investment opportunities”.
4 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Infrastructure Partnerships Australia CEO, Brendan Lyon, said the infrastructure pipeline would sustain the current high level of global focus on Australian and New Zealand infrastructure, right at the time that both countries needed more investment and more projects. "ANZIP is part of a wider process by the Australian and New Zealand governments to increase global investment and domestic competition for infrastructure on both sides of the Tasman. "Through Bill English and Scott Morrison, I thank both governments for their strong support for ANZIP, which answers the call for a clearer pipeline of major infrastructure projects. “This world-leading, independent resource covers both greenfield and brownfield infrastructure from the early stages of a project or asset transaction, through to when a contract is awarded. “This gives investors, contractors and others the kind of forward-looking pipeline of projects they need to be ready for major projects. “A common procurement market has been warmly adopted by both countries, because it’s a win-win. “Australia and New Zealand are not competing with each other in infrastructure, we are competing together to maintain a global focus and investment on our domestic infrastructure.
“IPA has been pleased to partner with Infrastructure New Zealand and the Australian and New Zealand Governments to turn the ANZIP from an idea into a reality.” ANZIP is a priority initiative under the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement’s Single Economic Market agenda. The agenda aims to further harmonise policies and regulations between the two countries; improve the ease of doing business across the Tasman; and better connect Australia and New Zealand to third markets. The website expands on information currently available through the National Infrastructure Construction Schedule (NICS), which provides information on major infrastructure projects committed to by local, state, territory and Commonwealth governments. The online portal can be accessed via: www.infrastructurepipeline.org EDITOR'S NOTE: As Highway Engineering Australia was going to press, Finance MInister, Bill English, secured the support of his National Party colleagues to succeed John Key as New Zealand's next Prime Minister.
“ANZIP will help grow foreign direct investment in both countries, as well as giving greater visibility of future investment opportunities”.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Local government calls for transport funding certainty
A
"Councils already use a significant portion of the Roads to ustralia’s local government sector has called for $1 Billion in Recovery funding from the Federal Government - an estimated 25 per Australian Government funding over five years to overcome cent - to directly address road safety issues, with every cent of the freight bottlenecks on local roads. balance spent on maintaining or renewing our road networks. The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is "Our councils are working under immense financial constraints seeking $200 million per year to address the issue. to manage this important infrastructure, but they need more help to ALGA President, David O'Loughlin, told the National Local Roads maintain these assets and also bring them up to standard for a more and Transport Congress on 11 November 2016 that the funding would productive economic future." help bring local road networks up to scratch to more effectively move The State of the Assets report showed an estimated $19 billion freight and boost transport productivity. of these local roads are in poor or very poor state and in need of "The majority of local roads were originally designed and built significant renewal. decades ago,” Mayor O'Loughlin said. It also found that 11 per cent of sealed roads, 19 per cent of “Although they're not of horse-and-cart standard, they certainly unsealed roads and 22 per cent of timber bridges were unsound or in weren't built for some of the higher productivity vehicles that are on need of significant rehabilitation. the roads today. "Funding from the Roads to Recovery program has helped councils "ALGA's latest State of the Assets report estimates it would cost in do more than they could have if they relied solely on their own source the order of $19.3 billion to fix all of the substandard roads across the revenues. But the research shows that more needs to be done, and we local road network. That is just to restore them - not improve them to can't do it alone," Mayor O'Loughlin said. the higher standards that are required by many of today's trucks. "That is why we have called for a doubling of Roads to Recovery "Despite councils' hard work and continued spending, without funding and for that funding to be made permanent. From our a major upgrade of local and regional freight routes, many of these perspective, it is a matter of safety and equity. roads are unlikely to ever be fit-for-purpose. "Targeted intergovernmental strategies addressing the state "For trucks, this means limited access and lower productivity, which of council-managed roads would enable a fairer, safer and more will only get worse with the freight task expected to double by 2030 competitive Australia into the future." and treble by 2050. As a nation, we must come up with an effective strategy to address this problem." The proposal to spend $200 million a year over five years was contained in a Congress Bulletin. The publication said the funding would support local government in assessing key local road assets on designated freight routes to address and improve bottlenecks that limit capacity on the routes. "Our bulletin showcases some fantastic examples of councils working together to understand and improve their regional freight networks. We'd like to see these outcomes extended to councils nationally with support from the Federal Government," Mayor O'Loughlin said. "In our costings, the proposed government support would result in a direct cumulative GDP benefit of $1.72 billion over ALGA President, three years and create 4,100 jobs. That's a David O'Loughlin great return for Australia and this approach will lead to safer access for all major classes of heavy vehicles and improved heavy vehicle freight movement." Mayor O'Loughlin also used the congress to call for a doubling of Roads to Recovery funding, and for that funding to be made permanent. "Council roads are our communities’ most valuable assets that connect people and provide access to properties, shops, and health and education services. “Upgrading these roads ensures our communities are safe and promotes social equity through improved local connectedness and quality of life," Mayor O'Loughlin said.
“ALGA's latest State of the Assets report estimates it would cost in the order of $19.3 billion to fix all of the substandard roads across the local road network.”
6 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
SPECIAL FEATURE
Canberra commits to key infrastructure policy directions
T
he Australian Government has committed to five key infrastructure policy directions in its response to Infrastructure Australia’s 15-year infrastructure Plan. Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, detailed the government’s response in an address to Parliament on 24 November, in which he said money alone was not the answer to providing quality infrastructure for the nation’s development. “We need to get better at planning and building the infrastructure and to do that we have to work together - all governments, industry, stakeholders, consumers and citizens. “And we must take a much longer view, rather than the short term one, driven of course, by election cycles.” Mr Turnbull told the House of Representatives that Infrastructure Australia’s 15-year plan was the first independent assessment of the nation’s long-term infrastructure needs. “It sets out priorities and recommendations to increase productivity and support economic growth.” The Prime Minister said the plan would guide the government’s key infrastructure policy directions and, in committing to the five key initiatives, it would: • agree to urban rail plans with willing state governments for the mainland state capitals that would inform future investment priorities; • continue reforms to heavy vehicle user charging; • appoint an eminent Australian to lead extensive community consultation on the costs and benefits of road pricing for all vehicles; • develop a strategy to increase the productivity and efficiency of Australia’s freight supply chain; and
8 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
• collect and publicly release data on the performance of transport services, including freight and passenger services, so improvements to these essential infrastructure elements can be targeted. Mr Turnbull said the government was supporting 69 of Infrastructure Australia’s 78 recommendations and had made significant progress in addressing many of them. “We have committed funding towards 14 of the 15 projects on Infrastructure Australia’s Priority List. “This Priority List will continue to inform a longer-term project pipeline, enabling the certainty that is so critical to attract more private investment in nationally significant public infrastructure.” In response to the Infrastructure Australia Plan, Mr Turnbull said, the government would develop a strategy to increase the productivity and efficiency of Australia’s freight supply chain. “This will identify a set of reforms and investments to ensure we have sufficient capacity to meet the growing demand for freight, and improve the efficiency of movements, both road and rail. “It includes creating the right settings for more private investment in the national network.” On the subject of road funding, the Prime Minister said the government was working with the States and Territories to implement a more efficient and sustainable system of funding. “Reforms for heavy vehicle charging are well underway in partnership with states and territories. “We have now committed to work with the states and territories and consult with communities to consider a more sustainable and equitable system of road pricing and funding for all vehicles, and we will appoint an eminent Australian to lead this task.
“Governments and the community need to be comfortable that any new system of road pricing is fair and the benefits outweigh the costs before any change is made over the longer term.” Mr Turnbull told Parliament that Infrastructure Australia had found the nation’s largest cities needed urgent investment in public transport to improve transport options in outer suburbs and increase rail capacity. He said there was a need for increased higher-density housing in these cities that was well connected by transport. “We will partner with willing state governments to agree to urban rail plans for Australia’s five largest cities and their surrounding regional centres. “The outcomes will inform our priorities for investment in major public transport projects. “We want to support more projects that apply technological solutions and use data to improve infrastructure services and capacity. These are capable of delivering very big benefits at relatively low cost. “I invite honourable Members to reflect on the relatively inexpensive and enhanced amenity that has been provided by transport authorities allowing real time public transport data to be accessed by commuters on their smartphone. “The ability to know precisely when the next bus or train is arriving, whether it is on time, or early or late, enhances amenity, enhances ridership and does so using technology at very little cost. Now we want to see more of that. “Our $50 million Smart Cities and Suburbs Program encourages local government to partner with the private sector in using open data and technology to improve services, infrastructure and liveability. “We will collect data from users, governments and the private sector and we will publish how well our transport services are performing, both passenger and freight, identifying where improvements are needed.” Mr Turnbull said the Australian Government could no longer act as a “passive ATM” and had to explore all options, whether they involved concessional loans, user charging or value capture - in addition to grants. “I am establishing an Infrastructure Financing Unit in my portfolio, to make this standard practice across government. “The Unit will work with other departments; it will also work across state and local governments and with the private sector in developing the funding and financing solutions for landmark projects through the use of public private partnerships, measured use of the balance sheet and value capture.”
SPECIAL FEATURE
Overcoming Australia’s $3bn Congestion Conundrum By Christopher Chisman-Duffy, Sales Manager, Tom Tom Telematics Australia and New Zealand
T
raffic congestion is a fact of life for every driver and it’s having a big impact on Australian businesses. No one likes to turn on the radio only to hear the route they are taking is a one-way ticket to nowhere. This is particularly true for businesses. Congestion means there is a greater chance the driver will become stuck, wasting billable time, burning fuel, missing targets and potentially disappointing customers. Recently, TomTom Telematics conducted Research to ascertain the impact of congestion on business. The research found traffic in Australia’s 10 busiest cities is increasing overall travel times by 25 per cent, on average. This is extending the time commercial drivers spend on the road by an average of 25 minutes per day across Australia’s major metros, costing those businesses in excess of $7.15 per day or $3.37 billion per year, as a result of wasted labour costs alone. This issue is only going to get worse. Traffic congestion in Australia has increased by an average of five per cent over the last eight years, with Sydney being the most congested city in Australia and the 30th most congested city globally, according to TomTom Traffic Index. With increasing populations in our metropolitan areas, it’s likely we’ll continue to see congestion increase. Organisations that rely upon a mobile workforce know success depends upon optimising the time spent doing billable work. So, the question is, with congestion increasing travel times, how do businesses overcome the challenge to recapture those lost hours?
A quicker route to reduced costs They say that travel time is “down time”. That’s why anything that can be done to reduce this can boost business productivity. Thankfully, there are leading technologies you can use to significantly reduce travel time wherever possible and avoid congestion. At a basic level, cost savings can be achieved through smarter navigation. There are many routes to get to a destination, but only one will be the fastest. By using world-class navigation technologies, you and your drivers can avoid traffic and other obstacles along the way – such as traffic lights and roundabouts. By taking advantage of live traffic information and dynamic routing, drivers can avoid congestion and select the quickest, most efficient route from A-to-B, which can typically cut congestion times by 15 per cent.
10 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Going one step further, intelligent route technology can now use historical data collected from the millions of connected cars on the roads, to better predict potential congestion and obstacles.
SPECIAL FEATURE By reducing the number of trips your drivers have to make and creating smarter itineraries, it can help them spend less time stuck in traffic and more time servicing customers. As well as helping to beat congestion, being connected also carries numerous safety benefits. Firstly, expectations are sent back at the office and there’s no second-guessing why somebody might be late for a job, as they can see the live data for themselves. Similarly, drivers are less likely to become frustrated and put themselves and others at risk by speeding in a bid to make up time. Telematics can monitor driver patterns and behaviour to help improve road safety. For example, UK-based Blackbourne Integrated M&E saw an 88 per cent reduction in speeding infringements and a 66 per cent reduction in accidents, following the deployment of TomTom Telematics WEBFLEET. It takes into account things like traffic lights, roundabouts, whether you’re travelling on the weekend and actual speeds achieved on the roads – not just assumed speeds – giving insight into real-world traffic patterns. Combined with live traffic information, businesses will be able to comprehensively plan the most efficient and quickest route to any destination. Additionally, businesses can do a bit of pre-planning to ensure congestion hotspots are missed. For instance, in Sydney, Centenary Drive is a known delay hotspot according to TomTom’s Traffic Index. This one kilometre stretch of road is busy any time of day. As such, knowing this information, businesses could ensure they plan routes for their fleet that avoid this heavily congested road. The same is true for peak congestion hours. If we know when roads will be heavily congested, plans can be made to avoid those hours or the main commuter routes into and out of metro centres.
A birds eye view Making sure drivers are taking the quickest route and avoiding congestion is the first step to reducing costs on the road. But, when allied with the depth of information provided by effective vehicle tracking, the effect can be magnified. Integrated tracking and navigation provides the visibility and control needed to efficiently manage a workforce that is constantly on the move. By knowing exactly where vehicles are at any given time, coupled with the live and historic traffic information, businesses can select the most appropriate job for each driver based on the quickest journey, rather than who is closest to a job. Even if routes have been pre-determined in the morning, smart telematics solutions will offer the ability to adjust and dispatch jobs on the fly, creating a more dynamic fleet and avoid any incidents that may have occurred during the day. Fleet management dashboards provide the necessary information to streamline job scheduling and improve response times. This could bring financial benefits in as little as nine months for fleets tied to strict service level agreements, but also has clear implications in terms of customer satisfaction and time spent on the road.
Moving forwards: The Connected Car The “Internet of Things” (IoT) is expected to bring some big changes to the world around us. This is particularly true for the motoring industry. In the business world, the concept of the connected vehicle has been around for some time, in the form of fleet management. However, as we move forwards, it won’t just be vehicles connecting to the internet. Infrastructure will be too. This will enable vehicles and road infrastructure to begin to talk to one another. Fed up of waiting at a red light when there are absolutely no cars or people around. That’s soon to be a thing of the past. Instead of having to stop when no cars are around, the connected car could communicate with the traffic light and let it know when to change. Similarly, sophisticated algorithms could use speed, route and lane data to instruct cars to manoeuvre in the right way to help maximise traffic flow, help improve travel times and facilitate reduced fuel consumption. Although this technology is still a while away, it won’t be long until we see smart cities begin to deploy intelligent infrastructure. Businesses can get ahead of the game by deploying fleet management solutions into their vehicles today, which offer the ability to connect and integrate with other hardware and software solutions. This opens up a world of useful applications that add further value to drivers. For instance, with TomTom Telematics Open API, apps have been developed that let drivers connect their back office administration, straight to their in-vehicle device, which is linked to a wireless printer for example. By leveraging the latest technology innovations, smart businesses can future proof their fleets and prepare to take advantage of the benefits to come.
AUSTRALIA’S TOP 10 MOST CONGESTED CITIES IN 2015 City
Congestion Level
Extra Travel Per Year (Hours)
Cost per vehicle per day
No. of Commercial Vehicles
Cost to Business
Sydney
36%
151
$11.24
375,669
$980.79M
Melbourne
29%
120
$8.93
420,025
$871.47M
Better connected
Hobart
29%
109
$8.36
37,364
$70.42M
When your team is connected, it helps to make better decisions. Smart telematics solutions bring people closer together by connecting your mobile workforce and vehicles with the office. A mobile workforce cannot operate without communication. The office needs to communicate with drivers to know where they are, when they are going to be available to take on another job, why they are late, as well as give them address changes. New technologies transform the efficiency of such communications. Your office will know, at all times, exactly where drivers are and what the status is of the jobs they are working on. If new jobs arrive, they can be sent directly to drivers, complete with full details and optimal routing information.
Perth
27%
102
$7.78
281,340
$496.17M $206.60M
Adelaide
25%
93
$6.92
128,482
Brisbane
25%
100
$7.49
336,412
$581.66M
Gold Coast
23%
81
$6.05
72,035
$100.88M
Newcastle
21%
79
$5.76
16,866
$23.04M
Canberra
17%
70
$5.19
31,502
$38.13M
Wollongong
15%
49
$3.75
2,518
$2.13M
-
This is a total figure: $3.37bn
Australian Average
25%
95
$7.15
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 11
INDUSTRY NEWS
Tackling congestion in central Hobart The Tasmanian Government and the four Greater Hobart Councils have completed three “summits” to tackle congestion levels in the state’s capital. The government has already implemented a number of short-term solutions to ease congestion and will now oversee long-term measures to alleviate congestion in the central business district. Rene Hidding, Minister for Infrastructure, said the Department of State Growth had completed the development of a greater Hobart traffic model, fed with the most up-todate information on travel and urban growth patterns. The model, Mr Hidding said, would allow the analysis of future traffic demands, identify congestion hot spots years before they occur and assist with developing infrastructure and non-infrastructure solutions. “The government will now progress measures to further alleviate the congestion in Hobart’s CBD ahead of several construction projects commencing, including the construction of a large hotel at the Elizabeth Street Bus Mall. “Importantly, the government will support measures that favour public transport, including bus priority measures, but it is clear the councils will also need to commit to congestion-busting measures that we outlined at the summits.” Some of the measures agreed for consideration at the final summit included:
12 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
• moving some or all of the buses from the current Bus Mall to Franklin Square (this may require some temporary relocation of motor cycle parking); • investigating a pedestrian overpass or underpass linking Franklin Square to the water front; • further investigating the safe removal of the pedestrian crossing on the southern side of the intersection of Murray Street and Davey Street, including improvements to the northern crossing location to improve peak hour bus movements; • investigating and implementing, if feasible, alterations to the management of the Macquarie Street/Molle Street intersection to improve safety and active transport linkages from South Hobart along the Hobart Rivulet track; • 25 metre parking restrictions on the right side of Davey Street upstream of the Southern Outlet; and • a clearway along the left side of the Macquarie Street approach to Evans Street.
“There is an opportunity to make ARRB Group smarter and use our incredible talent efficiently and effectively to derive further value for our members and partners.” Chairman of the Board for ARRB Group, Peter Duncan said: “I look forward to working with an industry leader like Michael in this exciting new chapter for the organisation. “We have already commenced planning a future direction for ARRB and will look to implement collaborative strategies inclusive of ARRB staff and stakeholders in the coming months. “I would also like to acknowledge Gerard Waldron’s retirement and thank him for the contribution and leadership he has provided to the organisation over the past 15 years,” said Mr Duncan.
New CEO for ARRB Group Roads industry leader, Michael Caltabiano, is the new Chief Executive Officer of ARRB Group – Australia’s leading independent road research body. Mr Caltabiano has taken over as head of ARRB from outgoing Managing Director, Gerard Waldron, who retired in November. Prior to assuming the ARRB role, Mr Caltabiano was the CEO of AAPA – the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association. He also served as Director-General of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. Mr Caltabiano was appointed to the ARRB Group Board in June 2016 and a media statement issued by ARRB said he was already familiar with the organisation’s strategic priorities, and was ready to take the lead in developing a new energised and engaged future for the group. “I am excited to start my new role and the opportunity to develop a modern sustainable future direction of the ARRB Group and road transport research in general across Australia,” said Mr Caltabiano. “My aim is to further modernise the organisation and improve how we engage with the world – ensuring that the ARRB researchers of the future are leading international R&D trends and innovations.
Base slab poured on light rail tunnel project The first base slab was poured at the start of November into what will soon be Sydney’s nine-metre deep CBD and South East Light Rail tunnel. Work has been progressing since April 2016 underneath Moore Park West to construct the light rail tunnel. Construction crews will excavate around 84,000 tonnes of fill to dig the light rail tunnel underneath Moore Park. The tunnel, which is expected to be completed in late 2017, will be over 500 metres long connecting to the recently installed Eastern Distributor Bridge and emerging at a new future stop close to the Sydney Football Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground. The fill excavated for the tunnel will be reused across the project. The CBD and South East Light Rail will provide efficient, turn-up-and-go public transport with services every four minutes between CBD and Moore Park and every eight minutes to and from Randwick and Kingsford between seven o’clock in the morning and seven in the evening.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, said the tunnel was an important piece of the 12-kilometre light rail alignment and, once complete, would provide a direct link from the CBD to the sporting and entertainment precinct at Moore Park. “The base slab is a big step forward, cementing the foundation for tracks which will be installed in 2017. “Pouring of the slab will enable work to commence on the walls and roof of the tunnel in the Moore Park West section, as work continues on the concrete walls of the Anzac Parade section,” Mr Constance said.
“I want to see the end of timetables and a network that can cut down on travel delays by automatically putting on extra trains in wet weather or extra buses from a footy team’s home suburbs to away games.” Mr Constance said the trials could include special bus services on suburban routes that responded to where and when extra buses were needed. “But we want the biggest ideas from the best minds in innovation and technology to get cracking on this – they know better than the government does, and I don’t want to restrict their imagination.”
absolutely essential to support Sydney’s newest suburbs,” Mr Gay said. More than 70,000 new homes will be built in Schofields, Riverstone and Marsden Park. The $340 million Schofields Road upgrade is under construction and due for completion in mid-2018.
Road maintenance priority for north and north east Victoria Richmond Road upgrade opens four years early On-demand transport trial for New South Wales Industry and technology leaders have been urged by the New South Wales Government to submit expressions of interest to run an ondemand transport trial. Expressions of interest were to be released in December 2016 with responses due by February 2017. The state’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Andrew Constance, said following an evaluation period, all pilot programs were expected to be operational by the end of 2017. “We have Netflix, Stan, and Foxtel to give us movies on demand – so why can’t we have our public transport respond to where people are and what they want?” Mr Constance said. “Imagine a NSW where you don’t need to check the timetable because the right numbers of trains, buses or ferries arrive when and where they need to. This future is not far off if we are quick off the mark today." Minister Constance said data including how people travelled, weather and special events would be used to create public transport planning changes in real time – a timetable that was flexible and responded to what customers needed.
The five-kilometre upgrade of Richmond Road in Sydney’s north-west is open to traffic years ahead of schedule. Richmond Road has been widened from two lanes to a four-lane divided road with a central median. There is provision for the road to be further widened to six lanes in the future. Other features include: • off-road shared paths to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists; • upgraded intersections with new traffic lights; and • realignment of the Garfield Road West intersection. The upgrade has been completed in two stages over three-and-a-half years. The final stage involved the upgrade between Townson Road and Elara Boulevarde. New South Wales Premier, Mike Baird, said the road upgrades were delivered four years ahead of schedule before new residents and business moved in to the area. “Families moving into this fast-growing region deserve infrastructure that makes their lives as easy as possible,” Mr Baird said. Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, said Richmond Road was a vital connector between new employment and housing lands at Marsden Park with the M7. “Richmond Road used to be a single lane in each direction so this upgrade was
Major maintenance works are underway across north and north east Victoria to make regional roads safer and more reliable. The works will take place across the two regions over the next 12 months. More than $40 million in improvements will help to rehabilitate sections of road to make them smoother and more resistant to further damage. A number of sites will receive major repairs and maintenance works including the Hume Highway, Goulburn Valley Highway, McIvor Highway, Kiewa Valley Highway, and Midland Highway. Key rural roads, including BenambraCorryong Road, Benalla-Yarrawonga Road and Bacchus Marsh-Gisborne Road, will receive similar upgrades. Over 250 kilometres of road will be resealed across the regions, including sections of the Murray Valley Highway, Melba Highway, Borung Highway, Pyrenees Highway and Great Alpine. The works will be delivered by regional contractors including the North Eastern Maintenance Alliance. Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Luke Donnellan, said reducing the level of deterioration of road surfaces would provide a boost to local producers, making their journey to market or to the factory more reliable. “The North and North Eastern region is Victoria’s food bowl, tourism playground and a key national freight hub, and these works will help to continue to drive these industries.”
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 13
INDUSTRY NEWS
Mr Donnellan said the road improvements would create smoother and safer roads for all motorists, and also preserve the longevity of the roads. “We know that many communities have had a tough time lately with flooding and heavy rain. This funding will allow us to get on with some much needed maintenance.”
New transport agency for Victoria Legislation to establish Transport for Victoria (TfV) – a new overarching transport agency to coordinate the state’s road and public transport system – is before Parliament. TfV will bring together the planning, management and coordination of Victoria’s transport system, including VicRoads and Public Transport Victoria, in the same way as Transport for London and other transport agencies around the world. Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said the State Government was delivering the biggest pipeline of major transport projects in Victoria’s history to support the growing number of people using the road and public transport systems. “This is the first step towards a simpler, more coordinated transport system for Victoria, where our road and public transport networks work together. “A single transport agency will be vital as Victoria grows and we deliver the biggest transport overhaul in Victoria’s history – removing 50 level crossings, delivering the Western Distributor and building the Metro Tunnel.” Minister for Roads, Luke Donnellan, said TfV would coordinate services while this unprecedented infrastructure program was delivered, and provide a single source of information for transport users to make it easier for them to plan their journey. “The number of people using our road and public transport networks is growing every year. Transport for Victoria will help us manage this growth by better coordinating all aspects of our transport system. “It will provide a single source of information for motorists and passengers, and help keep Melbourne moving while we deliver the major road and public transport projects Victoria needs.” The legislation to establish TfV also transfers V/Line’s operations – currently controlled by a proprietary limited company – to V/Line Corporation.
14 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Civil Contractors Federation - ITS PipeTech business success ITS PipeTech was successful in winning two awards at the CCF People Awards evening held on 11 November at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse. ITS PipeTech staff were successful in two of the major categories; • Paul Chalhoub – Project Manager of the Year - projects under $2 million; and • Minhaj Hossain – Administrative Support in Civil Construction. Paul Chalhoub is a young and experienced project engineer who is highly skilled in the pipe renewal, civil maintenance and trenches rehabilitation industry. Paul was offered an opportunity to join ITS 20 months ago and grabbed the opportunity with both hands, excelling in all aspects of his role. He displays enthusiasm and a friendly professional energy that sees both his employer and customers benefit – key contributing factors resulting in Paul being awarded the CCF Project Manager of the Year Award for a project under $2 million. Paul managed several major programs and projects for ITS’ premier customer, Sydney Water, and through his skill and management expertise, he has been able to provide significant productivity and program efficiencies that benefit Sydney Water, the community and ITS. He is definitely a standout high performer which is evident by his quick rise through the ITS ranks. 26-year-old Minhaj Hossain was born in Bangladesh and migrated to Australia with his family when he was a child. Minhaj was born deaf, but this hasn’t stopped him from actively participating in the complex industry of civil construction and pipeline rehabilitation with ITS. ITS Pipetech is committed to its company values [Rise Hi] which include a belief in a diverse and accepting work place. With Minhaj’s ambition to succeed and ITS’ conviction that a diverse workplace makes for a healthy culture, Minhaj joined ITS in the health, safety, environment and quality department under the mentorship of his manager, Emma Bentton. Minhaj works closely with both the ITS office and field teams to produce safety videos, quality support documentation and visual tools that help communicate important messages to staff and sub-contractors.
Emma is very proud of Minhaj and believes his positive attitude to his work and colleagues ensures that ITS will continue to excel in its skills, capabilities and culture. ITS has also been recognized for providing pipeline and culvert rehabilitation, utilising innovative, world best practice technologies that reduce the impact on communities and the environment. It is with great pride that ITS acknowledges its two CCF winners for 2016, along with the 2015 CCF women in engineering award recipient, ITS’ Katrina Braan. For information about ITS and its services and capabilities, contact Peter Jarvis, Head of Strategy and Growth on (02) 8603 2000, email peterj@itspipetech.com.au or go to www.itspipetech.com.au
(From left): Emma Bentton, Minhaj Hossain and Brett Purser celebrate Minhaj's win at the recent CCF People Awards in Sydney.
Peter Jarvis (left) congratulating Paul Chalhoub on winning the CCF Project Manager of the Year Award for projects under $2 million.
COVER STORY
VAC-U-DIGGA
EARTH SPY SOIL TRANSFER
CHANGING THE
EXCAVATION EQUATION
SAVING TIME, MONEY & INFRASTRUCTURE From water, gas and sewer pipelines, through to electrical, data, communications and other underground assets, the task of locating and working around underground infrastructure is one of the biggest - and potentially most costly - risks facing contractors, councils and authorities at worksites around the country every day. And it's not only about the potential risks, costs and inconvenience that can arise from accidentally damaging infrastructure. Even in situations where all of the underground infrastructure has been correctly located and identified, the cost of excavating around the infrastructure using traditional vacuum excavation methods can be extremely high - especially when it comes to transporting excavation slurries from the site for disposal. 16 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
COVER STORY
W
ith that in mind, Australian
This is especially true in major capitals and
underground asset
regional centres.
protection specialists, VAC Group, set out to improve
Together with issues arising from incorrect initial placement or mapping of
this 'excavation equation' - developing an
infrastructure and underground services
array of innovative systems and services
(with problems sometimes occurring many
which not only reduce the complexity of
decades ago), other factors including
locating, identifying and excavating around
changes in responsible authorities, lost
underground assets, but also deliver significant
plans, ambiguous data, data transfer errors,
cost savings for projects large and small.
undocumented additions and modifications
VAC Group's Director Strategy & Market Development, Neil Costello, explained: "In the past, working with or around
to services, and even instances of obsolete infrastructure simply being buried and forgotten about, excavation works can often
underground infrastructure has not only
be a case of trying to pick your way through
carried significant risk, it has also proven to
an unknown maze of underground assets.
be extremely costly."
Even with services such as 'Dial Before
• Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) scanning "Identifying and excavating underground
"What's more, it's essentially a 'two-
You Dig', the information provided is only as
assets and infrastructure has always been a
pronged' challenge. First, there's the initial
accurate as the available recorded data, and
major challenge, especially when working in
challenge of finding the assets, and then
in many instances, the data is inaccurate or
built-up areas," Neil Costello said.
there's the cost of excavating around them."
incomplete... and that can spell disaster.
"Even after all of the assets have been
To address this 'asset location challenge'
"Our equipment enables us to 'make the invisible, visible' with highly accurate and
correctly identified and accurately located
VAC Group's Australian designed and built
highly detailed reports that can be delivered
- which can be a major undertaking in itself
equipment utilises a range of innovative
to the client in a range of formats including
- the costs involved with traditional vacuum
scanning and mapping technologies to
AutoCAD or Bentley MX drawing format with
excavation can be truly staggering. This
identify, locate and protect all types of
associated images."
is especially true for worksites which are
underground utility infrastructure, including
located in the centre of a city or a significant
subsurface power lines, water and sewerage
Aided Radar Tomography (CART) system,
distance from a suitable disposal site for the
pipes, gas lines and telecommunication
we can even provide a highly detailed, fully
excavated slurries," he said.
services. VAC Group's equipment is able
navigable 3D rendering of the underground
to identify the myriad of materials used in
and above ground environment showing all
Neil added. "So we set out to find a solution
underground utilities, including metal, plastic
assets and infrastructure," he added.
for both issues - the asset location and
and concrete pipes, cables, wires (including
identification challenge, and the excavation
fibre-optic cables) and conduits, as well as
cost challenge."
any other hidden subsurface infrastructure.
Changing the face of vacuum excavation
VAC Group has a range of scanning
Making the Invisible, Visible
Once the subsurface assets and utilities
technologies on offer, including:
have been located and identified, VAC
When it comes to excavation work, one of
• Computer Aided Radar Tomography
Group can utilise its unique and innovative
"We knew there had to be a better way,"
"In addition, thanks to our new Computer
the biggest risks facing contractors, councils
(CART) - the only product in Australia
technology to undertake non-destructive
and authorities alike, is that of damaging
that delivers underground video
vacuum excavation - another area in which
underground assets - and one of the biggest contributing risk factors is a lack of accurate data relating to the exact location of all underground assets and infrastructure.
• 2-Dimensional Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) • Electro-Magnetic Induction (EMI) scanning
VAC Group has earned an enviable reputation as an industry leader. In fact, VAC Group has designed, built and now operates, Australia's largest fleet of Vacuum Excavation trucks.
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 17
COVER STORY
"Our equipment enables us to 'make the invisible, visible' with highly accurate and highly detailed reports that can be delivered to the client in a range of formats including AutoCAD or Bentley MX drawing format with associated images."
While non-destructive vacuum excavation has now gained widespread acceptance throughout Australia as a quick, safe and highly effective method of working around sub-surface infrastructure, there are a number of associated costs which until now have presented a significant price barrier for many projects.
Disposal 42.5%
Excavation 25%
Logistics 32.5%
18 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
In short, when it comes to non-destructive vacuum excavation, the actual site excavation works generally only account for around 25% of the total cost - making it the cheapest component of the process. As a general rule, the remaining 75% of the cost can be broken down into LOGISTICS (travelling to the site and transporting spoil from the site for disposal) 32.5% and DISPOSAL, which is by far the largest single cost component at around 42.5% of the total cost. The high cost of disposal stems from the fact that due to the nature of non-destructive vacuum excavation - which uses high pressure water to convert the solids into a slurry which is then vacuumed away - the spoils generated are classified as liquid waste which costs significantly more to dispose of when compared to solid waste streams. These additional costs not only stem from the strict EPA controls on liquid waste, but also the fact
that there are significantly fewer liquid waste disposal sites when compared to solid waste disposal facilities. With that in mind, VAC Group set out to develop a solution that addresses both the productivity and environmental issues related to transporting excavated spoils over extended distances, as well as the high costs associated with logistics and disposal of the excavated material. The solution, came in the form of a new patented soil recovery and transfer system. Neil Costello explained: "With the excavation works only representing an average of 25% of the total cost, we felt that rather than focusing on making larger vacuum excavation trucks, it would make more sense to develop a solution that addressed the two highest cost components, namely: logistics and disposal." Importantly, VAC Group's R&D focussed on reducing both the financial cost of transporting and disposing of the excavated spoil material and the environmental impact of the nondestructive vacuum excavation process. "We figured if we could develop an on-site solution that would enable us to recover and reuse the excavated solids as clean fill while also recycling the water used in the excavation process, we could significantly reduce both the cost and environmental impact of the excavation operations. It was also clear that such a system would dramatically improve productivity and reduce the number of heavy vehicle movements to and from a site," Neil Costello added. Interestingly, by eliminating the need to focus on maximising tank hopper capacity in an effort to minimise the number of often lengthy and expensive (in terms of both time and money) trips to a suitable disposal facility, this innovative Soil Transfer System also enabled VAC Group to develop a more compact and manoeuvrable high performance vacuum tanker. "Because each Soil Transfer Unit is able to process the slurries from up to ten tankers on site, we can use a fleet of compact, highperformance tankers to achieve the same
COVER STORY
results as even a fleet of full size units with a comparative total tank capacity in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost!" The VAC Group Soil Transfer System delivers a range of significant benefits, including: • a reduction in the total number of truck movements to and from the site; • a reduction in the total number of kilometres travelled between the site and suitable disposal / treatment facilities; • a reduction in total machine operating hours and the CO2 emissions generated; • reduced disposal costs; • recycled water used for vacuum excavation; and • on-site availability of suitable 'spade-able' fill material.
Fully-Scalable System VAC Group's innovative Soil Transfer system has been developed as a fully-scalable on site recycling and recovery solution that can be set up at most locations within a matter of hours. Once operational, it is simply a matter of the vacuum excavation vehicles backing up the ramp and emptying the contents of the collection hopper into the Soil Transfer unit's receival hopper. From there, the excavated spoil - usually in the form of a slurry containing a high percentage of water - passes through a number of treatment processes where it is separated into two component streams, namely: • Recycled Water - which is reused by the vacuum tankers in the non-destructive excavation process; and • Recovered ‘Spade-able’ Material (solids) which is either stockpiled ready for use on site following completion of the job or sent for disposal. Importantly, even if the recovered 'spadeable' material is not going to be used on site, removing the water from the excavated spoil results in a significant reduction in the total quantity of material being disposed of. The
Soil Transfer system allows this material to be deposited into a large container or vehicle for bulk transfer, resulting in a significant reduction in vehicle movements to and from the site even in case when the collected material is being sent for disposal. Another major advantage of the VAC Group Soil Transfer systems lies within the fact that the dewatered 'spade-able' material is classified as a solid waste rather than a liquid waste - making it significantly easier to handle, transport and dispose of correctly and safely. Together with their performance in all manner of non-destructive vacuum excavation projects, VAC Group's high performance vacuum tankers and innovative Soil Transfer System have not only changed the face of vacuum excavation, they also look set to revolutionise post-disaster cleanup and recovery operations - eliminating the need for tankers to travel in and out of the clean-up zone (on what is often a badly degraded and extremely dangerous road network) to dispose of the collected material. What's more, the fact that the tankers remain in the cleanup zone rather than spending many hours each day travelling back and forth, means that the cleanup works can be completed in a fraction of the time and for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.
"Indeed, even on a relatively small project, the savings can be significant - and when it comes to major infrastructure projects, the savings can, quite literally, equate to tens of millions of dollars."
"From the outset, our goal has been to develop a fully-integrated solution for the identification, protection and excavation of underground assets. We knew there had to be a better way - and we believe that we've found it," Neil Costello said. "By focusing on the two largest cost components of vacuum excavation, namely transport and disposal, we believe that our integrated Soil Transfer System and compact, high-efficiency vacuum tankers have forever changed the 'excavation equation' for the better." "Indeed, even on a relatively small project, the savings can be significant - and when it comes to major infrastructure projects, the savings can, quite literally, equate to tens of millions of dollars," Neil Costello concluded. For further information on VAC Group's full range of services, Ph: 1300 822 834 (24 Hour Service) or visit: www.vacgroup.com.au
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 19
IPWEA NSW NEWS
IPWEA NSW launches CIVENEX 2017 IPWEA NSW has officially launched CIVENEX 2017. Scheduled for May 17 & 18, CIVENEX will be back at Hawkesbury Showground for 2017. Highlighting the latest in equipment and materials technology and innovation for construction, infrastructure and civil works, CIVENEX 2017 provides an ideal opportunity for councils and contractors alike to see the latest equipment first hand and get all the information they need from the many experts that will be on-site to assist. From road construction and maintenance equipment, street furniture, roadside assets, lighting, signage, pavement materials and road safety solutions, through to compact construction equipment, parks and gardens equipment and maintenance solutions, street cleansing equipment, stormwater solutions, construction materials, surface coatings, asset management and maintenance systems, design tools and BIM systems, CIVENEX 2017 will feature an extensive array of products and services to meet a wide range of interests.
20 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Located adjacent to one of Sydney's (and Australia's) largest urban growth corridors, Hawkesbury Showground is easy to get to by both rail and road, with convenient easy train access and free on-site parking. CIVENEX 2017 will also feature a series of on-site seminars, many of which will focus on safety and innovation in both the road infrastructure and construction sectors. From road safety through road design and ancillary systems, in addition to worksite safety and OH&S, the CIVENEX 2017 seminar series will feature informative presentations by local and international industry experts. Another major feature of CIVIENEX 2017 is the live demonstration area, where visitors will not only be able to see an array of equipment put through its paces under actual working conditions, but will also be able to speak to the many experts on hand about their own individual equipment requirements. For more information about exhibiting at CIVENEX 2017 or for details on how to get there or where to stay, please contact Scott Leighton, email: scott.leighton@ipwea.org or visit: www.civenex.com
Returns to his family quicker and safer.
Kapsch TrafficCom
What’s the difference between managing a road and providing a safe journey? Highways which are safer, cleaner and more efficient. Managed lanes which address congestion and guarantee journey times. Bridges and tunnels which are more secure. Back office systems which combine real-time operations and payment services. The difference is Traffic Management from Kapsch TrafficCom.
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BRIDGES IN FOCUS
Work forging ahead on new Boundary Road interchange
New Gold Coast bridge improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists A new pedestrian/cyclist bridge at Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast will enable primary school students and other local residents to safely cross Mudgeeraba Creek. The $1.8 million bridge – built above the creek's established flood level – replaces a temporary causeway that was impassable after heavy rains. City of Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate, said traffic flows along Gold Coast Springbrook Road were only going to grow over time and the construction of the new pedestrian bridge was a ‘win-win’ result for pedestrians and motorists. “The provision of a shared-path adjacent to Gold Coast Springbrook Road, from the
new bridge to the signalised crossing at the intersection of Gold Coast Springbrook Road and Hardys Road, will help to ensure the safety of children going to and from the school,” Cr Tate said. Before the new bridge was completed, temporary traffic control systems had to be installed on Gold Coast Springbrook Road and lane closures enforced, to allow pedestrians to safely cross the road bridge over the flooded creek. The project was funded jointly with the City of Gold Coast Council providing $1.55 million and the Australian Government providing $250,000 through the Roads to Recovery Program.
Fremantle bridge strengthening underway
Work is being carried out on a $3 million maintenance upgrade of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge and most of the project is taking place underwater. Western Australia’s Transport Minister, Bill Marmion, said a contract for underwater pile repairs had been awarded to Advanteering Civil Engineers and a team of specialist divers was working off a barge.
22 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
"Works have already commenced to ensure the long-term and safe use of the bridge, by repairing more than 100 piles," Mr Marmion said. "Main Roads WA recently completed a series of pier protection works on the bridge's fender system, and is now focused on strengthening the bridge piles in the Swan River. "Our key concern is ensuring the safety of motorists and the continued flow of traffic across this important bridge." Fremantle Traffic Bridge, which was constructed in 1938, provides a direct transport route from North Fremantle to the Fremantle central business district. It is used by about 28,000 vehicles and several hundred cyclists each day. The project is due for completion in May 2017.
Sixty eight concrete girders are being installed to support an overpass as part of the Boundary Road/Bruce Highway upgrade at Narangba – a suburb located 34 kilometres north of Brisbane. The installation of the bridge girders is a key phase in construction of the $100 million upgrade, which will unlock a major congestion point and improve safety for the 20,000 vehicles using the interchange on a daily basis. The increased capacity at the interchange will make it quicker and easier for motorists accessing the Bruce Highway, as well as the residential and retail precincts in the Narangba and North Lakes area. The pre-cast concrete girders are being installed across the highway to support the four-span Boundary Road overpass. The project team started installation over the northbound Bruce Highway on-ramp at Boundary Road and will move east across the highway, finishing up over the southbound Boundary Road off-ramp. Girder installation work was set to continue until the Christmas break and was due to be completed in January 2017. Detours and diversions will be in place for motorists at night while work is undertaken. The highway upgrade is estimated to support an average of 100 jobs during its construction phase and is on track for completion by mid-2018. It is jointly funded, with the Australian Government committing up to $80.3 million and the Queensland Government contributing $20.1 million.
Image courtesy VicRoads
New bridge key feature of Citylink Tulla widening
Take your
Major works are underway on a new bridge at Bell Street in Melbourne’s inner north, with 21 giant beams being progressively installed nine metres above the road as part of the CityLink Tulla Widening project. Drivers can expect to see road changes during their daily commute as works progress on the new 275 metre bridge connecting Bell Street to Pascoe Vale Road. Victoria’s Minister for Roads and Roads Safety, Luke Donnellan, said the new structure would free-up the existing bridge for freeway-bound traffic, helping to reduce congestion and to keep freeway traffic moving. It would, Minister Donnellan said, also boost safety at the Bell Street intersection by removing a dangerous blind-side merge for drivers travelling from Bell Street to turn left onto Pascoe Vale Road. “This new bridge will improve traffic flow along the Tulla and local roads, and make the Bell Street intersection much safer by minimising the dangerous traffic weaving that currently takes place.” To minimise disruption for motorists, the bridge is being built over a series of overnight closures while the beams are joined together to ensure the road operates during the day. The bridge is a key component of the Bell Street interchange upgrade, which will improve traffic flow for local residents as well providing safer access to the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail. It is expected to be completed by mid-2017. The $1.28 billion CityLink Tulla Widening project will cut travel times, improve safety, and reduce congestion by increasing capacity along the corridor by up to 30 per cent.
asset inspection and reporting
to the next level SIAMA’s unique combination of hardware and software provides a highly accurate, extremely reliable and costeffective automated infrastructure asset inspection solution capable of delivering detail on a scale never seen before. Utilising a fleet of purpose designed and built remote UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and UGV’s (Unmanned Ground Vehicles) for inspection and data collection, together with a world-leading proprietary software package for data analysis and reporting, the SIAMA Bridge Management System truly takes asset inspection and reporting to the next level.
Duplication of Bill Fulton Bridge Work is starting on the duplication of Bill Fulton Bridge on Cairns Western Arterial Road. The $34.2 million project will improve safety and traffic flow for the 30,000 commuters, transport operators and tourists who use the route every day. It is being funded by the Queensland Government’s $180 million Significant Regional Infrastructure Projects Program. The project will include 120 metres of new bridging, duplication of 700 metres of Cairns Western Arterial Road between Brinsmead Road and Redlynch Connection Road, and the installation of signalling at the Brinsmead Road intersection. This will improve safety and traffic flow by removing a notorious “pinch-point”. Construction of the bridge is being undertaken by a joint venture between Albem Operations and Highway Construction.
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December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 23
ROAD SAFETY
Motorcycle protection rail installation on rural Victorian routes The Eastern Region Alliance (Fulton Hogan and VicRoads maintenance alliance) commenced the Motorcycle Safety Treatment Project in early September 2016, in time to service three popular country Victorian roads this upcoming summer tourist season. The TAC-funded $5.4 million upgrade intended to deploy a number of strategies deemed to reduce the risk of injury to the motorcycling community drawn to the scenic route. The strategies included the retro-fitting of Ingal Civil Products’ ‘Motorcycle Protection Rail’ (MPR) by leading guardrail installers Safety Barrier Systems. The focus areas of this project offer stunning landscape views of the Victorian Alps and are well-known to attract local, interstate and international motorcycling enthusiasts. These roads carry a large number of tourists all year round, but mild summer temperatures are expected to attract motorcyclists to the winding routes in the next few months. Existing guardrail systems provided for the safety of cars and trucks have been targeted for the installation of Ingal MPR to provide enhanced protection for more vulnerable road users. In total, 8.2 kilometres of Ingal MPR was proposed for installation beneath existing VicRoads Type B guard fence in high-risk areas on Great Alpine Road, Licola Road and Omeo Highway. This motorcycle protection system had been chosen for its energyabsorbing design, intended to soften a motorcyclist’s impact and to create a pathway which keeps the motorcyclist from the serious risks of leaving the road. Ingal MPR has been crash-tested with a helmet-clad motorcyclist dummy, making it more desirable for this project than the alternatives proposed. It is increasingly important, especially in areas of heavy
24 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
motorcycle usage, to replicate a likely worse case run-off road accident using dummy and vehicle crash testing. In a run-off road accident, serious injuries can occur from motorcyclists impacting rigid objects or continuing through gaps and down steep drops. The resulting crash-test videos can be seen on Ingal’s website. This project represents one of a great number of state government initiatives which are intended to protect motorcyclists and encourage safe and enjoyable journeys on our great Australian roads.
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ROAD SAFETY
“Wide centre lines were introduced in Queensland in 2010 and data indicates a 43 per cent reduction in fatal and hospitalisation crashes where vehicles have crossed the centre line. “That’s why we are adding to the upgraded 711 kilometres of wide centre lines on the Bruce Highway so far.”
More Bruce Highway safety upgrades in Central Queensland The ongoing work involved with building a safer Bruce Highway is continuing, with construction set to start soon on a package of four upgrades in Central Queensland. The Bruce Highway is the state’s major north-south freight and tourism route, and more than 5,000 motorists travel every day on the highway between Rockhampton and Gladstone. The much-needed safety upgrades will consist of pavement widening; rebuilding rough, potholed or corrugated sections of highway; and upgrading intersections to separate turning vehicles from highway traffic. Projects included in the safety upgrades are: • $32 million for upgrading the highway between Bajool and Midgee (Rockhampton); • $6.7 million for widening, reconstruction and intersection upgrades from Miriam Vale to Bororen; • $5.2 million for safety works and an intersection upgrade at Atkinson Road, Raspberry Creek Road and Kooltrandra Road north of Rockhampton; and • $2.8 million for safety and intersection upgrades at South Ulam Road (Bajool). Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, said road trauma had increased nationally over the last 12 months, and the Australian Government was redoubling its efforts to save lives by investing $6.7 billion in upgrades along the Bruce Highway between 2013-14 and 2022-23. Queensland’s Main Roads and Road Safety Minister, Mark Bailey, said one of the simple, but effective ways of making the Bruce Highway safer was by widening the gap between centre lines in places.
26 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Road safety outcomes central to Executive Officer liability reforms
health and safety laws, making it easier for industry to understand, and comply with their obligations.” Dr Allan said there would be a single commencement date for the chain of responsibility and executive officer liability reforms in early to mid-2018, subject to passage through the Queensland Parliament. Transport ministers also agreed during November that there would not be any changes to existing legislation in relation to the speeding of heavy vehicles as a result of a review conducted on current enforcement approaches. For more information visit the NTC website.
Queensland road safety campaigns win awards
National laws for trucks and other heavy vehicles will be reformed to ensure company executives increasingly take steps to ensure safety. Federal and state transport ministers have approved the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) recommendation for the second phase of executive officer reforms. The additional changes will amend the Heavy Vehicle National Law and Regulations to extend the due diligence obligation to cover all offences executive officers currently have liability for under the HVNL. “We have been on a journey to restructure aspects of Australia’s Heavy Vehicle National Law chain of responsibility and executive officer liability requirements to improve the safety and productivity of road transport operations,” Acting Chief Executive of the NTC, Geoff Allan, said during November 2016. “The restructure will remove ambiguity around personal liability for corporate fault without adding unnecessary costs to business,” Dr Allan said. “These reforms are based on extensive consultation with industry and other stakeholders, as well as the assessment of impacts on safety outcomes and compliance costs. “This approach to executive officer liability is more consistent with Australia’s workplace
Queensland road safety advertisements continue to gain national and international recognition with another Join the Drive to Save Lives campaign winning a state marketing award. The Join the Drive to Save Lives campaign runs under the auspices of the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and Main Roads and Road Safety Minister, Mark Bailey, said it was a great achievement to see the Are you driving blind? initiative given a five-star rating. The mobile phone distractions campaign was named the winner of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) Queensland social marketing and social change/non-profit state award. “Are you driving blind? presented solutions to motorists to break the deadly habit of using their mobile phones illegally while driving,” Mr Bailey said. “This included turning off phone notifications, downloading the Road Mode app or switching their phone to flight mode before starting a journey. “If you are using a mobile phone while driving, you are driving blind – those few seconds can make a critical difference to the odds of being in a serious crash.
“In the two seconds a driver’s eyes are off the road attending to a phone, a vehicle moving at 60km/h travels 33 metres – and at 100km/h it travels 55 metres. These distances can mean the difference between life and death.” Mr Bailey said the recognition for Are you driving blind? followed an award to Mates Motel, another government road safety campaign. Mates Motel, also part of the Join the Drive to Save Lives campaign, encouraged people to stay at a mate's place rather than drive home if they had been drinking. “As an approach to drink driving, the concept was different to anything the government had done before. Instead of lecturing about drink driving, it offered a solution rather than telling people what not to do.” Join the Drive to Save Lives also received International acknowledgement, with its Dry Driver campaign winning the Gold Campaign award at the International Safety Media Awards (ISMA) held in Finland in September 2016.
Motorcyclist deaths cause for concern A campaign designed to reduce the number of motorcyclist deaths and injuries was staged in Victoria during November after figures showed rider fatalities had nearly doubled in 2016. When the campaign was launched at the beginning of the month by the State Government and Transport Accident Commission (TAC), 45 riders had been killed, up from 25 at the same time in 2015. Its specific focus was to cut the incidence of collisions between motorcycles and other vehicles which accounted for more than half of the rider fatalities. A television advertisement depicted the moments following a motorcycle colliding with a right-turning vehicle after the driver failed to see the rider. Under the tagline “Driver think rider. Rider think driver”, the campaign encouraged riders and drivers to share responsibility for keeping each other safe.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Luke Donnellan, said motorcyclists were particularly vulnerable. “Riders will come off second best in a collision with another vehicle, so it is critical that drivers are always on the lookout for motorcycles and riders can help by ensuring they are visible to drivers.” Transport Accident Commission CEO, Joe Calafiore, said road users had to change their mindset. “We are instinctively good at looking out for things that could hurt us, but those instincts aren’t as strong when it comes to looking for things that we could hurt. “We are asking every road user – whether you’re on two wheels or four – to do everything possible to look out for each other on the roads.” The government and the TAC also recently announced $12 million for extra shifts for Victoria Police which would see more marked police cars patrolling the state’s roads and highways, targeting speed and drink driving. Extra attention would be paid to rural roads, where the majority of deaths have occurred.
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MAJOR PROJECTS
Paved concrete will be applied to approximately 13 kilometres of Adelaide's Northern Connector project. Image courtesy Wirtgen
Paved concrete for Northern Connector project The $985 million Northern Connector project will be South Australia’s first major concrete road. The Northern Connector will provide a six-lane, 15.5 kilometre link between Adelaide’s Northern Expressway, the South Road Superway and the Port River Expressway. Paved concrete will be applied to approximately 13 kilometres of the alignment, excluding four interchanges which will be asphalt. Lendlease Engineering – the company designing and constructing the Northern Connector – opted for the concrete pavement in its winning tender. Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure, Paul Fletcher, said use of the concrete by Lendlease would reduce ongoing maintenance costs. “The initial capital cost is marginally higher than an asphalt road, but the benefits in terms of increased local participation and ongoing savings are well worth it,” said Minister Fletcher. “It’s estimated building a concrete pavement will contribute another $11 million to the local industry and support more than 40 extra jobs.” South Australia’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Stephen Mullighan, said local content into the construction of a concrete road was estimated to be almost 90 per cent. “It’s estimated an extra 175,000 cubic metres of concrete would be required for the road pavement, as well as an extra 44,000 tonnes of cement, all of which will come from local suppliers. “A concrete finish is expected to almost halve the ongoing maintenance costs of the road, with construction of the road pavement expected to begin in the second half of 2017. In addition, concrete pavements provide savings for the running costs of heavy vehicles, such as fuel. “The low-noise diamond grooving finish is durable and safe, and is also expected to improve noise abatement and ride quality.” The announcement followed the completion of $3.4 million of early works at Kings and Bolivar roads in Paralowie. The new roundabout and realignment has improved safety at the known blackspot, which will be an important feeder route for the Northern Connector due to its proximity to the Bolivar Road interchange. The Northern Connector will support an estimated 480 jobs a year during construction, with at least 50 per cent of all jobs to be filled by northern suburbs residents. The Chief Executive of Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia, Ken Slattery, said the South Australian Government deserved congratulations for recognising the benefits of concrete pavements and calling for concrete alternatives to be included in the tender process.
30 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
“By doing so, they provided the environment for private sector innovation that inspired Lendlease Engineering’s compelling tender and design.” Mr Slattery said the inherent durability and strength of the Northern Connector’s concrete road pavement would result in a significant reduction in on-going maintenance requirements and costs. “Not only is that good news for taxpayers, but it means drivers will also face fewer delays from network disruptions. “Drivers will also notice an improvement in ride quality. And because the concrete pavement has less rolling resistance, heavy vehicle owners, in particular, will benefit from better fuel consumption.” Mr Slattery said the benefits of concrete road pavements were already well proven in New South Wales, accounting for substantial lengths of the upgraded Hume and Pacific highways. “We think this will be the first of many new concrete roads – not just in South Australia but other states and territories – as the economic, environmental and social benefits are realised.”
Establishing a Cross River Rail Delivery Authority
Legislation to establish an authority to oversee Queensland’s highest priority infrastructure project, Cross River Rail, was before the state’s Parliament in late November 2016. The Cross River Rail Authority Delivery Bill was introduced to Parliament in October and was referred for consideration to the Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources Committee. The Cross River Rail project comprises a 10.2 kilometre link from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, with 5.9 kilometres of tunnel under the Brisbane River and Central Business District. It will connect to Brisbane’s northern and southern rail networks from day one of operations, providing significant benefits to commuters from both directions. Cross River Rail will deliver services to stations at five key locations – Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street, Roma Street and Exhibition Showgrounds. “Cross River Rail is this government’s highest priority infrastructure project, presenting a unique opportunity to transform south east Queensland,” Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Jackie Trad, said. “The authority will be established as an independent statutory body to lead the development, procurement and delivery of Cross River Rail and drive urban renewal within the economic and development corridor.”
MAJOR PROJECTS
Ms Trad said its board would consist of 10 members, including up to six external expert directors. “The authority’s functions and powers have been designed to ensure it will be able to deliver the rail infrastructure for Cross River Rail, as well as maximise the broader city building and economic benefits that arise from the project. “This is essential as the Cross River Rail corridor alone will boost the economy by $70 billion and support more than 85,000 jobs. “Importantly, the authority will ensure that Cross River Rail stays on track and is not derailed by politics.” The legislation also establishes the Cross River Rail Delivery Fund so that any proceeds from associated development can be reinvested in the project. In Canberra, Urban Infrastructure Minister, Paul Fletcher, said the Commonwealth would provide $10 million to progress planning and early works for the project and to support the establishment of the authority. “This is an opportunity for the government to work with Queensland to ensure a long-term and integrated solution to reduce congestion in Brisbane’s CBD and improve public transport.” The Commonwealth will be represented on the authority’s board.
The project includes new walking and cycling paths, better bus connections, and train stabling in Mernda. There will also be extensive bike storage and up to 2,000 new car spaces across the three new stations. Construction of the extension will begin next year, and trains will be running on the new line by 2019. Victoria’s Premier, Daniel Andrews, said: “The Mernda Rail Extension will change people’s lives for the better – creating work for thousands of people, and connecting one of Australia’s fastest growing communities to employment, education and the rest of Victoria.”
Sydney Metro West - trains for Western Sydney Image courtesy Sydney Metro
Mernda rail extension to begin in 2017
One of Australia’s leading engineering, contracting and service providers, John Holland, will build the Mernda Rail Extension in Melbourne’s north east – a project valued at nearly $600 million. The project will include a new station near Hawkstowe Parade at South Morang, which is in addition to the two new stations already announced at Mernda and near Marymede Catholic College. The three stations are expected to be used by more than 8,000 passengers a day. The project will extend the South Morang rail line to Mernda and will feature about eight kilometres of new duplicated rail line between South Morang station and Mernda, and five grade separations. John Holland’s Chief Executive Officer, Joe Barr, said the extension would cater for the significant population growth in Melbourne’s north east. “We’re proud to be able to provide the community with a solution that will reduce travel time and improve liveability in the local area with better connections, as well as creating hundreds of jobs,” Mr Barr said. Mernda Rail Extension will create up to 3,000 jobs – 1,200 directly during construction and as many as 1,800 indirectly. Ten per cent of work will be carried out by trainees, apprentices and engineering cadets – giving young and reskilled workers a head-start in their new careers.
Sydney Metro West will provide a direct, largely underground, connection between Parramatta and Sydney. A new underground metro railway for Western Sydney will be the next major public transport project for New South Wales, securing the long-term future of the region and Sydney – described as Australia’s global city. The Sydney Metro West project addresses the city’s rapid growth, with the population estimated to increase above six million in the next 20 years. Sydney’s west is growing the fastest – an extra 420,000 people are expected to move into the corridor between Greater Parramatta and central Sydney over that time, with more than 300,000 jobs expected to be created in the corridor by 2036. Premier, Mike Baird, said the government would work with the community and industry to deliver the mainly underground Sydney Metro West by the second half of the 2020s. The project includes new railway stations at: • Parramatta – where the number of jobs is expected to double over the next 20 years to 100,000; • Sydney Olympic Park – where 34,000 jobs and more than 23,000 residents will be located by 2030; • The Bays Precinct – Sydney’s new innovation hub; and • Sydney CBD – allowing easy access to the existing public transport network and Stages 1 and 2 of Sydney Metro, which is currently under construction. The government will determine other stations along the route through consultation with industry and the community. Premier Baird said a metro line in Western Sydney would double rail capacity between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. “The new railway complements the existing Sydney Trains T1 Western Line, which is quickly reaching capacity. Sydney Metro West will be able to move about 40,000 people an hour in each direction.”
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 31
MAJOR PROJECTS
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, said the government was also investigating innovative ways to reduce travel times. “Customers won’t need a timetable on this 21st century turn-upand-go metro system," Mr Constance said. “It will also mean faster and more frequent services will be able to be delivered on the Sydney Trains network from other major centres like Penrith and Blacktown.”
Financial close on Port of Melbourne lease
The Lonsdale Consortium comprising the Future Fund, QIC, Global Infrastructure Partners and OMERS is now responsible for the Port of Melbourne’s ongoing commercial operations for a term of 50 years. The Victorian Government achieved financial close on the lease of the port for more than $9.7 billion at the end of October 2016. Treasurer, Tim Pallas, said finalising the deal had delivered on the government’s commitment to lease the port, remove 50 of Victoria’s most deadly and congested level crossings, and create thousands of jobs. “The lease of the Port of Melbourne is an outstanding achievement that underlines the continued high performance of the Victorian economy – the fastest growing in the country.” Mr Pallas said Victoria’s regions would also benefit from the lease, with 10 per cent of the proceeds being invested in regional and rural infrastructure projects. In addition, a $200 million Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund had been established to drive economic growth in the regions, boost exports and support Victorian farmers from paddock-to-port. Under the lease conditions, the state will retain responsibility for the Harbour Master, Station Pier, relevant safety and environmental regulation, waterside emergency management and marine pollution response. Minister for Ports, Luke Donnellan, said the consortium’s ongoing investment in the Port of Melbourne would consolidate its position as the biggest container and cargo port in the country. “The ongoing development of the Port of Melbourne will enhance its reputation as the leading port in Australia. “The lease will deliver enduring economic benefits to all Victorians.” Minister Donnellan said during the lease term, Lonsdale would maintain access to public walkways and bike paths for community use. Commercial and recreational vessel access would not be affected by the agreement, and the port would be returned to public hands at the end of the lease period.
32 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Image Courtesy VicRoads
Bridge beams installed as part of Ravenswood Interchange Six beams – each weighing 60-tonnes – were lifted into place in early November 2016 as part of the $86 million Ravenswood Interchange north of Melbourne. The beams will form part of a bridge that will carry Calder Highway traffic over Bullock Creek, near Bendigo. The Ravenswood Interchange will replace the dangerous intersection of the Calder Highway and the Calder Alternative Highway, where there have been two fatalities since 2009. This upgrade is a jointly-funded project between the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments – it is designed to improve safety and reliability for local, freight and touring traffic. Planning has been underway for several years and has involved close consultation with a range of community, stakeholder and interest groups. Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, said the interchange would increase safety by reducing the need for drivers to find a gap to enter fast-moving highway traffic. “Reducing road trauma is a bipartisan goal for governments around the country. By working in partnership with the Victorian Government, we are improving driver safety through targeted infrastructure improvements.” The Victorian MP for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, said the project was an important boost to regional capacity. “With freight transport expected to double on our roads by 2025, this upgrade will deliver vital improvements to benefit regional road safety and the local economy for decades to come.
$1b Pacific Highway upgrade package open to tender About $1 billion in major civil work packages for the Woolgoolga to Ballina section of the Pacific Highway upgrade are open to tender. Eleven shortlisted companies have been requested to tender for individual and/or combinations of packages for work: • BGC Contracting Pty Ltd; • Bielby Holdings Pty Ltd; • BMD Constructions Pty Ltd; • CPB Contractors Pty Ltd; • Daracon Contractors Pty Ltd; • FK Gardner & Sons Pty Ltd; • Georgiou Group Pty Ltd; • Golding Contractors Pty Ltd; • Lendlease Engineering Pty Ltd; • OHL Construction Pacific Pty Ltd; and • Seymour Whyte Ostwald Joint Venture The Australian and New South Wales Governments are jointly funding the Woolgoolga to Ballina upgrade on an 80:20 basis. Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, said the release of the tenders was a major milestone in the Australian and New South Wales government-funded upgrade.
MAJOR PROJECTS
“This investment in Pacific Highway upgrades is already delivering results with a reduction in road fatalities,” Mr Chester said. New South Wales Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Duncan Gay, said the tenders for the long awaited Woolgoolga to Ballina section of the Pacific Highway should have happened more than a decade ago. “Work is underway on about 90 kilometres of the upgrade and the award of these tenders will result in the full 155 kilometres being under construction. For decades the duplication of the Pacific Highway has been a pipe dream for the communities along its length.” Mr Gay said. The governments are on track to deliver a fully duplicated Pacific Highway between Hexham and the Queensland border by 2020.
Connecting Toowoomba city centre to Second Range Crossing
Artist's impression courtesy Nexus Infrastructure
Direct access between Toowoomba City – 125 kilometres west of Brisbane – and the $1.6 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing project (TSRC) is moving closer. Construction is starting on local connection roads and bridges in the Mort Street area of Cranley, a suburb in Toowoomba’s north west. The work involves construction of the Mort Street realignment, the Mort Street interchange and a 230-metre bridge over Gowrie Creek. The upgrade will increase freight efficiency, improve road safety and reduce business costs to transport goods. Queensland Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety, Mark Bailey, said the Mort Street interchange would be complemented by another connection at Boundary Street to provide heavy vehicles with access to the fast-growing industrial areas on the western side of the city. “The Mort Street interchange will be one of six connections with major arterial and local roads along the 41-kilometre toll road, and is one of 24 bridges being built by contractor Nexus,” Mr Bailey said. “The community will start to see significant changes in the Mort Street area, with the local road upgrades beginning to take shape and Mort Street ultimately connected to the TSRC. “When these enabling works are finished, traffic will be switched on to the new section of Mort Street. After the traffic switch, we will then start the next stage of works without any major disruption to motorists. “While these bridges will not be in operation until the project is nearly completed, we are building the structures now so we can construct the TSRC around them during 2017 and 2018.” Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor, Paul Antonio, said construction of the TSRC was a game-changer for the region and residents were beginning to see how such vital infrastructure linked with their city.
“Council continues to position Toowoomba to become a major intermodal logistics hub and the link has been designed to cater for future growth in the region’s transport network,” Cr Antonio said. The Mort Street interchange and the Gowrie Creek Bridge early works are expected to be completed in mid-2017. The TSRC, which will support up to 1,800 direct and indirect jobs during design and construction, is due to open by late 2018. The Australian Government is contributing $1.137 billion, 80 per cent of the TSRC project cost, and the Queensland government is contributing 20 per cent of the project cost through the PPP contract arrangements.
$3 Billion infrastructure funding for Victoria
(From Left:) Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester; Member for Chisholm, Julia Banks; and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
The Australian and Victorian Governments have struck an agreement on a $3 billion Victorian Infrastructure Package that will unlock funding for more than 40 key road and rail projects across the state. Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announced the package on 15 November – he said the multi-billion-dollar initiative would improve access to Australia’s road networks, jobs and economic hubs. “I am pleased the Victorian Government has matched our funding of $1.5 billion to deliver vital upgrades to 40 road projects across the state,” Mr Turnbull said. “These projects will drive investment and innovation, improve freight efficiency, and business productivity. “We are investing and building for our future by reducing congestion as our population increases - this includes a $1 billion upgrade to the Monash Freeway to ease traffic congestion. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, said commuters would experience the benefits in the long term with efficiencies - allowing people to do business or get to work quicker. “We will be delivering Monash Freeway upgrades, M80 Ring Road upgrades, a Murray Basin Freight Rail Project, an Urban Congestion Package, and a Rural and Regional Roads package,” Mr Chester said. “Following our commitment to invest in an Urban Congestion package the O’Herns Road Interchange project has been included. “The Australian and Victorian governments have also agreed to develop a comprehensive business case for the Monash Freeway upgrade to investigate and consider options to reduce congestion. This will be oversighted by a joint Australian and Victorian government steering committee. “We are proud to be delivering the roads that Victorians have been waiting for and we are confident they will reap the benefits.” The Australian Government has committed $1.5 billion and the Victorian Government has committed $1.5 billion.
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 33
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
CARRYING CONCRETE WITH COMBILIFT Straddle carriers and mobile gantries for the cost effective and efficient handling of precast concrete
This custom-designed Combilift remote-controlled unit offers a fast, safe and efficient method of lifting and moving large precast concrete elements. Combilift units are available with or without cab, in both driver and remotely operated designs.
Combilift Ltd is the specialist manufacturer of multidirectional forklifts as well as a wide range of other innovative solutions for the safe, space saving and productive handling of long and awkward loads, pallets, containers, and extremely oversized loads. From its base in Monaghan, Ireland, the company exports to over 75 countries and has sold more than 30,000 units since it was established in 1998. The extraordinary growth of Combilift has been unparallelled in its industry sector and the company has invested 40 m Euro - around 60 m AUD - in its new, purpose built 46,000m² manufacturing facility and global HQ, which will be up and running by the first quarter of 2017. This expansion will enable Combilift to proceed with its plan to double its current €150 million turnover in the next five years. When it comes to handling potentially problematic and extreme loads such as those in the precast sector, two Combilift model ranges – the Combi-SC Straddle Carrier and the Combi-MG Mobile Gantry, are proving to be particularly beneficial. They are a much more efficient option compared to heavy handling forklifts, reach trucks, mobile cranes or fixed cranes and have recently been deployed in major projects: for example in the construction of the New Perth Stadium, where they have operated both on site and in precasting yards. They have also been used in infrastructure projects such as the Pacific
34 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Highway upgrade in New South Wales and the Roy Hill Mine Rail. The Combi-SC range was introduced in 2010 as a cost effective solution for container handling. It quickly became apparent however that its design and features made it ideal for the requirements of any operation which manufactures and/or handles oversized loads and needs to do so safely, whilst ensuring optimum space utilisation in and around the facilities. Simple and straightforward design incorporating standard, easily available components makes it a very reliable workhorse which is easy and economical to service: this is a key benefit in the concrete sector which is traditionally a harsh, tough user of equipment. A major advantage of the Combi-SC is its light unladen weight which can be as low as 17t depending on the model, making it extremely fuel efficient. In addition, the even load distribution and large tyres significantly reduce ground pressure and allow operation on compacted surfaces, avoiding costly investments in ground reinforcement. The 3-Wheel concept, with two wheel hydrostatic drive and synchronised hydraulic steering, makes for a manoeuvrable machine with a very small turning circle, providing customers with complete independence on site and when loading and offloading trucks and semi-trailers. In addition, the fully automated operation of functions from within the 360º
visibility cab reduces the risk of manual strain and protects operators from the elements. The Combi-MG is remote controlled with all wheel steer and comes with six steering functions as standard. Thanks to multidirectional capability with carousel function it offers superb manoeuvrability both indoors and out. As wheels are positioned at the front and back of the unit rather than at the side, the width of each machine need only be as wide as the loads it moves. Combilift is well known for its ability to customise its products according to individual requirements and the Combi-SCs and CombiMGs are no exception. With the option of LP Gas or diesel power and a wide array of options, attachments and lift capacities to choose from, customers can be assured that their model is tailor made to their specific application. “Combilift products enjoy a strong presence in the Australian market and these two particular models have certainly made their mark on the precast sector,” said Chris Walker, General Manager of Combilift Australia. “We foresee a high level of market demand for them due to their ability to enhance productivity and health and safety procedures as well as the excellent ROI that they offer.” For further information, contact Combilift Australia, T: 1300 552 422 or visit: www.combilift.com
ITS WORLD CONGRESS FEATURE
A wrap-up of the 23rd ITS World Congress held in Melbourne in October 2016.
ITS SPECIAL FEATURE
MELBOURNE 2016
UNDERSCORES AUSTRALIA’S LEADING ROLE IN ITS “The success of the ITS World Congress in Melbourne clearly showed how well placed Australia is as a world leader in developing the technology and the policy necessary to advance the intelligent transport systems industry.” ITS Australia, President, Brian Negus, describing the outcome of the 23rd ITS World Congress staged in Melbourne from 10-14 October 2016. The Congress – at the Convention and Exhibition Centre – comprised five days of technical tours, demonstrations, exhibitions, plenary sessions and executive forums. It was attended by nearly 11,500 delegates from over 70 countries, who discussed public policy, innovation, technology and advances in the transport technology space. Mr Negus said he was delighted with the number of participants drawn to Melbourne for the Congress, which represented a new chapter in the development of the industry in Australia and abroad. “The Congress was an opportunity for leaders in the ITS space, particularly those in government and international companies, to really understand Australia’s leading role in the sector. “Such an event will give governments the confidence and the courage to set the scene for rolling out advanced technology – to run test beds, technology pilots and to advance the sector’s thought leadership, especially from initiatives developed through the iMOVE CRC. “It represented a new chapter for the industry in Australia. ITS Australia is now planning actively to leverage the energy and enthusiasm generated by the Congress.”
“It was an honour and a thrill to be part of an event at such a level – it was extremely hard work, but we always felt we were bringing together people with the skills and knowledge to set the scene for the next stage of ITS in Australia and the world.” 36 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
ITS Australia CEO, Susan Harris, said the success of the Congress was defined by more than the number of delegates who attended – it was the level of senior executives and ministers from business and government. “Those senior people were involved in meaningful, face-to-face conversations that will serve to develop the sector; to map a path for transport technology to play an increasingly integral role in evolving sustainable, liveable communities. The theme of the Congress was ITS – Enhancing Liveable Cities and Communities, and Ms Harris said the event reinforced the strong linkages between ITS and cities that people wanted to call their home. “Our cities, here in Australia and overseas, are becoming busier and increasingly competitive in terms of attracting businesses and talented, mobile people. “The challenge facing us is to develop cities and regional centres that drive economic prosperity, while maintaining liveable, sustainable environments.” That challenge, said Ms Harris, would also be highlighted at the ITS World Congresses in Montreal, Canada (2017) and the Danish capital of Copenhagen (2018). “Copenhagen is actively discriminating in favour of bicycles as the priority form of transport – it is using technology to create a positive environment for cyclists and pedestrians to move freely about the city.” Ms Harris said work related to the Congress was on-going – the organisers were now undertaking a detailed debriefing of what could only be described as a massive event. “We’ve approached delegates, exhibitors and those involved in demonstrations for their feedback, and we’re looking forward to receiving their responses to inform our own assessment of the Congress. “We’ll present a detailed outcome of the Melbourne event to the World Congress Board early in 2017.” Ms Harris said it had been a privilege for her and the staff at ITS Australia to be involved in the staging of such a world class event. “It was an honour and a thrill to be part of an event at such a level – it was extremely hard work, but we always felt we were bringing together people with the skills and knowledge to set the scene for the next stage of ITS in Australia and the world.” Ms Harris said the Congress had also been a success in contributing to the Victorian economy. She said the estimated value in terms of spending on accommodation, travel and entertainment was around $25 million.
ITS SPECIAL FEATURE
WORLD CONGRESS ENABLES
TCA TO LEARN FIRST-HAND ABOUT ‘PACE OF CHANGE’ “One of the reasons that TCA (Transport Certification Australia) was the Official Demonstrations Partner at the ITS World Congress in Melbourne was to learn first-hand about the current state of play in advanced transport systems.” Chris Koniditsiotis, TCA’s Chief Executive Officer, said it worked collaboratively with some of the world’s leading providers of intelligent transport systems to showcase the latest in connected and automated vehicle technology applications as part of the Congress. TCA had an exhibition stand at the Congress venue – the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre – and a lounge at nearby Albert Park, the key venue for on-track demonstrations. One of the demonstrations – a world first exercise in Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) – involved in-vehicle devices from multiple suppliers being used to “talk” to live traffic signals in a street in South Melbourne, a short distance from the Congress Venue. Mr Koniditsiotis said TCA worked closely with VicRoads to organise the demonstrations – VicRoads equipped seven sets of traffic signals to create a ‘Connected Urban Corridor’ along Clarendon Street. Conference delegates were able to experience first-hand interoperable Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V-to-I) applications, by travelling through the intersections in a connected vehicle on route to demonstration sites. “The feedback we received was very positive,” said Mr Koniditsiotis. “Delegates left the venue, jumped into a bus and were able to download an app onto their phone or watch a screen in the bus showing how it was directly interfacing with the roadside infrastructure. “While their 12-15 minute commute was a ‘necessary evil’ in getting to the demonstration sites, delegates could experience what the vehicle could see on its journey. “They could see for the first time that the intersections would be green or red and visualise the new world as opposed to the present one. That is – the journey was in itself a demonstration.” Mr Koniditsiotis congratulated the ‘Connected Urban Corridor’ Congress demonstration partners – CO-GISTICS, Cohda Wireless, Kapsch, NXP, Q-Free and Robert Bosch Australia for their involvement. “I can only thank them for cooperating and making sure there was a common good in the exercise, in addition to them showing the attributes of their respective products. “One of the important learnings TCA gained from the exercise was the pace of change in the transport technology landscape, and the challenges faced in deploying technology in an operational setting. “In the environment up to now, interoperability has been ‘one-to-many’ at best, but in the new world, it will be ‘many-to-many’. This has reaffirmed to us the importance of having not just good documentation, but having documentation interpreted consistently across multiple stakeholders and vendors. “The rules covering operability are not just technical rules; they cover commercial operability. You might be able to do something technically, but can you do it commercially or contractually? Mr Koniditsiotis said TCA was contributing to deliberations about the introduction of connected and automated vehicles. “A key challenge we all face is that a consensus has not been reached on what a fully autonomous vehicle really means. And if we don’t know what the endgame really entails, then it’s difficult to establish a clear pathway, without making certain assumptions.
Chris Koniditsiotis, CEO, TCA
“A key challenge we all face is that a consensus has not been reached on what a fully autonomous vehicle really means. And if we don’t know what the endgame really entails, then it’s difficult to establish a clear pathway, without making certain assumptions." “At the moment, many of us are trying to understand what’s directly ahead of us, as opposed to where we’re going to be in 15 to 20 years’ time. “There are a lot of differing views, and many different agendas. Opinions range from a partially automated urban environment, with little or no change in rural areas, to the other end of the spectrum where some views comprise the thinking that governments should mandate for the removal of all vehicles that aren’t automated from the roads. “You couldn’t be more polarised.” Mr Koniditsiotis said while there was debate about the time frame for introducing automated vehicles and the regulations covering them, one thing was clear – people using the vehicles would expect security and safety. “What we know is that in the new world, security and safety co-exist. We need to be able to give a level of confidence to end-users that their vehicles are connected to other vehicles and infrastructure in a secure way that ensures safety isn’t compromised. “We need to get that right because people will assume they are safe, even though they may not have control or oversight of those factors. “That’s the space we’re working in to provide what I describe as a foundational requirement. “We’re very close to the NTC, Austroads and our member road transport agencies in working to put into place processes that ensure an outcome which is secure, sustainable and in line with public expectations.”
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 37
ITS SPECIAL FEATURE
NEW SCENARIOS
FOR AUSTRALIA’S TRANSPORT FUTURE How Australia’s transport system might work in the lead up to the year 2040 is outlined in a series of snapshots which reveal the transformational impact of factors like automated vehicles, better real-time data and analytics, more riding sharing, and changes in consumer preferences. These scenarios are explored in new papers which are part of the National Transport Commission’s Land Transport Regulation 2040 initiative. The papers were released on 13 October to coincide with the ITS World Congress in Melbourne and focus on four different, plausible scenarios of what the transformational changes might mean in practice. The four key factors of change used in various combinations in developing the future transport scenarios are: • automation; • shared mobility; • data availability ; and • consumer demand for convenience and new services. Speaking at the congress, Chief executive of the NTC, Paul Retter, said because Australia was set to see a transformational change in transport, both industry and government organisations should increasingly prepare for uncertainty and look for new ways to encourage innovation. “These four scenarios are not predictions of the future, but they help industry, governments and the community examine the implications of changes in automation, data sharing, shared mobility and consumer demand,” Mr Retter said. “Different sectors of the economy and the regulations that guide them go through long periods of stability followed by short periods of significant change. “This work will help stakeholders start developing responses to the opportunities and challenges Australia’s transport system is likely to face in the future. “For us this work will help us develop reform projects to make sure we have the right kinds of transport laws at each stage of this period of transformational change.” In addition to the scenarios, the papers also set out a number of questions that governments will need to answer as transport systems are transformed including: • should governments regulate ahead of the adoption curve?
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• could or should governments transition all transport laws to a safety management system approach? and, • does the way our regulations are structured impact on new products and services? Marcus Burke, the NTC’s Project Director for Heavy Vehicle Compliance and Technology, said the Commission had received strong support from State and Territory Governments and their agencies in preparing for the future. Mr Burke is responsible for projects related to the ongoing review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law and the policy and legal framework related to new and emerging transport technology. He told Highway Engineering Australia the agencies were trying to think through what the transition to automated vehicles, both passenger and commercial, would mean to them as road managers, as infrastructure providers and as regulators. “They’ve been very supportive of options the NTC has put forward, even though those options represent potentially significant changes to what we do today. “Traditionally we’ve had a very prescriptive approach, but what we’re proposing in our automated vehicles work is to move towards more of a safety management approach, similar to what we have in the rail and aviation sectors. “That’s a major change for agencies in this area. “The challenge for them is, in part, around capability and skills. There are different skill sets that future technology will require compared with what agencies have traditionally had in the past; for example, more capability around managing data. “Technology continues to evolve and we don’t yet know what the final picture will look like.” Paul Retter, NTC CEO.
Marcus Burke, NTC Project Director for Heavy Vehicle Compliance and Technology.
Mr Burke said the NTC wanted to hear from industry as well as government because it was important for industry to provide input about what it sees as a plausible future. “Technology is very much driven by industry within the framework that government sets – a lot of regulation will depend on how technology evolves and how it is used by the market. “One of the themes explored in the Land Transport Regulation 2040 initiative was around shared mobility and how that might impact on road use and future transport models. “So how industry evolves and then how consumers choose to use technology will strongly influence the eventual regulatory outcome.” Mr Burke said stakeholders approached by the NTC all had slightly different responses on the question of when fully automated vehicles would become a regular part of the transport landscape. “The regulatory road map we released during November aims to support conditionally automated vehicles by 2020 and more highly and fully automated vehicles post-2020. “Industry tells us that we’re still many, many years away from having fully driverless cars that can go anywhere, at any time, under any conditions. But it also says we’re likely to see more lower-level deployment of highly automated vehicles travelling at low speeds around airports or university precincts, and that their use will expand over time. “Through private and freight vehicles, the level of driver assistance will continue to increase and the various functions that are part of the driving experience will become more automated over time.” Mr Burke said the NTC recognised the importance of the move to connected and automated vehicles in the transport space and was committed to securing a successful transition. “The potential benefits for Australia, particularly around safety, are enormous. We’re very passionate about this area of work and are trying to ensure we achieve the right balance between allowing flexibility and innovation while ensuring we’re increasing standards of safety.”
ITS SPECIAL FEATURE
MELBOURNE 2016 HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR TRANSITION IN ITS SECTOR The importance of the ITS World Congress held in Melbourne in October 2016 was its pulling power – attracting 7,000 high calibre people in the intelligent transport systems sector. “The Congress truly reflected the transition of ITS from being a ‘boffin issue’ to a mainstream solution issue,” said John Merritt, the Chief Executive Officer of VicRoads. “The keynote speakers and session presenters highlighted to delegates the challenges that go hand-in-hand with the rollout of technology in the transport sector, and the nuances of the problems.” The next vital step is involving the community in understanding the problems and possible solutions, to help guide the adoption of technology. John Merritt believes there are three priority areas where ITS can advance our transport choices and improve our lives. “The first area is the safety space. We’ve hit a plateau in road trauma reduction and we’re still losing about five people a week and putting about another 100 people in hospital. “All of the trends around better cars and roads are being offset by population growth and issues like alcohol, drugs and other medications. “We know 90 per cent of our fatalities are human error. There’s a cohort of those fatalities that result from wild human behaviour, but the majority of deaths come from people making basic mistakes. Road users who looked, but didn’t see. “VicRoads believes the development of intelligent transport systems has the potential to significantly reduce the consequences of human error,” said Mr Merritt. The second area VicRoads is strongly interested in developing is the impact of technology on the productivity and functionality of growing cities. “We’ve had great success by adopting smart technology on our motorways; we’ve increased our throughput by almost 20 per cent, we’ve reduced accidents by about 30 per cent and we’re progressively attracting more and more people. “By 2020, about 50 per cent of our travel will be on freeways and this offers another level of productivity. “It allows vehicles to travel safely in close proximity; you can see in some of the technology it will virtually eliminate lane changing, which is a massive source of breakdown in terms of the efficiency and productivity of the road network.
John Merritt, CEO of VicRoads, greeting Chang Woon Lee, President Korea Transport Institute at the VicRoads Exhibition.
“We’ve had great success by adopting smart technology on our motorways; we’ve increased our throughput by almost 20 per cent, we’ve reduced accidents by about 30 per cent and we’re progressively attracting more and more people." The third area that holds great promise is the social impact of being able to reconnect communities that are far from the city centre. “People are living in estates on the outer fringes of Melbourne – housing developments that are pushing cows out of paddocks as we speak,” Mr Merritt said. “Some of those estates are very well designed, but others are not. Some of them are creating isolated communities where residents are incredibly car dependent, even multi-car dependent. “The trial of the driverless bus at Albert Park during the Congress or the notion of driverless connected cars providing that first-and-last kilometre link look like they could be very cost effective in such areas in connecting people to more transport choices. “I’m interested in how those initiatives – driven by the latest technology – could help to reconnect those otherwise isolated communities.” Mr Merritt said there was a need for new infrastructure projects like Melbourne Metro, the Western Distributor and the Monash CityTulla Widening scheme to meet the
community’s transport needs, but there was a strong case for asset sweating; using ITS to get more out of existing infrastructure. “Simple things like lane management systems that we’re installing so we can turn emergency lanes into hard-shoulder running, which takes advantage of the fact that modern vehicles don’t breakdown as much as older ones. “That provides a 25 per cent uplift in capacity without spending large amounts of money on new roads. I think that combination is interesting. It’s the contra-flow work, it’s the out-of-hours travel. “If you complement that with what I see as being a revolution in work, then benefits will flow. “We are, in the main, still tied to a Mondayto-Friday, eight-hour working day, but things are changing. “If you take the notion that work is what you do, not where you do it, and complement that with the attractive concept of being able to choose the most productive way to work, you offer an enormous ‘give back’ to people in terms of time in their lives and stress reduction in their lives.”
December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 39
ITS SPECIAL FEATURE
THE ROLE OF POLICE
AS VEHICLES BECOME INCREASINGLY AUTOMATED The senior police officer who is tasked with reducing road trauma in Victoria says the move towards increasingly automated vehicles can help make the state’s roads safer by helping to cut down on human error behind the wheel. Doug Fryer – Assistant Commissioner, Road Policing Command – was a keynote speaker at the ITS World Congress in Melbourne where he spoke about the role of police in relationship to the increasing presence of connected and automated vehicles on the road network. Assistant Commissioner Fryer told delegates that enormous gains had been made in road safety based on four pillars; safer roads, safer drivers, safer speeds and, importantly, safer vehicles. He said, however, there was no more “low hanging fruit” when it came to reducing road trauma. “Our cars and roads are becoming safer, but still we’re seeing the number of lives lost either stagnating or starting to rise. “Drivers continue to make mistakes, so if we can help to reduce the human element, there is a strong chance for us to lower the number of lives lost and the rate of serious injury. “As long as people drive cars and have full control of vehicles, we’ll continue to see trauma on the roads. “The real key, the ultimate key to achieving the goal of zero deaths on our roads will come through safer vehicles and safer vehicles will come through levels of automation.” Mr Fryer said the challenge facing law enforcement and regulators was putting laws in place to allow for trials of connected and automated vehicles, and for their eventual introduction onto the road network. “We know the benefits will be enormous – the lives lost and injuries sustained will be cut, and collisions, property damage and congestion will be reduced. “Because vehicle-to-vehicle (V-to-V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V-to-I) technology will ultimately lead to a more efficient transport network, there will be lower vehicle emissions, improved traffic flow and enhanced community wellbeing.” Mr Fryer said Victoria Police had already worked with the National Transport Commission in relation to its policy paper concerning the steps that need to be taken to remove regulatory barriers to connected and automated vehicles, and to implement vehicle trials. “We know there needs to be a consistent approach to road trials. It makes sense that right across our nation, legislation is harmonised when it comes to staging those trials.
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“And at a later stage, what happens, for instance, if critical information for V-to-V and V-to-I communication breaks down? Those sorts of scenarios need to be clearly specified in legislation. “We’re talking with VicRoads and the Victorian Government about what changes to legislation are required, and we also need to work with industry so we don’t inhibit it. We’re keen to do that.” Mr Fryer said the emergence of automated vehicles on the roads would mean changes to the way police investigate and interpret incidents, but they had the knowledge and skill sets to adapt. “When we investigate cases of road trauma now, we interview witnesses, look at CCTV footage and download computer data from the vehicles involved. In future, depending on the level of automation, we will need to access and understand a wider range of data held in vehicles to determine how an incident unfolded. “Whenever there is legislative change or technological advancement, our road policing professionals go through a knowledge/skills upgrade. “We’re comfortable we can keep with the times – not just regulate, but educate the community around what’s acceptable when it comes to advances in vehicle technology,” said Mr Fryer. “We’re keen to highlight that safety features shouldn’t be optional; if they’re available in some vehicles they should be available in all of them. Lives depend on those features.”
ITS SPECIAL FEATURE
WORLD AT ‘TIPPING POINT’
IN ADOPTING ADVANCED TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY Gavin Smith, President of Robert Bosch Australia, says Australia and the rest of the world are at a tipping point in how they choose to adopt and implement the next generation of transport technology. “We can, as individuals and societies, choose to slow-down the transition with regulation and bureaucracy or we can try to facilitate the adoption of intelligent transport systems by trialling technology today,” Mr Smith said. “Loosening regulation and allowing trials of connected and automated vehicles on public roads, rather than in artificial environments will accelerate adoption. “If you look around Australia, various states are freeing-up their regulations, but the move should be accelerated at the national level. In New Zealand, road laws are set country-wide and they have liberal regulations that allow trials to occur.” Mr Smith said the practical adoption of connected and automated vehicles wasn’t a fantasy, but rather a near-term reality, given the level of automation involved. “For Level 4 and Level 5 automated driving, we’re looking at 2025 and beyond. The situation where the vehicle doesn’t require a driver to take back control is obviously the most complicated, so that’s still some time away. “But it could be this side of 2020, if you’re looking at cases like valet parking where you get out of the car, push a button on your smart phone and have the car park itself. Gavin Smith, President of Robert Bosch Australia.
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Bosch demonstration vehicle launch at the ITS World Congress.
“Parking environments are low-speed, less complex, less variable and easier to control.” Mr Smith said it was fundamental that all stakeholders in the advancement of intelligent transport systems put a high priority on involving the community. “We need to help people to understand early-on that connected an automated vehicles are not in the fairy tale realm. If we wait until the vehicles are available in large numbers to start thinking about how we reap the benefits they can provide, we’ll miss opportunities. “Australia should act sooner than later to facilitate early adoption rather than react when other early adopters already have vehicles on the road.” Mr Smith said Australians were, by nature, early adopters of technology, but the technology around connected and automated vehicles still wasn’t well understood. “There’s a need to increase exposure to the vehicles so communities can see them interacting with existing conditions.” Providing that exposure, Mr Smith said, was the responsibility of various stakeholders. “You can argue there is a role for government to play because government is ultimately the entity that will allow the vehicles to come to the market. “There’s a role for vehicle manufacturers because they are the ones putting the energy and dollars into developing the vehicles – the manufacturers need to stimulate demand for them.
“Component companies, like Bosch, work with vehicle manufacturers and have a vested interest in promoting the exposure of vehicles. “But probably the most important stakeholder is the road safety sector. Connected and automated vehicles will have a fundamental impact on the road toll, so any organisation that is in any way attached to road safety should be helping to stimulate demand for these vehicles and accelerate their adoption.” “That is why our highly automated demonstration vehicle has government partners such as the Transport Accident Commission and VicRoads.” Bosch’s demonstration vehicle was launched at the ITS World Congress in Melbourne in October. It is the first locally developed vehicle with advanced driverless features and will be used in trials and demonstrations that help inform regulation. Mr Smith said the advance of connected an automated vehicles was critical to the sustainable development of cities. “Forty per cent of our cities are given-up for parking, and 30 per cent of our driving time and costs and emissions are taken-up in repeatedly looping the block to find that elusive parking spot. “The sooner we have automated vehicles that can make better decisions about where and when to drive, at what speeds to drive, and how to interact with other transport and infrastructure, the sooner our cities will become truly smarter.”
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ITS SPECIAL FEATURE
PIVOTAL ROLE OF DATA
IN DETERMINING ROAD PERFORMANCE Cutting-edge connectivity with its road network is allowing global urban toll road developer and manager Transurban to obtain real time insights into the performance of its roads, according to senior executive Michele Huey. Ms Huey is Group General Manager Strategy with Transurban, which operates urban toll road networks in Australia and the United States. “Accessing comprehensive road data allows us to respond to the real infrastructure needs of the community. We can use real-time information to detect and anticipate traffic flow breakdown. “Increasingly we’re in a position where we can anticipate traffic incidents before they occur. Building ‘smarts’ into our motorways enables us to optimise the flow of the network. “If an incident does occur, our connectivity with the network provides us with an immediate insight into the action required —whether emergency or other support services are needed, how we reach the site as quickly as possible to secure the scene and ultimately allow the traffic to flow again. “More often, technology is at the heart of how we’re working to provide the optimal driving experience for our road users,” said Ms Huey. “We’re also using data to inform strategic modelling across our network to assess how factors such as long-term land use, demographic changes and movements of origin destination trips are reshaping communities. “This allows greater rigour in our planning for upgrade works on our existing network and better managing the real estate we have. “Where major improvements are needed, our traffic modelling allows us to examine a variety of options that will ultimately help us design solutions that best meet community needs.” Ms Huey was a keynote speaker at the ITS World Congress in Melbourne where Transurban made public the findings of its Melbourne Road Usage Study – Australia’s first real-world trial of user-pays road charging. The study was designed to offer valuable insights for policymakers, industry and communities in considering long-term solutions to road funding and managing demand. It involved 1, 635 participants trialling various user-pays systems. “The study wasn’t intended to provide recommendations for policy makers or to try to find the ‘perfect answer’ to what future road funding should be,” Ms Huey said. “What we wanted to do was to contribute to a very important reform debate by obtaining
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information and insights from real Australians testing user-pays models. “We will share the outcomes with industry, government and the wider community because we think those stakeholders need to be involved in any long-term solutions. The Melbourne Road Usage Study found that 60 per cent of participants preferred a user-pays system after experiencing first-hand a more transparent way of paying for their road use. Speaking to the results of the study, Transurban’s Chief Executive Officer, Scott Charlton, said they suggested that replacing the current road funding model with a user-pays system could work in Australia. That was provided the model was a sustainable, fair and flexible funding system that grew with demand. “The study showed that participants were open to discussing viable alternatives to the current system and highlighted the power of information sharing and practical experience,” Mr Charlton said. “At the start of the study, 85 per cent of participants were comfortable with the current funding system, but after experiencing different usage-based charging options, 60 per cent said they preferred a user-pays system, with 59 per cent preferring a charge-per-kilometre approach. “Getting direct and transparent feedback about how they used the road and the associated costs, made participants more willing to consider changing their driving habits, with 30 per cent reporting they changed their road use during the study period, including making greater use of alternative transport modes.” Mr Charlton said the study also highlighted what motorists wanted to see if a new system of paying for roads was to be implemented to replace today’s unfair and opaque charges. He said participants’ priorities included: • Transparency – clear information about how much they travelled and the cost; • Choice – genuine transport options and flexibility around working hours and services to allow them to make changes to how they use roads; • Fairness – an equitable system that was fair for everyone, regardless of where they lived, their income or the car they drove, and that funds raised were directed to transport projects and maintenance; and • Technology and privacy – privacy protection and secure management of personal information. Following the release of the initial findings
Michele Huey, Group General Manager Strategy,Transurban
report which focused on usage-based charging, the final stage of the study looked at examples of demand-based charging options, including cordon charging – charging drivers when they enter or move within a designated geographical boundary. Of the 319 participants trialling cordon charging, 49 per cent drove into or within the CBD area during the baseline period. These participants appear to have reduced their weekly travel into the CBD by 10-to-15 per cent while driving under the cordon charging option. “While further studies would need to be undertaken, these results support the view that a user-pays system could provide a fair and sustainable funding base as well as offer policy makers the flexibility of using different price signals to help manage demand,” Mr Charlton said. “Transurban is not advocating for any specific user-pays model, but like all Australians we want the broader road networks to operate as efficiently as possible because it means our roads also then run smoothly.” Ms Huey said Australia’s roads were funded at federal, state and local levels, and each level of government needed to be part of the long-term solution. “Whether they all need to enter the debate simultaneously, whether there’s a ‘big bang change’ to funding or an incremental change – those are issues we want to discuss with policy makers. “There are other factors involved as well. There are movements, advances in technology such as the take-up of electric, connected and automated vehicles which are going to reshape mobility, and as more people use those vehicles, they are going to become catalysts. “It could be that we go down the path of having staged and transitional progress before we get to a longer term solution for such a vexed question,” said Ms Huey.
17th Aapa international Flexible pavements Conference 2017
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
13-16 august Conference Themes:
• Constructing the Roads of the Future • Perpetual and Heavy Duty Pavement Technology • Next Generation Bituminous Surfacings • Flexible Pavement Technology for (Air) Ports • Resilient Regional and Local Government Roads • Managing Road Networks in a Digitally Connected World • Delivering the Smart, Safe and Sustainable Roads of the Future
A future with change offers opportunities, challenges and excitement. The future of transport and the role that roads play in moving people and goods is facing unprecedented potential disruption. At the same time, the Roads of the Future are the key to creating the economic opportunities of tomorrow. The aim of the conference is to help prepare the Australian Flexible Pavements sector for future challenges, by openly discussing the possible disruption from new digital and physical environments and technologies.
Authors are invited to submit abstracts/papers which address the conference themes, covering their concepts and views, findings and outlook.
Submit abstracts at: conference.aapa.asn.au by 31 Dec 2016
AAPA NEWS
FROM AAPA TO THE ARRB – REFORMING WITH ENTHUSIASM
Michael Caltabiano says the three years he spent as CEO of the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) was a transformational period in which the association became a leader in the flexible pavement industry. Mr Caltabiano – who now sits behind the CEO’s desk at the ARRB Group Ltd – told Highway Engineering Australia that he enjoyed every day of his time at AAPA. “It was fantastic; a great experience. When you’re adding value, doing things that ultimately advance the community and deliver better value for taxpayers’ money, it’s invariably an enjoyable job. “AAPA transitioned from being a ‘small participant’ and a receiver of standards to an equal partner in the sector with road agencies, and a setter of standards. “It’s now working in partnership with government to answer the question ‘what problems are we trying to solve’ and then providing government with a suite of innovative ways to solve those problems. “Government can then go to the market with what it believes to be the best solution.” Mr Caltabiano said member companies of AAPA now had high-end laboratories and pavement engineers of the highest calibre. “These people are working for companies that would typically have been hard-dollar contractors, but have now moved beyond that mind-set to being full participants in developing Australia’s road network. It’s a great change, a great transformation. “AAPA is a facilitator; a portal through which road agencies and industry can
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talk about their problems. The agencies and industry can take off their respective hats and put on their AAPA hats – they’re all members of the association – and collectively find solutions to issues. “The approach has redefined the way in which the whole market operates.” In a broad sense, Mr Caltabiano said, the ARRB had to go through a similar journey to AAPA. “The new vision for ARRB is to serve the community through innovation, excellence and dedication to a mobility-enabled future. “ARRB is going to be a global leader in road transport engineering. “The space that it fills has to be one of a global entity which collects knowledge from around the world and undertakes firstprinciple research to apply that knowledge to Australian conditions. The knowledge is then handed to agencies and industry for implementation. “Currently ARRB tends to do lower-level research and not a lot of first-principle work, and that has to change to accommodate ground-breaking research. “ARRB has to provide the next generation of thought leadership that informs the way in which Australia builds for the future.” Mr Caltabiano said the transport engineering sector was on the cusp of great change and the critical role for ARRB was to understand the breadth and depth of the change. “To be the national research facility that thinks through, understands and articulates what the next generation is going to be. “Understanding change will enable the right investment choices to be made and the right infrastructure to be provided to meet transport needs.” “Any leading research institution has to be in that space; foreseeing what change is going to be, analysing and providing solutions that will inform the decisions of government. “And one thing is certain; once the first round of changes have been made, the second round of changes will be just around the curve in the road.” Mr Caltabiano paid tribute to his predecessor, Gerard Waldron, who was with the organisation for 15 years. “During that time at the helm, Gerard took the ARRB from a $15 million research entity to a $45 million research entity. “He deserves full credit and acknowledgement for taking that road without losing his enthusiasm for the role. My task is to build on his achievements and take ARRB on the next part of its journey.”
TIME FOR ‘STEP-CHANGE’ IN THE FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS INDUSTRY The 17th AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference to be held in Melbourne in 2017 will be a seminal event; an event that will provide the impetus for step change in the flexible pavement sector, according to Michael Caltabiano, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of AAPA. Mr Caltabiano is the new CEO of the ARRB after serving three years in the top job at AAPA. The conference – from 13-16 August – has the theme Roads of the Future: Embracing Disruption and it will be staged at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. Its objective is to provide a platform for the flexible pavement industry and its stakeholders, suppliers and partners to consider and plan for the challenges facing the sector, and to ensure its continued growth. Mr Caltabiano said the conference would provide a benchmark for the next generation of road technology. “We’re bringing together the best minds in the world to talk about the enablement of technology above the road by building into the road the next generation of smart tools. “Minds like Dr Hugh Bradlow, Telstra’s Chief Scientist, who’s put forward the scenario of batteries embedded in the road to help charge the batteries of electric cars. As the electric cars drive along the road, they would create an induction loop that recharges their batteries. “Disruption is coming; in fact it’s here in the form of smart cars, and the roads sector doesn’t want to be a lagger in technology. It wants to be a leader in technology and innovation.
AAPA NEWS
The Road to Relevant Research
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“The conference will be the beginning of the innovation cycle in the pavement industry and people will look back and say it was the seminal event that changed the way the sector does business, the way it provides innovation to meet the demands of future smart cars.” Mr Caltabiano said senior executives from all the global asphalt pavement associations would be attending the 2017 conference, an acknowledgement that Australia was readily able to articulate the ideas, the concepts that would take the industry to a new level of technology and innovation. “If you look across the spectrum, we’ve peaked-out in terms of incremental innovation – we now need a step-change. “Roads are society’s enabler. Whether it’s in the form of a social compact that allows communities to function or whether it’s the economic grunt to provide those communities with goods and services. “Without smart roads, we deny communities enablement for the future. We have to be ahead of the curve – we need to develop the next generation of road technology because the next major step in vehicle technology is artificial intelligence. “The roads sector needs to respond so it can deliver a network that communicates with cars – a network comprising advanced signage, traffic lights, lane closures and openings. “A car has to be able to read all those signals, so we have to put national standards in place around all of them. “The change in the flexible pavement sector has been building for some time and we are now on the cusp of making it happen,” said Mr Caltabiano.
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December 2016 | Highway Engineering Australia 47
ASPHALT IN FOCUS
Baghouse filter retrofit
RETROFIT PROJECTS PART OF AMMANN’S 360° COMMITMENT
Bitumen tank and piping retrofit
48 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Asphalt plants represent an investment that lasts for many years, generally 20 years or more. Many years of consistently producing thousands of tonnes of asphalt, always being available around the clock and producing a high level of continuous performance (mix quality, emissions levels, etc.). Every plant owner knows the key to maximise the benefits from this important asset lies in a good maintenance program. But sometimes an improvement is needed on the plant to meet higher standards in terms of productivity, asphalt product range, energy efficiency, level of emissions or safety conditions. On these occasions, a retrofit is the option to consider to ensure the asset remains reliable and profitable. AMMANN is a world leading asphalt plant manufacturer, with many of its “state of the art” products and technologies currently operating in Australia. Examples are the HRT batch plants with their revolutionary design for high recycling performance and the ACT continuous plants that are capable of producing both large and extremely small production runs of mix. But AMMANN’s commitment to the Australian market is not limited to new installations – it also stands for solutions to keep existing plants up to the challenges that are emerging every day. For this purpose, AMMANN Australia has its own in-house team
of engineers specifically dedicated to retrofit projects. Retrofit installations can be applied to any part of an existing asphalt plant, from AMMANN or from any other manufacturer. Feeders, dryers, filters, screens, mixers, bitumen tanks, asphalt silos ... implementing any new AMMANN component guarantees the specific part of the plant will perform with the best technology available. “Along with mechanical elements and their electrical equipment, control systems can also be part of a retrofit project,” said Cristian Zocchio, Engineering Manager – Ammann Australia. “And when the plant’s control system is replaced, the improvements are really noticeable. That’s because AMMANN’s as1 control system really is one of the most advanced control systems available for an asphalt plant,” Mr Zocchio said. “It can be applied on older plants too, thanks to its enormous amount of controllable parameters; prepared and tested for any type of component on the asphalt plant. “Considering the benefits in terms of performance to the operation, system reliability, 24/7 assistance, the as1 implementation can represent a very good investment for many mid-to-long-term projects. “We have seen how relevant retrofit projects can be for any existing asphalt plants. The upgrades, coupled with the level of commitment that AMMANN can offer with a locally based engineering and installation team, are the keys to a successful project. “Productivity, Partnership for a lifetime” is AMMANN’s motto. A committed and enduring partnership that can begin with a single asphalt plant component,” said Mr Zocchio.
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ASPHALT IN FOCUS
CONTRACTOR TRAINING
CULTIVATING THE TRAINER WITHIN SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS By Jeff Ensell, Director of Training, Roadtec, Inc. Training … why do it? The simple answer to the question of why bother with construction training is two-fold: safety and productivity. Accidents and injuries are a costly unnecessary risk to valued employees, expensive equipment, and company morale. And well-trained employees are not only safer, but feel more competent and comfortable on a work site, which translates to higher productivity and emanates beyond a site… fostering a positive reputation within and outside the company. Travel most anywhere and watch construction crews. There are great ones and crews that really struggle. The struggle can be battles with each other or the lack of training to do the task assigned to them by the foreman or above. The idea of training is broader than a formal function occurring in a classroom or at a field site. Training should be considered a responsibility of every supervisor and manager, since they are in the best position to help cultivate their crew’s skills and knowledge. Supervisors and managers are promoted to their positions because of their experience and expertise. For success today, management should only be allowed to keep their positions if they are also effective communicators in sharing what they know. People who are afraid to share knowledge should never lead and people that belittle others for not knowing as much as they do will never inspire others to grow and succeed. Good, strong
50 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
managers and supervisors inspire their crews to do great things and be productive. Senior company management needs to support the concept that everyone is responsible for training. With managers and supervisors functioning as leaders and mentors generous with their knowledge and help, workers learn to help their co-workers avoid mistakes and perform tasks better. As new technology, ideas, processes, and procedures are introduced to the company, there is a need for the managers or supervisors who excel at training to be tapped. In-company trainers should be chosen out of the best you have available. The thinking can’t be; “Hey, I can’t lose that guy to training.” Generally speaking, a contractor’s
top manager has done every aspect of the job and can relate to what the crews face day-in and day-out. Trainers should be able to communicate effectively and be able to keep the hard hat on rather than thrown down in frustration. Contractors who have found willing workers have achieved half the battle today. Keeping them engaged in the process is where a trainer can help. The work is hard and the days and/or nights are long, so if the trainer is screaming, they will not receive the respect they deserve, nor will they be motivated. A trainer’s personality and humor can go a long way with crews and make workers want to come back for additional training. Being able to teach a person and
ASPHALT IN FOCUS
show them the correct way will build a relationship between the trainer and the trainee. In-company trainers need to teach the same things to each crew. Consistency is vital for a productive crew. For example; in asphalt paving, crews that take off from the joint consistently, carry a consistent head of material, keep a consistent travel speed and use the grade control systems consistently are by far more productive. Not only will they be productive, but they will be together longer as a crew, and this is a sign that training is paying off. People want to be a part of the best crew. Trainers should promote teamwork. Crosstraining every position within the crew is key. When a crew member is out; they have another who can step-in and perform. Not only can they fill the position, but they also understand the importance of that person’s position on the team. Trainers need to be involved with every significant project from the start. Every company has rework that could have been prevented. Consider a sub-standard asphaltpaving job as a result of poorly trained
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operators. The asphalt has to be removed and replaced, and the cost involved could have been eliminated if a trainer had been engaged before the project started. Senior management at a contractor needs to empower its trainers to ask the tough questions at a work site and jump in to troubleshoot when necessary. They need to be asking if everything is running okay, are tasks being safely performed, are the workers implementing the training they received? Trainers at the site need to be 100 per cent capable of making quality
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adjustments that improve productivity and ensure best results. Their presence on the jobsite can send a powerful message to the crew and the owners of the project. So why train? Because it works. It promotes safety and quality results. It can inspire a worker to be a part of something bigger and greater. Clearly, when a construction contractor commits to making its workers the best, the workers will give their best. When workers are inspired to go to work and do their best for the company, this is the ultimate return on investment.
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EQUIPMENT TO BUILD AND RESTORE THE WORLD’S INFRASTRUCTURE ASTEC AUSTRALIA.
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ASPHALT IN FOCUS
XPRESS 2500 TO COMPLETE THE SALERNO-REGGIO CALABRIA MOTORWAY The completion of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway before the end of 2016 was the target set by the Italian government. The challenge was accepted by Marini in collaboration with the Bulfaro Company and the latest and most innovative model in the Marini batch plant range was put into operation. Macrolotto 3.2, on the stretch between Laino Borgo and Campotenese, represents 40 kilometres of motorway at more than 800 metres above sea level in the Pollino National Park. The park is situated in the Calabrian Apennines, one of the most critical stretches of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria link. Over the last 35 years, the Bulfaro Company, based in Senise, Basilicata, has achieved considerable success in public and private infrastructures and is known for its professional performance.
52 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
With a workforce of more than 100 personnel, Bulfaro – working on behalf of CMB Ghella – readily accepted the challenge of laying the entire road surface, which will be completed in less than one year. Marini’s XPRESS plant was chosen because of its high degree of mobility, without giving up any of the advantages of a stationary plant, and it’s proving to be the ideal solution for facing this type of demanding operation. The plant is made up of a series of functional separate trailer units for the coldfeeders, the dryer, the filter and the mixing tower with the hot elevator. A significant feature that distinguishes XPRESS from other plants is its installation without the need for a crane. All the modules are completely self- erecting, including the entire mixing tower, the heart of the plant. The mixing level is elevated thanks to a series of hydraulic jacks and the screen – which
is transported at the back of the trailer to keep the trailer within road transport restrictions – is positioned above the aggregate hopper by winch-assisted sliding on tracks. The raised position of the control cabin, incorporated into the main trailer, guarantees maximum visibility for the operator over all the production processes of the plant. In the personal configuration chosen by the client, the plant can reach a maximum production level of 200 tph, with an average production over 160 tph, even in damp conditions. The configuration comprises five cold feeders, two bitumen hot-oil tanks, one 30 cu.m. self-erecting filler silo and one 25 cu.m. mobile asphalt storage bin. A high percentage and flexible amount of RAP is used through the recycling lines into the dryer drum and the mixer, without compromising the speed of erection and dismantling of the plant. Converted into numbers: 110,000 tons of asphalt, both binder and base, have been laid down over two and a half months, with regular use of 10 per cent RAP in the mixer and 20 per cent in the dryer. The project envisages the production of just less than 200,000 tons, including base, binder and wear course. This explains why, with 60 per cent of the work completed and with six months left to go before the consignment, the challenge has been well and truly contested. CEO, Antonio Bulfaro, said he was completely satisfied with the results of the XPRESS 2500, in terms of its production, performance and reliability. For more information about products from the Marini range, contact: Bliss & Reels, Ph: (03) 9850-6666 or email: sales@blissandreels.com.au
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ACA CORROSION FEATURE
C&P2016 revealed the latest technical advances and research on corrosion mitigation.
CORROSION CONFERENCE SHOWCASES LATEST KNOWLEDGE & TECHNOLOGIES Delegates at the Corrosion & Prevention 2016 (C&P2016) conference and trade exhibition in Auckland were greeted with a traditional Maori haka, along with other traditional dances, at the start of the event that was staged at the SkyCity Convention Centre on Auckland's scenic harbour in November. The conference brought together a panel of industry experts to discuss the challenges brought by new technologies and materials in addition to the importance of maintaining vital infrastructure. The convention and trade exhibition provided a forum for all corrosion stakeholders to meet and discuss a wide range of topics. Attendees were able to participate in seminars and hear technical papers covering best practice in corrosion management, environmental protection techniques, public safety and economics. Corrosion has a major economic impact on industry and the wider community: it is estimated that governments and organisations spend billions of dollars every year mitigating and repairing corrosion damage. The design, construction and operation of facilities and infrastructure represent major investments by companies, organisations and governments. Corrosion will affect all structures at varying rates over time, depending on the material used, the types of corrosive agents in the environment and the physical processes and mechanisms involved. How to manage this degradation is a challenge for designers and engineers, as well as asset owners, managers and operators. C&P2016 revealed the latest technical advances and research on corrosion mitigation.
54 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
Plenary speakers included Professor Digby Macdonald from University of California, whose current research involves studying Simulating Coolant and Corrosion Processes in WaterCooled Nuclear Reactors and the Development of Deterministic Corrosion Damage Models. Plenary lectures were also delivered by Howard Combs, General Manager Global Sales, Carboline USA, a specialist in elastomeric coating technology; David Williams, Professor in Electrochemistry at the University in Auckland and Nick Laycock, Senior Materials & Corrosion Engineer at Shell Qatar. Speakers and delegates continue to raise the profile of corrosion and its mitigation, as well as working to place corrosion control on
Delegates at C&P2016 were greeted with a traditional Maori haka and other traditional dances.
the national agenda. In his opening speech the retiring President of the ACA, John Duncan, emphasised that there is a direct cost to the economy of at least two percent of GDP per year due to materials degradation, and somewhere between 25 and 40 percent of the cost is avoidable using already-known technology. A common view expressed by delegates was that because corrosion crosses a range of disciplines, a good mix of people attend the annual conference and trade exhibition including engineers and experts in addition to asset owners and managers. In the continuing efforts to minimise the impact of corrosion, new materials are being developed to build structures and procedures implemented that have been designed to protect both new and existing facilities. The corrosion effects of these new materials have to be researched and analysed. The keynote address at each C&P Conference is the PF Thomson Memorial Lecture, which has been delivered every year since 1951. Percival Faraday Thompson (18851951) is recognised as Australasia’s pioneer in the science and technology of metallic corrosion and its mitigation. The Lecture is the Association’s premier dedicated lecture which strives to emulate the academic and technical qualities for which Thompson became known. Dr Patricia Shaw was selected to give the 2016 P F Thompson Memorial Lecture. Shaw is the Better Buildings Research Team Leader at BRANZ and leads a team of material scientists, fire engineers and structural engineers researching improved techniques and materials for use in the building industry. She obtained a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Auckland and has more than 20 years’ experience as a Materials Scientist.
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ACA CORROSION FEATURE
In her presentation, Shaw defined corrosion as the deterioration of materials by interaction with their environment. While the term 'corrosion' is generally used in reference to metals, it also applies to the degradation of polymers, concrete and wood. Shaw's presentation explored the causes and effects of corrosion on polymeric materials and provided an overview of the environmental factors which may affect polymeric materials, and the impact of those effects on their performance. She also discussed the challenges of measuring and understanding polymer degradation and presented some practical examples to illustrate the importance of this field of corrosion research. Ways to mitigate corrosion include restricting the
Dr Patricia Shaw was selected to give the 2016 P F Thompson Memorial Lecture.
56 Highway Engineering Australia | December 2016
The convention and trade exhibition provided a forum for all corrosion stakeholders to meet and discuss a wide range of topics.
design load on the material and to include UV stabilisers in the polymer mix. The ACA works with industry and academia to research all aspects of corrosion in order to provide an extensive knowledge base that supports best practice in corrosion management, thereby ensuring all impacts of corrosion are responsibly managed, the environment is protected, public safety enhanced and economies improved. The work of Dr Shaw and her team adds to the accumulated knowledge available to industry and other academics. In 2017, the ACA will being saying “G'day, mate� to delegates attending next year's Corrosion & Prevention event when the conference returns once more to Sydney. As always, the conference will be the premier corrosion event in the Asia Pacific region and will feature a program of keynote speakers and technical presentations.
ABOUT THE AUSTRALASIAN CORROSION ASSOCIATION The Australasian Corrosion Association Incorporated (ACA) is a not-for-profit, membership Association which provides training, seminars, conferences, publications and other activities to disseminate information about corrosion and its prevention or control. The industry association was formed in 1955 and represents companies, organisations and individuals involved in the fight against corrosion and promotes cooperation between academic, industrial, commercial and governmental organisations. For further information, please visit the web site: www.corrosion.com.au
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Don’t overlook steel compliance, look into ACRS first.
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