LOW-EMISSIONS
ASPHALT EVOLUTION CITYWIDE, IN A JOINT VENTURE WITH FULTON HOGAN, HAS OPENED A NEW ASPHALT PLANT AT ITS LAVERTON SITE, SERVICING CONTRACTORS AT ALL LEVELS WITH SUSTAINABLE, LONG-LASTING ASPHALT.
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n recent years, asphalt sustainability is becoming a preference for end users rather than an optional value-add. By substituting waste products from other industries, the sector can lower its carbon footprint, and in some cases, improve asphalt durability. The broader environmental benefits are reducing natural resource extraction and greenhouse gas emissions, while assisting stakeholders to meet their net-zero-emission targets. Moreover, the latest plant technology is saving on both costs and greenhouse gas emissions through reductions in energy consumption.
Having worked in the asphalt industry since 1987, it’s a paradigm shift that Darryl Byrne, who runs Citywide’s joint venture (JV) with Fulton Hogan, remains at the forefront of. Mr. Byrne explains that while old products still form the basis of asphalt manufacturing and laying, new innovations are gaining prominence in a range of areas, including sustainable plant technology. “If you go back 20-25 years, we were seen as a dirty industry. You talk to people about asphalt plants and the first picture that comes into their head is some dirty industrialised facility that has a lot of smoke coming out of its chimneys, whereas in fact, we’re a very clean production business nowadays and the ‘smoke’ is actually steam,” Mr. Byrne says. Citywide’s partnership with Fulton Hogan dates back to the beginning of 2016, when Citywide decided to enter into a JV. It conducted expressions of interest, with Fulton Hogan making an offer to secure a 50 per cent stake in the business. Citywide opened its first plant in North Melbourne in 2007. In 2020, it expanded its operations with a new state-of-the-art sustainable asphalt plant at Laverton North. The plant is Citywide’s second and officially opened its
doors in February. There are multiple reasons why the business case for Laverton North makes sense for the two companies – reducing a reliance on virgin resources and leveraging best practise research and development are just a few. The site also works to provide a consistent product that meets the rigorous demands of city roads and pavements through its NATA-qualified lab on site. Citywide’s strategic positioning of its sites means it can service markets across Melbourne. Its North Melbourne site is located just a stone’s throw away from the Melbourne CBD. “You don’t find that anywhere, so it allows us to reach not only the Tier 1 market, but also the Tier 2 and Tier 3 small contractors,” Mr. Byrne says. “With public services and municipal works happening around the clock in Melbourne, it makes good business sense.” As an asphalt production business, Citywide’s Laverton North Asphalt Plant services the broader road construction market, including civil infrastructure companies, councils and contractors. This comprises anywhere from a VicRoads road upgrade right through to a subdivision or small maintenance contract. The site broadly
Citywide’s Laverton North Asphalt Plant services the broader road construction market, including civil infrastructure companies, councils and contractors. 26
ROADS FEBRAURY 2020
