MAY 2021
SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT Featuring the latest in green initiatives
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SUMNERS ROAD INTERCHANGE A look at the last steps for construction ROADS REVIEW Industry experts on sustainable innovation
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MAY 2021 CONTENTS
The Sumners Road interchange project is close to completion, see the project report on page 18.
PROJECT REPORT
ASPHALT IN ACTION
AfPA
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURE EVENTS
18 Sumners road interchange 22 An introduction to AfPA’s new Executive Director for NSW and ACT 24 AfPA member profile
ISCA
26 Big picture, sustainable thinking
ROADS REVIEW
28 Industry leaders detail the importance of sustainability over a projects life-cycle
30 SAMIfalt I-Brid demonstration in Victoria
INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS
38 The first step in the Melbourne Airport Rail project
32 Sustainable asphalt production with the Benninghoven ECO 3000
40 Queensland Transport Infrastructure Conference
34 Striving for sustainability with bitumen
CONTRACTS AND TENDERS
TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT
36 Self-compacting concrete with Dincel formwork
Results from Dincel’s self compacting concrete tests on page 36.
41 A n overview of the latest tenders and contracts from around Australia
REGULARS 4 Editor’s note 6 News
Puma Bitumen details it’s sustainable solutions on page 34.
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PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au
SHOWCASING SUSTAINABILITY THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY has been widely recognised as a potential leader in the development of environmental and recycled products for use across infrastructure projects. With COAG’s waste export ban starting to come into place, glass has already been banned from export in January of this year. Soon to follow is mixed plastics in July and tyres in December. Polymer plastic waste export will be banned in 2022 and paper and cardboard in 2024. The road construction industry has already demonstrated it has the potential to be a major, user of high quality recycled product such as glass, plastic and rubber. In the last year, our industry has also had a major pipeline of investment mapped out for the next decade by the Federal and State Governments. A huge pipeline of projects with massive opportunity for innovation in relation to the circular economy. There are so many examples of waste products being used in road construction already, and not just to reduce waste but also to enhance performance. Infrastructure projects set for completion over the next 10 years will be crucial to the movement of Australians around our cities, towns and in rural areas. Its critical these roads serve as a safe, reliable transport option as well as an asset that can contribute to the reduction of our waste stockpiles. For this reason we have chosen to do our second edition featuring sustainable materials from around the industry. On page 32 we speak to Wirtgen and Austek, to find out how the Benninghoven ECO 3000 plant is helping to facilitate the creation of unique asphalt mixes using recycled tyre products. Puma Bitumen details the extensive work it is doing to provide sustainable bitumen products to the market, from which it has seen increased demand, on page 34. Showcasing these kinds of innovative products and projects and the hard work that is performed behind the scenes is so important and I am excited to bring you this issue of Roads & Infrastructure.
Lauren Jones Editor, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine
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EDITOR Lauren Jones lauren.jones@primecreative.com.au DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR Blake Storey DESIGN Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Brad Marshall brad.marshall@primecreative.com.au CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER Justine Nardone justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au HEAD OFFICE Prime Creative Pty Ltd 11-15 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia p: +61 3 9690 8766 f: +61 3 9682 0044 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.roadsonline.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS +61 3 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Roads & Infrastructure Australia is available by subscription from the publisher. The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher. ARTICLES All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.
COPYRIGHT
Roads & Infrastructure Australia is owned and published by Prime Creative Media. All material in Roads & Infrastructure Australia is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Roads & Infrastructure Australia are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.
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NEWS
NINE-DAY EXCAVATION PROJECT BEGINS ON THE CRAIGIEBURN LINE IN VIC
Site works at Glenroy, courtesy of the Level Crossing Removal Project.
Crews are undertaking a nine-day excavation project to remove soil along the Craigieburn line in Glenroy, Victoria. Works will help to remove the level crossing at Glenroy Road and build a brand new train station. The team began preparation for this excavation in March and they will now remove four olympic swimming pools worth of soil from the rail line during the construction blitz. Crews are expected to hit basalt rock –
as the rail corridor is built on top of the Western Victorian Volcanic Plain, which is the third largest rock formation of its type in the world. These works will cause higher than normal levels of noise, dust and vibration. The Glenroy Road level crossing will be gone, and the new Glenroy Station open for passengers in 2022 as part of a massive pipeline of work to improve transport in the northern suburbs.
Work is now underway on the $3.2 million safety upgrade to widen and resurface part of the Bruxner Highway near Tabulam. Federal Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said the Australian and New South Wales Governments are jointly funding the $3.2 million project to upgrade the essential route for locals, tourists and freight operators. “This project will help to ensure those road users complete their journeys safely each day and will also sustain up to 75 jobs while it is being completed over the next four months, weather permitting,” Joyce said.
The Bruxner Highway is an essential route for locals, tourists and freight operators.
Credit: Seven Roadtrips on Unsplash
SAFETY UPGRADES WORTH $3.2M ON THE WAY FOR BRUXNER HIGHWAY, NSW
RESERVOIR STATION RECEIVES NATION FIRST SUSTAINABILITY RATING Melbourne’s Reservoir metro station is set to be the first train station in Australia to be awarded a five-star sustainability rating. The rating is based on factors including the stations construction, sustainability, liveability and productivity. The internationally recognised rating system assess the design and construction of new buildings, with the Reservoir Station being awarded an ‘Australian Excellence’ distinction upon assessment. 6
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The station has also been rewarded the highest rating awarded by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). The GBCA rating encourages the construction of infrastructure which is environmentally friendly, as well as increasingly liveable. The station’s construction was completed in 2019, resulting in the replacement of the High Street crossing. The station features a
new plaza and larger footpaths for pedestrians and cyclists alike. Specific structural areas of the Reservoir Station which received praise included reductions in high level demands for electricity and water, as well as the use of eco-friendly construction materials such as steal and cement. The Green Star as Built rating is set to be used to assess the sustainability and level of environmental friendliness in other major projects.
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NEWS
WA REMOVES ITS FIRST LEVEL CROSSING ON THE METRONET PROGRAM Crews will lay nearly 850 metres of rail track on the project.
Credit: METRONET
The boom gates at Denny Avenue Level Crossing were down for the final time on Thursday April 1st 2021. Crews closed the Kelmscott level crossing permanently last week allowing them to get on with the new rail-over-road underpass construction works at Davids Road. Works will now include removal and decommissioning of the level crossing infrastructure, excavating the underpass road, laying nearly 850 metres of rail track and building the new Principal Shared Path (PSP) over the underpass. Approximately 5000 cubic tonnes of fill will be imported to support the new rail and PSP. It is predicted that 100 trucks movements are needed per day, with six trucks delivering fill every 30 minutes.
NSW ANNOUNCES REGIONAL ROAD FLOOD RECOVERY TASKFORCE The new Taskforce will help to fast-track restoration efforts on the road network following flooding throughout regional NSW. Deputy Premier and the Minister responsible for disaster recovery John Barilaro said with water levels starting to
recede, the NSW Government is pivoting its focus from response to recovery. “Emergency services and road crews have worked tirelessly to restore access to these communities as soon as possible – and now we want to focus on restoring those
The taskforce will support councils with applications for disaster recovery funding.
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roads to full capacity.” He said the Regional Road Flood Recovery Taskforce will assess damage, report ongoing closures to locals, assist the freight industry and other road users and support councils with applications for disaster recovery funding.
SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE
Void Free Concrete Walls.
Left to Right : 155mm (3m high), 200mm (3m high) and 275mm (5.2m high) Dincel Walls
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SCC flows under its own weight and does not require vibration to undergo compaction.
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You’ll avoid the added expense of potential future rectification works to address any air voids.
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Successfully testing Dincel walls with SCC resulted in solid compacted concrete within the formwork.
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This was independently verified following an inspection of core holes and removal of the polymer skin.
Core Samples From Heavily Reinforced Dincel Wall
www.dincel.com.au
1300 DINCEL
NEWS
FIRST LOOK AT THE MELBOURNE AIRPORT RAIL DESIGN Rail Project’s Victoria have given Victorians their first glimpse at how the Melbourne Airport Rail may be constructed at key locations on the route. The concept design for the Maribyrnong River crossing has been released, showcasing what the second highest bridge in Melbourne (at 50 metres high) may look like. Between Sunshine and the Albion Junction, airport trains will gradually rise to travel on new elevated twin tracks across a distance of less than two kilometres, before
Concept image, from Rail Projects Victoria video.
descending and continuing at ground level alongside the existing freight line through Sunshine and Airport West towards the airport. The proposed elevated rail solution will avoid costly and disruptive impacts to several major roads. Melbourne Airport Rail trains will also run through the Metro Tunnel. Reference design along the rail alignment is underway in consultation with key stakeholders. Construction is expected to begin next year subject to approvals.
Crews have begun working to untangle tracks at the junction where the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines merge. Speed restrictions at this section of the rail line, in Dandenong, have caused trains to slow down as they move towards the junction. Once works on the Cranbourne Line are completed in 2023, the new parallel tracks will increase reliability making it easier for trains to run to the timetable. By 2025, the Cranbourne line will be the first metro train line to be completely level crossing free.
Credit: Level Crossing Removal Project
MAJOR WORKS BEGIN ON THE CRANBOURNE LINE UPGRADE IN MELBOURNE
The Cranbourne line will be level crossing free in 2025.
Credit: Tobias Tullius on Unsplash
NEW ROAD SAFETY CAMERA TECHNOLOGY TO SAVE LIVES IN VICTORIA
The cameras will be rolled out for enforcement by 2023.
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Victorians using their mobile phones while driving will soon be caught and fined after a successful trial of distracted driver technology. The distracted driving technology uses an artificial intelligenceenabled camera system to capture highresolution images of passing vehicles in all traffic and weather conditions – day and night. The trial was conducted over a three-month period and assessed a total of 679,438 vehicles. Throughout the trial, one in 42 drivers was detected illegally using a mobile phone behind the wheel. As the trial was conducted while stage
four restrictions were in place in Victoria, it’s anticipated the rate of offending could be higher when roads are busier and movement isn’t restricted. The trial also found the distracted driving technology can detect drivers who aren’t wearing a seatbelt, driving without hands on the wheel or with pets on laps, as well. Further stakeholder consultation, technology testing and demonstrations, as well as a public awareness campaign are being prepared ahead of the technology being rolled out for enforcement on Victorian roads by 2023.
TUNNEL BUILT IN 2000 BEING USED IN THE THORNLIE-COCKBURN LINK CONSTRUCTION The 21 year old Glen Iris Tunnel, just outside of Fremantle will be used as part of Perth’s first east-west rail link. Built in 2000 as part of the Kwinana Freeway extension works, the tunnel was created to prepare for a future rail line through
the area. 21 years later, that rail line is being delivered. The Thornlie-Cockburn Link will be Perth’s first east-west cross line connection, making travel around the city by train more flexible and providing a higher level of public transport service
to Perth’s southern suburbs. Located between the Kwinana Freeway and the freight rail reserve, the tunnel will connect trains into the Freeway median, where they will travel to Cockburn Central Station. Credit: METRONET
The Glen Iris Tunnel is 21 years old.
NSW INCREASES ROAD FREIGHT ACCESS IN FLOOD-IMPACTED REGIONS Road accessibility is critical for flood-impacted regions.
Credit: Rhys Moult on Unsplash
Higher priority vehicles are now getting increased access on the NSW road network to ensure freight operators can keep supplying to flood-impacted areas. Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said the priority right now is to ensure roads are accessible, places are safe for people to return, and businesses can continue to operate. A map of the roads open to Performance Based Standard Tier 1 level 2B vehicles is available on the Transport for NSW Restricted Access Vehicle mapping site.
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NEWS
Transport for NSW will operate a driverless public shuttle bus service at the Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens as part of a trial. Coffs Harbour customers will be the first in the world to commute on a fully automated public shuttle bus without a supervisor. The next phase of the NSW Government’s BusBot trial means this is the first automated passenger service to reach this stage in the world. While there will be no supervisor on board the bus, the vehicle will be monitored remotely. Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said the vehicle had proven popular since the trial launched in partnership with operator Busways, tech provider EasyMile and Coffs Harbour City Council in December 2018.
Credit: BusBot
COFFS HARBOUR, NSW HOSTS WORLD FIRST AUTOMATED BUS TRIAL
The driverless vehicle will be monitored remotley.
CREWS HIT HALFWAY MARK ON ROZELLE INTERCHANGE TUNNELLING The Rozelle Interchange is Australia’s largest road construction project and its now met the halfway mark for tunnelling. Upon completion crews will have tunnelled over 24 kilometres, with three levels of tunnels in some parts of the project. Around 640,000 cubic metres of concrete and 32,000 tonnes of Australian steel are expected to be used on the project. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more than 9000 workers have worked on this stage of the WestConnex project, which also includes the Iron Cove Link. “The NSW Government is committed to investing in major road infrastructure projects because we know improving our road network makes a real difference to people’s lives, while also providing much needed local jobs at a time when we need them most,” Berejiklian said. “The Rozelle Interchange is the missing link in the WestConnex Project and, along with the M4-M5 tunnels, will provide connections to the City West Link and the future Western Harbour Tunnel, while also bypassing Victoria Road.” 12
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Upon project completion crews will have tunnelled over 24 kilometres.
VIC GOVT COMMITS $33M FOR BIG BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE APPRENTICESHIPS Around 1500 apprenticeships will be delivered through the Big Build program.
to get information about opportunities. Opportunities on the Big Build program will include working on projects such
Credit: Scott Blake on Unsplash
An investment from the Victorian Government will see the creation of a new apprenticeships body, Apprenticeships Victoria. This will allow thousands of apprentices and trainees to be better connected with real learning and job opportunities. Apprenticeships Victoria will coordinate and oversee the delivery of apprenticeships in the state, around 1,500 of which will be through Victoria’s Big Build infrastructure program. The idea is to create better pathways for people into the workforce and to help foster connections between employees and industry. The $33 million for Big Build Apprenticeships will provide 1,500 opportunities to Victorian apprentices and trainees each year, for four years to kickstart their careers on some of the state’s largest projects. A walk-in apprenticeships hub will also be opened in Melbourne CBD, where workers can go
as the new Footscray Hospital, North East Link and Warrnambool Learning and Library Hub.
NT GOVT’S TOWARDS ZERO QUICK RESPONSE GRANTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE communities at the grass-roots level. “We are doing everything we can to raise awareness of road safety in the Territory, and it’s important to remember that every person whose life is taken or impacted by road trauma belongs to a family, a community, a school group, a sporting group,” Lawler said. The NT Government encourages all schools,
community groups, sporting clubs, not-forprofits organisations, and local governments to get involved and champion their own initiative this National Road Safety Week. The Towards Zero Quick Response Grants will provide eligible groups and organisations up to $1000 for initiatives that promote improving safer behaviour and culture on the road. Credit: WantTo Create on Unsplash
Working towards improving road safety and delivering effective education and awareness programs that will help keep people safe on its roads, The Northern Territory (NT) Government’s Towards Zero Quick Response Grants are now available until 31st May 2021. The grants are available for organisations that have an activity which encourages and engages the community in responsible road-user behaviours and cultures. Held between 16 – 23 May 2021, National Road Safety Week is an annual initiative from the Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) Group, and forms part of the NT Government’s Towards Zero Road Safety Action Plan, which aims to raise awareness that road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Eva Lawler said that road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and the Towards Zero Quick Response Grants mean that the road and safety message is getting out to
The grants will support initiatives for safer behaviour and culture on the road.
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NEWS
RUBBER GAP FILLER TECHNOLOGY TRIALLED ON SYDNEY TRAINS NETWORK A new rubber gap technology is being trialled at Sydney’s busy Circular Quay Station to help improve safety and accessibility across the train network. The
design and manufacture of the rubber gap fillers was done in Australia and the idea was inspired by other networks in Australia and overseas. The trial ran until
the end of March and the results will help Sydney Trains to assess the suitability of the solution on other platforms, similar to Circular Quay.
Credit: Yang Xia on Unsplash
The results from the trial will help Sydney Trains to assess the suitability for the solution on other platforms.
Roads surrounding two new suburban schools will receive $26.5 million in safety upgrades aimed at pedestrians and motorists. These road improvements will support the construction of the new Riverbanks College B-12 in Angle Vale ($17.1 million) and Aldinga Payinthi College in Aldinga ($9.4 million). Both schools are set to open in Term 1 2022. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Corey Wingard, said the government will deliver ancillary upgrades near the schools creating approximately 130 full time equivalent jobs during the works, 85 at Angle Vale and 45 at Aldinga. 14
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Both schools are set to open in Term 1 2022.
Credit: Egor Myznik on Unsplash
SOUTH AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS $26.6M IN ROAD UPGRADES NEAR SCHOOLS
Two stages of the Sydney Metro West project have received planning approvals. The sections of the rail line between Westmead and Sydney CBD, and between Westmead and The Bays have been approved. Approvals were sought in stages due to the sheer size of the major project. Stations have also been confirmed for Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont and the Sydney CBD. Two new factories will be created in NSW to support construction by manufacturing 148,000 precast concrete segments for the tunnels.
Credit: Sydney Metro
SYDNEY METRO WEST PROJECT GRANTED PLANNING APPROVAL
The sections of the rail line between Westmead and Sydney and Westmead and the Bays have been approved.
TUNNELLING 85 PER CENT COMPLETE FOR THE MELBOURNE METRO TUNNEL Currently one of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel’s tunnel boring machines (TBM) is 12 metres under the bed of the Yarra River, excavating the project’s twin tunnels between South Yarra and the CBD. Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan today toured TBM Millie, meeting the team of tunnellers who work day and night on the massive
machine. The machine is expected to take around two weeks to tunnel under the waterway and then a further 300 metres to Town Hall Station. Underneath the surface of the Yarra River geological and environmental testing has shown that ground conditions include silt, gravel and basalt. TBM Joan is progressing more than 30 metres below Swanson Street towards
Impression of the TBM under the Yarra River courtesy of Victoria’s Big Build.
Town Hall Station. The last remaining TBM, Meg will be launched shortly and will also arrive at Town Hall Station later this year. The TBMs will then have created twin 9km-long, 6.3m-high rail tunnels from Kensington under the Melbourne CBD to South Yarra. The machines are staffed and monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and equipped with an office, kitchen and toilets. Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said tunnelling on the Metro Tunnel Project is heading into its final stages, with a TBM now digging under the Yarra, as it completes this incredible feat of engineering deep under Melbourne’s CBD. “We’ve almost got 18 kilometres of concrete-lined tunnel, while five new stations are taking shape underground with walls, roofs and platforms now being built – as we continue on the path to more trains, more often,” Allan said. Town Hall station will be a gateway to Federation Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Arts Centre.The Metro Tunnel Project will create additional capacity for more than half a million passengers a week during peak periods and transform the way Victorians travel around Melbourne. roadsonline.com.au
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NEWS
JV BEGIN WORK ON $75M MOUNT LINDESAY HIGHWAY UPGRADE comprising J.F. Hull Holdings and SEE Civil, will widen the highway from two to four lanes and build new north and southbound bridges across Norris Creek. They will also install safety
upgrades and improve fauna connectivity and protection in the area. The project is part of the $4 billion nationwide investment through the Urban Congestion Fund.
Credit: Deepak Choudhary on Unsplash
A joint venture have been awarded the contract for $75 million worth of works on the Mount Lindesay Highway. Construction has now begun and the HullSee Joint Venture,
The project is funded through the Urban Congestion Fund.
The Sydney Metro has achieved a major milestone in the construction of Central Station. Crews have reached the bottom of the new Sydney Metro Station box, 27 metres below ground level. Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance have visited the site. “This has been an extraordinary engineering and construction achievement, delivering new Metro in the heart of our busiest railway station, while train services continued right around us,” Berejiklian said. Achievement of this milestone comes after work was fast tracked at Central Station last year, due to reduced commuter numbers in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 16
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Credit: Sydney Metro
CREWS REACH DEEPEST POINT ON CENTRAL STATION EXCAVATION IN SYDNEY
The bottom of the station box is 27 metres below ground.
Credit: Josh Withers on Unsplash
SOIL SAMPLING BEGINS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS FOR THE GREAT WESTERN HIGHWAY
The drilling rig will collect soil samples and test ground water.
Over the next six months a large drilling rig will be collecting soil samples and testing groundwater in the Blue Mountains. The findings will inform early works for the Katoomba to Lithgow Great Western Highway upgrade. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the hydrogeological testing was a critical step forward to inform environmental assessments and assist with the tunnel design. “It will be difficult to miss the high visibility vest wearing team accompanying the rig as they start work in Blackheath and make their way across the mountain range to conclude at Little Hartley in August,” Toole said. “These locations have been chosen to help with developing a base line understanding of geology and below surface water flow across the proposed route, so we can deliver an upgrade that enhances the Blue Mountains and preserves its unique and pristine beauty.”
On average, one level crossing will be removed every four weeks in Melbourne throughout 2021. Cherry Street, Werribee is the 46th level crossing to have been removed in the program. On Thursday 11th of March crews opened the new road bridge to traffic. Between Edithvale, Chelsea and Bonbeach on the Frankston Line, five level crossings are set to be removed this year. Works are also months ahead of schedule at Swanpool Avenue, Chelsea Road and Argyle Avenue and crews are also progressing at Bonbeach and Edithvale. In the second quarter of 2021, an underpass will be built beneath the tracks at Aircraft Station to link the north and south sides of the rail line. Autumn will see works on 20 level crossing removals across Melbourne.
Credit: Level Crossing Removal Project
WORKS PROGRESS ON MORE THAN 20 MELBOURNE LEVEL CROSSING REMOVALS
The Cherry Street crossing was the 46th to be removed.
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CLOSE TO COMPLETION AT
SUMNERS ROAD
WITH WORKS ON THE $80 MILLION SUMNERS ROAD INTERCHANGE UPGRADE WINDING UP, ACCESS TO THE CENTENARY MOTORWAY IN BRISBANE’S SOUTH-WEST WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE DISCOVERS WHAT THE PROJECT HAS INVOLVED.
Construction on Sumners Road interchange began in 2019. 18
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PROJECT REPORT
The bridge crossing the centenary motorway is 55 metres in length.
S
umners Road interchange provides access to the Centenary Motorway from the highly populated western Brisbane suburbs of Jamboree Heights, Sumner, Sinnamon Park and Darra. Before the $80 million upgrade, which began midway through 2019, the interchange comprised a two-lane bridge over the motorway connected by two roundabouts. Queueing on the 100 kilometer per hour motorway and traffic delays on Sumners Road were a regular occurrence as more
The upgrade to the intersection is worth $80 million.
“THIS PROJECT HAS REPLACED THE TWO ROUNDABOUTS WITH SIGNALISED INTERSECTIONS, DEMOLISHED THE OLD TWO-LANE BRIDGE AND BUILT TWO NEW BRIDGES, PROVIDING SIX TRAFFIC LANES IN TOTAL.”
than 35,000 vehicles, including about 1750 heavy vehicles, used the interchange daily. Significant peak-hour congestion also deterred commuters from accessing the nearby Darra train station, while active transport options were limited. Queensland’s Transport and Main Roads
Minister, Mark Bailey, said an upgrade was certainly needed to provide greater time savings and better outcomes for all road users. “This project has replaced the two roundabouts with signalised intersections, demolished the old two-lane bridge and built two new bridges, providing six traffic lanes in total,” Bailey said. “A key highlight is the much-improved active transport facilities which connect with the Centenary Bikeway.” CONSTRUCTION Construction has involved demolishing the four-span bridge, built in 1965, and replacing it with two new ones. The new, two-lane, eastbound bridge was built before the existing bridge was demolished. The new, four-lane, westbound bridge, with a shared path for active transport users, followed. The bridge length crossing over the Centenary Motorway is 55 metres, and roadsonline.com.au
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new, two-lane, eastbound bridge, then demolishing the existing bridge and building the new, four-lane, westbound bridge required detailed traffic staging to ensure flow was maintained throughout the interchange. “The major utility constraint was the high-voltage overhead powerlines, which could not be de-energised, and pylons. “Despite these challenges, the project has still run ahead of schedule.”
The new bridge is four lanes wide, instead of two.
the works involved lifting and placing 36 girders (27.5 metres each in length) near live traffic, underneath pylons and highvoltage overhead electrical powerlines. The existing roundabouts at each end of the bridge were collapsed and replaced with signalised intersections. Additional lanes were added to the on and offramps, as well as the local approaches, to accommodate the high volume of traffic. The eastbound girder lift took more than one week, with 12 girders lifted and placed using a 500-tonne crane and a franna crane. The westbound bridge had 24 girders lifted and placed using the 500-tonne crane and a 275-tonne crane. Both cranes were positioned either side of the Centenary Motorway to lift and place the girders as a dual lift, with the westbound girder lift taking place over 10 days. A new, grade separated, bike track was also built as an underpass directly under the western intersection to provide connectivity between the missing link of the existing Centenary Bikeway. The existing arrangement had limited pedestrian and bike-rider facilities as the off-road Centenary Bikeway terminated at the southern end of interchange and went “on road” for 500 metres before going off road again at the northern end. “The Centenary Bikeway’s missing link that originally required a 500-metre detour is now solved by the construction of the new underpass,” Bailey said. The upgraded interchange also improves 20
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safety and connectivity for active transport users by providing dedicated, on-road bike paths, a new shared path to existing businesses and new footpaths throughout. Set in a largely modified urban environment, site inspections took place on a regular basis to ensure all remnant vegetation communities and animal breeding places were identified and monitored. New trees and plants were planted on the site to replace any vegetation lost, while the project also includes two noise fences totalling 200 metres along property boundaries.
INNOVATION Bailey said construction challenges presented opportunities for innovation to ensure a quality product was delivered. The girder lifts for both bridges required strategically placed and weighted cranes on the motorway to safely place the girders. The new, grade separated bike track was built using box culverts. “The traffic management arrangement was complex to ensure safety and required innovated thinking to reconfigure the western intersection to ensure traffic flow was maintained,” Bailey said. “The new bridges have also been ‘future-proofed’ to add more lanes on the motorway, as the likelihood that the interchange traffic volumes will increase.” As a Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) station is located within the project’s footprint, the interchange has also been sequenced so the new signalised intersection would give QAS vehicles
“IT WILL IMPROVE SAFETY, TRAVEL TIMES FOR FREIGHT AND COMMUTERS ALIKE, AND PROVIDE SAFER ACTIVE TRANSPORT FACILITIES WITH SHARED PATHWAYS AND ON-ROAD CYCLE LANES.”
CHALLENGES Construction began in July 2019 and progressed ahead of schedule, with completion expected this month (March 2021). But Bailey said delivery wasn’t simple. “The project has been challenging due to the confined project footprint near houses and businesses, the substantial amount of public utilities, and working over the highly trafficked Centenary Motorway,” he said. “The staging of construction of the
priority emergency access. With construction now coming to an end and the final configuration in place, Bailey said the Sumners Road Interchange Upgrade would provide great relief to motorists travelling through western Brisbane. “It will improve safety, travel times for freight and commuters alike, and provide safer active transport facilities with shared pathways and on-road cycle lanes,” he said. “People will be able to spend less time on the roads, and more time doing what they enjoy”.
AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION
Sponsorship Opportunities 2021 Industry Awards National Award Series Innovation
National & State Dinners
Sold to SAMI
$ 7,500
South Australia
Supported by SRA’s
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Queensland
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New South Wales
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sponsors - Table of 10 for state dinner • TAS & NT sponsors - Tickets for 4 seats at state dinner
Contact Tanja Conners for more infomation tanja.conners@afpa.asn.au
IN THE DIRECTION OF
ADVOCACY AS THE NEW AFPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NSW AND ACT, LISE SPERLING IS LOOKING TO CENTRE ADVOCACY AND PARTNERSHIPS IN HER WORK FOR THE ORGANISATION. FOLLOWING A LONG CAREER IN THE WIDER BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SECTOR, SHE IS EXCITED TO MOVE INTO THE FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT INDUSTRY AND SUPPORT THE STRONG ROAD, TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT PIPELINE AND MANY OPPORTUNITIES.
A
fter spending the past 20 years in a range of areas across the building and construction sector, Lise Sperling has taken on the role of AfPA’s new Executive Director for NSW and the ACT. Over the course of her career, Sperling has worked in various leadership and senior management roles across all levels of government, private and not-forprofit sectors. With a degree in Town Planning and a Master’s in Environmental Law, Sperling has a deep understanding of infrastructure and the current opportunity to build better. In her role at AfPA she will be focused on effective stakeholder management and 22
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collaborative engagement to influence, add value, mitigate risk and deliver high quality results for the flexible pavement industry. Roads & Infrastructure sat down with the new Executive Director to find out what drew her to the role and get an insight into her approach. INTRODUCING AFPA’S NSW/ACT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “In my last role in government I was responsible to oversee and lead New South Wales’ centralised natural disaster expenditure, policy and governance arrangements in the restoration of infrastructure affected by events like the recent flooding and fires,” Sperling said. “I love being able to bring a table
of people together and open up communication to resolve things quickly. I am passionate and thrive in collective and strategic thinking, problem solving and to maximise technology and innovation.” This was the drawcard for Sperling to take on the role. In her work with AfPA she is hoping to increase the profile of the association’s advocacy and partnership work to help propel the industry forward. “We need to increase the awareness and understanding of the industry. While road construction is arguably not sexy, our industry presents lots of creative, exciting and very interesting opportunities to contribute to the maintenance and delivery of new essential infrastructure assets,” Sperling says.
“Whether it be in a lab, on the field or the corporate environment, our industry has much to offer and support every aspect of our lives We have a skills shortage in our industry, and this presents an opportunity to attract some people who have been impacted by COVID.” She says roads need to be seen in a more sophisticated way – as an asset, utility and tool that has extensive and critical value and importance to connecting local communities. “In NSW we’ve got almost 130 local councils - I want to drive AfPA, industry and all levels of government to work together and harness opportunities. The industry is certainly well prepared and placed to be able to deliver local infrastructure, and I want to see this space grow.” She says AfPA has an excellent reputation nationally and overseas and she wants to support and give greater exposure to the association’s technical capabilities by improving its advocacy work. “I want to open up dialogue between
on influential and iconic women in the infrastructure planning industry.
Lise Sperling the new AfPA Executive Director for NSW and ACT.
the stakeholders and open doors to bring people together so we can work in partnership to deliver better technical outcomes for the flexible pavement industry.” One the aspects of industry she is most passionate about improving is female participation, having completed her thesis
LOOKING AHEAD With the country in a state of COVID normal and stimulus flowing towards the building and construction sector there are plenty of opportunities for change. Sperling says her focus is to advocate for an effective and strategic response to COVID and the efficient use of stimulus funding for our industry. “We need to work together get the economy back up and running - we need to get jobs on the ground, starting with shovel ready projects and looking to new road infrastructure and maintenance projects across the State, our industry is well placed to make a meaningful contribution” she says. “We need to be more systematic and strategic in our collective approach, industry is ready, willing and able – we want to continue to work closely with all levels of Government and deliver excellent services, assets and infrastructure across the country.” roadsonline.com.au
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AfPA
MEMBER PROFILE ADAM PORTER, REGIONAL MANAGER SEQ, HEH CIVIL 1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AfPA MEMBER AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME ONE? I encouraged HEH Civil to join AfPA in 2019, originally to access the comprehensive range of industry developed training courses and to provide our team members the opportunity to have input into the direction of our industry. 2. HOW DID YOU START YOUR CAREER IN THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? I was fortunate that my first experiences of road construction were excellent as a graduate Civil Engineer in regional Queensland. I got to be involved in one of two Accelerated Road Rehabilitation Projects (QLD) as a Site Engineer assisting in the delivery of 7 timber bridge replacements and 70km of in-situ pavement stabilisation. This initial experience fuelled my interest in contracting and I’ve continued in the industry since, holding leadership positions with several highly reputable civil contractors. 3. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? I am excited to be involved in the growth of HEH Civil (originally from Far North Queensland) and plan to continue to increase the profile of the business in Southern Queensland in my capacity as Regional Manager. My current focus is establishing a reputation as an effective leader in the Construction Industry working with clients to achieve project outcomes in the delivery process from feasibility and value management, design management, construction and handover. 4. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE? I really enjoy the commercial facets of road construction. My current role gave 24
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Our digital management systems have reduced time spent on administrative tasks and allowed our team to focus on what matters to our clients and build quality infrastructure. We are confident that the tools we have implemented will provide the data insights that will drive continuous improvement. We are developing our spatial systems capabilities in machine guidance and are preparing for the widespread adoption of visualisation tools such as reality capture and augmented reality.
me the opportunity to drive the successful establishment of HEH Civil in Brisbane whilst delivering some of the companies most interesting and challenging projects. The job is never boring as I get to be involved in all aspects of the project cycle from business development and contract negotiation through to the operational aspects of project delivery. With the experience and practical skills that have developed over the years, I’d like to focus on understanding what motivates our customers and how to deliver well for them. 5. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY? I have had the privilege of being involved in the career development of a number of young professionals who have progressed in our business or others. To see their contribution to the industry has been rewarding. 6. WHAT IS A RECENT CHANGE YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THAT? We are anticipating a period of rapid digital innovation and HEH Civil welcome new technologies that improve our productivity.
7. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? I found it interesting to fully realise, during the pandemic, the contribution of the road construction industry to the Australian economy. It was fantastic that we found a way to safely continue to work throughout the period and it helped put in perspective for me the contribution to employment the industry has. 8. HOW HAS BEING A MEMBER OF AfPA BENEFITED YOU IN THE INDUSTRY? HEH Civil benefit through participation in Industry Working Groups and from the technical support offered. The networking and marketing opportunities via State Branches and National events is invaluable. 9. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? Personally, after feeling isolated during the last 12 months, I’m looking forward to being able to travel again with my family. At work we are aiming to create a working environment that will attract talented staff with diverse skill sets. Our goal is to build on our point of difference from our competitors and focus on initiatives to become more efficient and reduce waste.
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Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia
Miller says sustainability needs to become more widley understood and deployed.
THE TIME FOR BIG PICTURE,
SUSTAINABLE THINKING IS NOW BY ISCA GENERAL MANAGER, NEW ZEALAND, ADRIENNE MILLER.
S
ustainable thinking needs to be recognised as the multidisciplinary leadership capability of our time, but there is a way to go on this. There are many parallels with health and safety and it is worth revisiting that journey for the lessons it offers. Health and safety were initially seen as a business risk to be managed by specialist individuals and as an adjunct to Business As Usual (BAU). The approach was one of systems and processes, measurement, and compliance, all imposed on an organisation from the top down. Staff that transgressed a workplace’s systems and rules were liable to punishment and reprimands. Gradually over time the tendency to attribute incidents to personal choices, or freak Swiss cheese factual alignments, was gradually replaced by long hard questions about the organisational culture that had driven the behaviour in the first instance. With Safety II we focussed on what good practice (the incident free instances) could teach us, instead of looking in the rear vision mirror of incident forensics and lag indicators. 26
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Adrienne Miller, General Manager of New Zealand at ISCA.
We started to understand that safety was less about compliance and much more about culturally embedded values. Organisations moved to overarching golden rules aligned with values that also enabled decisions in ‘upset conditions’ - scenarios not envisaged by the rule book. For a long time, the poor cousin of
safety, occupational health, and its side kick wellbeing, also started to be better understood. In some cases, even valued for the benefits delivered to recruitment and retention. Over time, we also realised it was not the job of just one person(s) (or team) to help drive safety for the entire organisation, but instead was the
responsibility of all leaders, wherever they sat in the organisation. The ability to authentically lead in this space became a sought-after leadership competency. Such is the parallel journey being travelled with sustainability. Sustainability still seems to be run in many organisations as a separate stream divorced from the core business. With activity driven by legal compliance and a desire to avert damaging bad news stories, rather than for driving good. Even in more sophisticated organisations, the language sustainability practitioners speak is still foreign to many business leaders. Sustainability also remains linked in too many minds to the environment, when it is actually more about the overarching viability, tenability, and palatability of all activity over time, with much to learn from indigenous and first nation’s peoples around what is valued and the relevant horizons. Done well, sustainability’s tentacles can and should permeate all parts of an
“SUSTAINABILITY STILL SEEMS TO BE RUN IN MANY ORGANISATIONS AS A SEPARATE STREAM DIVORCED FROM THE CORE BUSINESS. WITH ACTIVITY DRIVEN BY LEGAL COMPLIANCE AND A DESIRE TO AVERT DAMAGING BAD NEWS STORIES, RATHER THAN FOR DRIVING GOOD.”
organisation and its supply chain. There is still risk too of the sustainability agenda being subverted to short term economic imperatives (with long term benefits that could have been realised, being discounted). Similarly, at a systems and economic level, organisations have been rewarded for that short term narrow focus, without having to account for the cost to society of externalities. But increasingly there is a demand for change from regulators, investors, and other stakeholders, (including current and future staff). They know a good thing when they see it and will reward it with their feet and wallets. This means sustainability is not just a risk, but an opportunity to be seized. Sustainability needs, like health
and safety, to become more widely understood and deployed, and to become a coveted leadership competency for leaders at all levels of an organisation. Utilising the wider, bigger picture, connected-up thinking of sustainability is essential as we grapple with the multiple waves of ‘upset conditions’ we are facing right now. Upset conditions like COVID-19 and climate change and the knock-on effects and inequalities they cause in society, and across the natural and built environment. But for this to happen, just like we did with safety, we need to take a long hard look at what we’re doing culturally that is causing the problems and how we might do things better. A really good start would be building our sustainability bench strength.
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ROADS REVIEW
FOR THE MAY ROADS REVIEW COLUMN ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ASKS ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LEADERS: ‘WHY SHOULD SUSTAINABILITY BE AN IMPORTANT FOCUS FOR EACH STEP OF A PROJECT’S LIFE-CYCLE?’
MICHAEL CALTABIANO, CEO, ARRB Sustainability and resilience are the key measures that need to be designed into new infrastructure works and all maintenance activities across current infrastructure works. ARRB have embedded this approach for all the work we do for Local, State and Federal Agencies. Our community has the expectation that we will apply new measures for success in the development and maintenance of transport infrastructure. Keeping communities connected by enhancing sustainability outcomes has been a key focus from agencies that are in tune with innovative approaches to dealing with flooding, bushfires and drought and the subsequent infrastructure we are building that enhances these critical community links.
SARAH BACHMANN, CEO NATIONAL PRECAST Sustainability is broader than environment; it encompasses economic and social considerations too. Factoring in all three to every stage of a project’s life cycle will deliver structures that are in everyone’s best interests. A Master Precaster’s precast concrete delivers benefits in every way. Being off-site manufactured it is higher quality and delivers safety benefits to workers. It uses local and recycled materials, minimises waste, employs local communities, minimises neighbourhood disruption and speeds construction. Structures using precast are durable, fire, flood and rodent safe, plus their high thermal mass can be used to minimise a structure’s energy use over its life.
DR. JACQUELINE BALSTON (BA. APP. SC. PHD ENV. SC.), DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, IPWEA The Longman Dictionary of Environmental Science defines sustainability as any process carried out in such a way, or at such a level, that it could be continued indefinitely without harming the environment’s life-support systems, reducing its ability to assimilate wastes or depleting renewable or non-renewable resources. As our population exceeds 7.8 billion, with concurrent consumption and waste, our impact is no longer sustainable. In 2020 “Earth Overshoot Day” was 22nd August and so for the next four months humanity consumed resources the Earth could not regenerate.To be sustainable, ask at every step of a project’s lifecycle: Is this NEEDED? For example, widening roads often causes “induced demand” and can make traffic congestion worse. Decentralisation, public transport and cycle paths are better options. And if we do need it, can it be smaller, solar passive and constructed from repurposed, recycled, sustainable or carbon neutral materials? And if not, let’s find a way.
If you or someone at your organisation is an industry leader and would like to be a part of this monthly column in 2021 please get in touch with Publisher, Christine Clancy: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au
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ROADS REVIEW
ROBERT VOS, NATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR, AFPA As safety is a fundamental requirement for any product today, so will sustainability be in our future and should be the focus at every stage from design to end-of-life. The seventeen UN Sustainability Development goals provide the basis with obvious links to road & infrastructure provision and usage. Critically, sustainability includes economic viability and directly serving society’s changing needs. Efficiencies in delivery must avoid boom bust cycles and allow innovation, promote improved durability, reuse and importantly for society, allow safe and beneficial incorporation of surplus community “waste”. Goals for reduced variability and increased durability should be embedded at each step.
JIM APPLEBY, GENERAL MANAGER RECONOMY, DOWNER Sustainability should be considered at every stage of a project, from concept through design through to build. We should embrace the principles of the circular economy to drive change. Doing so will not only result in projects that the next generation will be proud of, it will result in intergenerational infrastructure that delivers high value, zero impact projects for the environment.
DAVID TUCKER, CHIEF OF INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA Australia’s infrastructure sector has a critical role to play in supporting sustainability outcomes. We want to see infrastructure planned, designed, procured, constructed and operated in a way that delivers the best possible social, economic, environmental and governance outcomes for the community. Focusing on sustainability at each stage of a project’s lifecycle is critical to embed sustainable thinking at the early stages of project development and optimise outcomes through the duration of an asset’s life. To support this, we are working to encourage greater consideration of sustainability outcomes for nationally-significant infrastructure projects. The updated Infrastructure Australia Assessment Framework, which is due for release mid-year, will provide specific guidance on incorporating sustainability considerations into business cases for major infrastructure investments.
roadsonline.com.au
29
SAMi Bitumen Technologies facilities.
I-BRID ON
SHOW
SAMI BITUMEN TECHNOLOGIES AND RMIT HAVE WORKED TOGETHER WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT VICTORIA TO PLACE SAMIFALT I-BRID, A NEWLY DEVELOPED HYBRID BINDER WITH OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BENEFITS, IN A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IN BENDIGO, VICTORIA.
I
n June 2020, Sami Bitumen Technology’s innovative high-performance hybrid binder SAMIfalt I-Brid was used on the apron area at Bundaberg Airport in Queensland. Six months later I-Brid is being trialled in different conditions, a few hours outside of Melbourne. The demonstration
The SAMI Bitumen team behind I-Brid.
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project was undertaken at Kangaroo Flat - Calder Highway, near Bendigo, in Victoria. SAMI Bitumen Technologies and its partners, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) and Centre State Asphalting (CSA) paved a section of I-Brid asphalt next to a section of standard
polymer-modified asphalt in order to compare results under the local traffic and weather conditions. The demonstration trial was done in collaboration with the Regional Roads Victoria, part of the Victorian Department of Transport which was keen to observe the application of an asphalt modified with an innovative set of hybrid polymers and assess its performance. SAMI Bitumen Technologies supplied approximately 25 tonnes of the SAMIfalt I-Brid to CSA from its manufacturing facilities at Laverton, Victoria. The total quantity of I-Brid asphalt paved was 540 tonnes, following the mix production at CSA’s asphalt plant in Maryborough, Central Victoria. After manufacturing, the mix was transported one hour to the site at Kangaroo Flat and paved. Roads & Infrastructure catches up with the team to learn more about I-Brid and the Victorian demonstration project. SAMIfalt I-Brid was developed over
ASPHALT NEWS
about 18 months by a team of SAMI binder specialists in partnership with RMIT. I-Brid is a combination of innovative plastomeric and elastomeric polymers, which results in a binder that has both high deformation and fatigue resistance over a wide spectrum of traffic loading and ambient conditions, including at very high temperatures. The binder is formulated with four key polymeric pillars, a highly-compatible thermoplastic elastomer, a polyolefin, an unsaturated thermoplastic elastomer and a homopolymer. These elements allow I-Brid to exhibit high stiffness at high in-service temperatures and flexibility at medium and low temperatures. One of the four polymeric pillars is also responsible for imparting improved compactability to mixes when laid at low ambient temperatures. Filippo Giustozzi, Associate Professor at RMIT, was instrumental in the development of the I-Brid binder, working closely with SAMI Bitumen Technologies. He says that following the application of I-Brid at Bundaberg Airport, the team approached the Victorian Department of Transport (DoT VIC), to float the idea of a demonstration project in Victoria. “We wanted to show them that there is an alternative to some of the binders they currently use, so we set up a trial to test I-Brid against a standard modified product,” Giustozzi says. “DoT VIC was very keen to trial the product as they had already heard about it from various presentations and a recent report we shared, so they were happy to give it a go.” John Esnouf, Principal Engineer at VDOT was instrumental in helping to set up the demonstration project at Bendigo being interested to observe how I-Brid performs in the field.
The demonstration was performed at night.
“We’re always keen to encourage innovation of all kinds and we’ve been watching the development of I-Brid for some time with keen interest,” Esnouf says. “We were pleased to be able to facilitate a field trial for this in Bendigo and are now looking forward to observing and monitoring its performance.” The asphalt mixes in the demonstration project were laid one after the other on different night shifts in Bendigo. While it is still early days, the initial demonstration went well and the pavement will now be monitored by the team over the coming months and next year. “The asphalt laying in the demonstration project was successful, and there were a lot of interested parties that came out amongst them being the VicRoads regional unit. The product was placed without any issues, we measured temperature at each stage making sure that the paving stage is undertaken in the correct way. The mix compactability was excellent and there
Twenty-five tonnes of Samifalt I-Brid was supplied to CSA.
was nothing visibly wrong with the finished surface,” Giustozzi says. Esnouf was also pleased with how the demonstration project turned out. “The trial went very well. The asphalt that included I-Brid was easy to place and compact. These demonstrations prove that a product can be used in a real-life environment because it must be able to be transported, placed and compacted well and field demonstrations help to prove that,” he says. For performance monitoring the team took samples of the I-Brid binder from SAMI Bitumen Technologies Laverton plant, asphalt mix from the CSA plant after production and from the paver as the mix was being laid. “We want to better understand and monitor the long term performance of both pavements so we are going to undertake measurements in order to monitor roughness, rutting and visible deformation over one to two years,” Giustozzi says. “We want to create confidence within DoT VIC so that the product would be used in the future. We had several meetings with them to ask what they want to see, and we want to demonstrate that I-Brid can fully meet their expectations in terms of performance over the long term.” Giustozzi says I-Brid can even be paved in the cooler-seasons, or when the plant is a long way from the site, because its properties facilitate compaction at lower ambient temperatures. Following the Victorian demonstration project, the team is in conversation with Transport for New South Wales and Main Roads WA for further I-Brid demonstrations projects in the near future. roadsonline.com.au
31
AUSTEK AND BENNINGHO
SUSTAINABLE ASP PRODUCTION
ASPHALT CONTRACTOR AUSTEK ASPHALT PRODUCTION HAS PURCHASED THE BENNINGHOVEN ECO 3000 ASPHALT PLANT FROM WIRTGEN TO AID ITS PRODUCTION OF ASPHALT MIXES USING UNIQUE TYRE DERIVED RECYCLED MATERIALS.
The Austek team at the Norwell Motorplex.
Q
ueensland based surfacing contractor Austek Asphalt Production recently commissioned the latest Benninghoven ECO3000 Asphalt plant to help facilitate increased sustainability in production. The Benninghoven ECO3000 plant however, is used for much more than energy efficiency at Austek. The company is using it to incorporate unique tyre derived products into asphalt mixes called Carbonphalt and Carbonmastic under their sustainable process called Zeroad. Working in conjunction with Queensland tyre recycler Pearl Global, Austek have developed systems to allow the incorporation of tyre derived fuel oil and recovered carbon black (rCB) into asphalt mixes to increase the sustainability and performance of specific asphalt products. Recognised by Tyre Stewardship Australia, 32
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Pearl Global have created these products over eight years. The Pearl Global tyre recovery process sees every component within the tyres, recycled and reused. David Simmons, General Manager of Austek Asphalt Production says Pearl Global have created a process to produce rCB, where they can transform tyres into a powdered like substance. “The shredded rubber tyres go through the series of heating chambers at Pearl Global, the steel is removed, the fibres are taken out and the rCB is left. It is then cooled to produce a powder, much like hydrated lime, and we then add that to the pugmill with the heated aggregates and hot bitumen to produce the carbon asphalt products,” he says. “The other valuable product we get from the Pearl Global desorbtion process is tyre derived fuel oil which we use to replace
diesel that dries our aggregates in the mixing drum.” Both products are used in Austek’s sustainable asphalt mixes, Carbonphalt and Carbonmastic under the ZEROAD product range. These unique products have been created for the Australian market and meet Transport and Main Roads Queensland specifications. Simmons says this not only an Australian first but a world first innovation. Carbonphalt is a dense range of asphalt products while Carbonmastic is a Stone Mastic Asphalt range, making it possible to use these recycled tyre solutions in a multitude of asphalt applications. Both asphalt types produced by Austek using the Zeroad system reuse 10 passenger vehicle tyres in every tonne of asphalt produced. Simmons adds this is one of the most effective ways to repurpose used tyres in asphalt available at present. Austek engaged an independent consulting company to quantify the carbon footprint of its asphalt production and it found Austek’s Carbonphalt and Carbonmastic products will decrease they company’s emissions by upto 7000 tonnes of C02 per annum. This is equivalent to removing the emissions produced from over 3,100 passenger cars annually. To facilitate the creation of the ZEROAD asphalt mixes, Austek purchased the Benninghoven ECO 3000 asphalt plant from Wirtgen Australia. “A team from our group attended the Bauma exhibition in Germany and reviewed many different asphalt plants. They chose Benninghoven because of the product is supplied and supported by Wirtgen
ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
O VEN
The Benninghoven ECO3000 asphalt plant.
HALT
Australia. The technology included within the Benninghoven plants assist in allowing Austek to readily incorporate both rCB and the alternate fuel,” Simmons says. Peter Ozoux, Director at Austek Asphalt Production attended the exhibition and says he found the Benninghoven plants are in a league of their own. “Upon my visit to Bauma in Germany, having the opportunity to climb over all asphalt plant brands it was made very apparent that our choice in the Wirtgen Group was very smart.” Simmons says in addition to the plants reliability we have included the capability for recycled asphalt to be incorporated into approved mixes. “It’s this flexibility and knowing the plant is designed and manufactured in Germany by Benninghoven that made our choice of Wirtgen and the Benninghoven plant the obvious one.” For Austek the Benninghoven ECO 3000 plant includes specific features that allow, but are not restricted to, the addition of recycled asphalt and the additives system developed between Austek and Pearl Global. “The plant was then systematically
The Austek team on a strip of Carbonphalt asphalt.
upgraded with hazardous zones identified to manage the class 3 fuel oil with external consultants engaged to ensure all the relevant safety standards were met, audited and in place,” Simmons says. “We also created a detailed risk elimination plan and standard operating procedures. All pipework, motors, fittings, pumps and electrical work were (EX) rated to meet the relevant Australian standards.” For Austek an rCB silo was built and installed to ensure the product is stored appropriately. The silo also ensures quality control for the rCB, which performs in a similar way to the control of hydrated lime additives. “The Benninghoven ECO 3000 asphalt plant provides the best technology in
bitumen storage tanks, it’s an energy efficient plant and the filtration system of product to air is highly efficient and effective. It has also allowed all of the other systems we’ve introduced to be integrated and the plant’s ECOjet allows us to burn fuel with modification to create these products,” Simmons says. A standard ECO 3000 plant has a nominal mixing capacity of 240 tonnes per hour and was created to have a high level of mobility and flexibility to handle fast site changes easily. Austek Asphalt Production launched its two ZEROAD products in November 2020 at Norwell Motorplex where their crews laid two significant test strips of both Carbonphalt and Carbonmastic around the racetrack for motorsports legends to try out and assess and test the new product ranges. “To date we have carried out successful product demonstrations with Logan City Council and Norwell Motorplex which was a demanding racetrack environment on which we used multiple mixes,” Simmons says. “More significantly in January 2021 we successfully laid 2,215 tonnes of Carbonphalt for Moreton Bay Regional Council at their King Street site in Clontarf. On this project we repurposed 22,150 light vehicle and truck tyres which produced 93 tonnes of C02 savings.” Austek has further product demonstrations planned with Gold Coast City Council, Sunshine Coast Council and Logan City Council with other councils lining up to utilise this unique sustainable technology, Simmons adds. roadsonline.com.au
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Puma is paving the way towards sustainable construction.
STARTING WITH
SUSTAINABILITY ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE LOOKS AT PUMA ENERGY’S SUSTAINABLE ROAD BUILDING SOLUTIONS. FROM ‘OLEXOCRUMB’- A HYBRID BINDER MADE WITH RECYCLED TYRE RUBBER, TO ANOVA - A BIO-OIL BASED WARM MIX ADDITIVE, PUMA’S NEW PRODUCT RANGE IS GEARED TOWARDS GREEN CONSTRUCTION.
I
In recognising the global transition towards sustainable development and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, Puma Energy has committed to becoming a carbon neutral business by 2030. In Australia Puma Bitumen, which is a division of Puma Energy, is a supply chain specialist providing bitumen products across the country. The company has the largest bulk bitumen shipping fleet in the world making it one of the strongest suppliers in this space. 34
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Over the last few years Puma Bitumen’s research and development has been centred around finding sustainable solutions for road building across Australia. With a line of sustainable products such as ‘OLEXOCRUMB’, GB5, EME2 and a preblended warm mix additive, Puma Bitumen offers sustainable options for all types of road construction. In early 2020 Puma Bitumen announced its first successful demonstration of its product ‘OLEXOCRUMB’, a specially formulated
hybrid binder which contains both tyre derived rubber and styrene-butadienestyrene (SBS). Since then, around 6000 tonnes of the material have been laid in Queensland. Recently the Puma Bitumen team in Melbourne conducted another trial on a quarry access road using ‘OLEXOCRUMB’ A10E, recycled glass fines and a new bio-based warm mix additive they are introducing to the Australian market called Anova.
ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
Puma Bitumen’s Global Technical Manager Dr. Erik Denneman says Puma added this bio-oil based warm mix additive to its product range as it fits into the first stage of the reduce, reuse, recycle circular economy initiative. “What we can do as a bitumen supplier is to support customers in reducing emissions at the asphalt plant,” he says. “That is why we have introduced Anova™, which is a bio-oil based additive made from 100 per cent vegetable derived oils. The great thing about that as with other warm mix additives, it is completely inert from a health and safety perspective, which is really good news for the crews on-site,” he says. AfPA’s Queensland branch identified in a 2012 paper that the use of warm mix asphalt at lower mixing and laying temperatures would result in reduced emissions. The paper also stated it would have positive effects on the working environment during production and paving. “First of all you don’t have to heat warm mix asphalt as much which reduces the carbon footprint at the asphalt plant,” Denneman says. “Then for every 12 degrees you reduce the temperature in paving, you halve the emissions on site. We are typically looking at a 30 degree reduction in paving temperature with Anova™ so that is really big.” In 2020, AfPA then introduced its Asphalt Sustainability Framework, which will measure asphalt sustainability by looking at all sections of asphalt production and lifecycle. This framework has demonstrated the growing demand for sustainability reporting from
Lowering the heat of asphalt being paved, reduces the overall carbon footprint.
contractors and project owners. “There is a larger sustainability drive within industry and our products are aimed at that and all the research and development we do has a sustainability aspect to it. This all fits under the larger umbrella as Puma is looking to be carbon neutral by 2030,” Denneman says. “Our customers have been interested in sustainability and we’ve been getting those signals for a long time. Now with formal structures such as ISCA, customers really want to know how the procurement of bitumen impacts on their overall environmental impacts and carbon footprint.” Puma’s recent Melbourne trial was conducted on the March 14th. The mix, which included OLEXOCRUMB A10E, recycled glass and Anova™, was laid
Puma’s OLEXOCRUMB is made with tyre derrived rubber.
with standard equipment and practices that would be used with any normal road construction job. “The customer was really happy with the result once it was laid. This was our first use of a warm-mix additive product in Australia,” Denneman says. “Warm-mix additive products at the moment need to be assessed by the road agencies before use, but we are finding road agencies quite supportive of these products now, especially because of the emissions reduction possibilities.” Puma Bitumen have also developed other products that work to reduce emissions and contribute to the “reduce, reuse, recycle” initiative. One of these is its GB5 base course mix, for which it has partnered with one of France’s largest construction companies Eiffage to bring to Australia. GB5 is a specialty asphalt product that enables a thinner layer of asphalt to be laid while achieving high performance. Last year, Puma Bitumen teamed up with Boral for a demonstration project using both OLEXOCRUMB and the GB5 basecourse. The demonstration used 2000 tonnes of OLEXOCRUMB and the companies found the GB5 basecourse mix had high stability during placement and compaction. Following the success of this trial Puma began to offer both OLEXOCRUMB and GB5 from various terminals in Australia. The company is now starting with Anova and are continuing extensive research and development work to continue on its sustainability journey. roadsonline.com.au
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DINCEL MEETS
SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE THE TEAM AT DINCEL RECENTLY UNDERTOOK TESTING TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE IN DINCEL FORMWORK SHELLS, WITH A FOCUS ON FURTHER IMPROVING THE DINCEL CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. WE SPEAK TO DINCEL DIRECTOR, BERKAY DINCEL ABOUT THE RESULTS. considered as part of the whole construction process including the detailed design stage of a project,” the note states. As part of its research and development practices the team at Dincel have been investigating how self-compacting concrete performs inside Dincel permanent formwork Roads & Infrastructure spoke to the Dincel team about their findings.
A demonstration of self compacting concrete.
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elf compacting concrete (SCC) is designed to flow into a mould or area and compact before it sets, filling the area completely with concrete. Opposed to traditional concrete, SCC can spread out and fill any gaps, holes or voids by itself without the need for vibration VicRoads Technical Note 73 states that the concept of self-compacting concrete was first developed in Japan in the mid to late 1980s. “A well designed and produced SCC has the capability to flow under its own weight through and around congested steel reinforcement fully encapsulating it, completely filling the space within the formwork, without any loss of strength, stability or homogeneity, while still achieving the same outcomes of good compaction,” the note outlines. The technical note outlines three key performance requirements for SCC being; 36
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a good filling ability so the concrete can easily flow through the formwork, quality passing ability with aggregates small enough to flow around reinforcement, and segregation resistance “SCC offers improved quality and durability compared to conventional vibrated concrete, provided it is
Self compacting concrete inside Dincel formwork.
A DINCEL FORMWORK RECAP Dincel walling profiles are connected with a simple snap lock joint and filled with concrete. Once filled, the formwork stays in place and acts as a waterproof protective membrane to create a concrete wall. Designed specifically for heavy civil solutions the Dincel 275 formwork shell consists of an internal cylindrical ring which is unique. It gives the wall additional strength and in some cases steel reinforcement bars may not even be required.
INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS
Berkay Dincel, Director of Dincel Construction System, says when the team created the Dincel 275 formwork they wanted to explore if they could create a wall solution for civil applications without any reinforcement at all. To ensure that the system is structurally adequate for use without steel reinforcement, Dincel partnered with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for extensive testing. Tests were completed in line with Australian Standard 3600:2018 (Appendix B) for concrete structures. “We tested the walls with mass concrete inside and then with synthetic fibre reinforced concrete, without the use of steel bars,” Dincel says. The test results and applications were certified by UTS as compliant with the National Construction Code. Traditionally, Dincel formwork shells have been filled with standard concrete. One of the main benefits of the solution is the speed at which Dincel walls can be constructed. Though, with the use of SCC the team found installation of Dincel walls could be sped up even further as the need to use a vibrator is removed. SCC is also a proven and recognised method of eliminating air voids within walls, so there can be significant benefits from a quality assurance point of view. TESTING SCC WITH DINCEL FORMWORK The Dincel team wanted to go further and explore whether they could create void-free concrete walls by using selfcompacting concrete inside the unique Dincel 275 formwork, as well as the Dincel 155 and 200 formwork. For this Dincel set up three different tests using walls made from Dincel formwork, with varying amounts of reinforcement. The tests were set up to see how the concrete could travel and compact within each wall. The three walls differed in thickness, height, and length, the first had no steel reinforcement and the last wall was a 5.2 metre tall Dincel 275 wall with a significant amount of vertical and horizontal steel reinforcement bars. Dincel engaged a NATA registered independent expert to observe these tests and verify the method and results achieved. Each test was set up so the SCC was poured in one location on the wall. This
The test walls Dincel created using their formwork and self compacting concrete.
Examples of the set concrete that were extracted from the Dincel test walls.
was to determine if the concrete would travel from one end of a wall to another or even around corners and still achieve adequate compaction. “If you have a concrete wall with voids in it you can get structural, fire, acoustic and waterproofing non-compliances. So, it was important for us to find out that selfcompacting concrete did not leave voids in our formwork, even under worst-case conditions” Dincel says. When the team later removed the set concrete from the Dincel walls, as you can see in the lefthand picture, there were no voids or segregation to be found. “With self compacting concrete not only are you getting the benefits of the Dincel formwork system which include speed, cost savings, enhanced durability.
That is coupled with the assurance you aren’t getting any air voids in the wall,” Dincel says. The Dincel team were also impressed with the performance of the Dincel formwork profiles in the trial, as selfcompacting concrete can put a lot of pressure on formwork. “Dincel snap-lock joints were really effective in the test. Self compacting concrete is always looking for somewhere to move so it was great to see how the formwork contained the concrete,” he says. “Self compacting concrete is available from many concrete suppliers in the industry and we really wanted to demonstrate how the product is something that can provide a real benefit when paired with Dincel formwork on civil projects.” roadsonline.com.au
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ON THE HORIZON:
MELBOURNE AIRPORT RAIL
WITH PLANNING RAMPING UP FOR THE LONG-ANTICIPATED MELBOURNE AIRPORT RAIL PROJECT. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE LOOKS INTO THE PLANNING PROGRESS AND WHAT IS EXPECTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
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ydney and Brisbane already have one, Perth is in the process of constructing one and Melbournians have now been given a sneak peek at the designs for their own. Of course, this is referring to the coveted public transportation route, an Airport Rail line. Airport rail lines are seen across the globe as an essential not only for connectivity but as key links to boost tourism and business. While the Melbourne Airport Rail Link has been proposed many times over the last few
Concept image - elevated rail over Albion (subject to planning approvals and stakeholder engagement).
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decades, in early 2021 Victorians got to look at the first concept designs for the project. Connecting with the Metro Tunnel, currently being built in Melbourne CBD the Melbourne Airport Rail line will provide passengers with a 10 minute turn-up-andgo service, with a less than 30 minute commute time into Melbourne City. PROJECT DELIVERY Melbourne Airport Rail will be delivered by Rail Projects Victoria (RPV), which currently
has $30 billion invested in regional and metropolitan rail projects across Victoria. Planning and development for this major project is now underway with construction set to start in 2022, subject to all relevant approvals. Trains will run from Melbourne Airport through to Sunshine Station, into the Metro Tunnel in the CBD and then out
INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS
onto the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in Melbourne’s south east. It is hoped the line will connect people to their homes, workplaces and to key tourism destinations in Victoria. The images throughout this piece showcase the concept designs for part of the rail line which will run over the Maribyrnong River and over Albion. These new dedicated tracks will be constructed along the existing Albion-Jacana freight corridor between Sunshine and Airport West. The route will veer off the freight corridor crossing the M80 freeway and head towards the airport following Airport Drive, before arriving at the new premium train station at Melbourne Airport with services every 10 minutes. Once built, the bridge over the Maribyrnong River will be the second highest in Melbourne at 50 metres tall and 550 metres long. It will be built alongside the existing heritage-listed rail bridge. The bridge will enable trains to run between Sunshine and the Albion Junction. The track rises gradually to meet the new elevated twin tracks over a distance of less than two kilometres. The track will then descend and continue to run at ground level alongside the existing freight rail line that runs through Sunshine and Airport West towards Melbourne Airport. Once constructed Melbourne Airport will be directly accessible from 30 existing
Concept image - Maribyrnong River bridge (subject to planning approvals and stakeholder engagement).
Victorian train stations without the need to change trains on the CBD and southeastern lines. Those on the Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland lines will be able to access the airport with a single train change. RPV is responsible for planning and development of this project including project reference design, site investigations, stakeholder engagement, planning approvals and procurement, through to the construction delivery and project commissioning phases. The RPV team features highly skilled, public and private professionals working to achieve this project. During the reference design period consultation is underway with key stakeholders including councils, communities, government agencies, Heritage Victoria and contractors. COMMUNITY FEEDBACK A priority for Melbourne Airport Rail is community engagement. Recently more than 1800 people had logged into the Melbourne Airport Rail virtual engagement room to provide feedback. More than 1000 surveys were completed in total, with 200 comments submitted. These responses re-emphasised the significant community interest in this major project. Surveys found the community were most concerned with minimising disruptions during construction to already busy local roads along the rail alignment. Community members were also concerned with protecting local heritage and the environment and making improvements to local areas to include more community space. The Melbourne Airport Rail project is expected to open up a pathway of opportunities for economic growth connections to health, research, education,
development and employment precincts in many of Melbourne’s suburbs. Dandenong, Monash, Parkville, Sunshine and Werribee are all expected to reap economic benefits from the creation of the airport rail line. SUSTAINABILITY In the design of this project RPV has committed to achieving a Sustainability Vision, to ensure a lasting legacy for past present and future generations. The Sustainability Vision includes four important pillars; optimising design for sustainable operation, managing resources efficiently in design, construction and operation, protecting and conserving the natural environment and preparing for challenges presented by climate change. In order to achieve these initiatives, the RPV team will demonstrate leadership in the commitment to a sustainable future and sustainable procurement. The team will look to protect and maintain vegetation, facilitate economic prosperity and support social, cultural and community well-being. Through the project they will also look to encourage innovation in sustainable design, process or advocacy and embed these environmental and sustainability outcomes by establishing targets and objectives. These will then be reported on for accountability. LOOKING AHEAD Melbourne Airport Rail will seamlessly connect Victorians from all over the state to the airport, whether they are travelling to work, home or Victoria’s key tourism destinations. With an expected completion date of 2029 and with major construction due to begin next year it will be exciting for Victorians to watch the Melbourne Airport Rail project take shape. roadsonline.com.au
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EVENTS
QUEENSLAND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE CONFERENCE
QUEENSLAND’S POST-COVID ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED AT THE 11TH ANNUAL QUEENSLAND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE CONFERENCE.
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ollowing the pandemic, the opportunities for growth and transformation might have never been more plentiful. With $6.3 billion of the latest Queensland state budget dedicated to transport infrastructure, the sector is well and truly booming and there has never been a better time to secure your spot for this event. Returning for its 11th year, the Annual Queensland Transport Infrastructure Conference will shine a light on the projects that are helping to propel the State towards its fullest potential. With a range of project-focused presentations, informative panel discussions and hours of valuable networking sessions over the two days, the conference provides attendees with exclusive opportunities and project information straight from the source. Opening the conference, Neil Scales from the Department of Transport and Main Roads will deliver a welcome address and an overview of the transport projects in the pipeline for the State. From the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, Graeme Newton will present on the high priority $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project. Comprising a 10.2 kilometre rail line, a 5.9 kilometre twin tunnels below the Brisbane River and CBD, four new underground stations and redevelopment of two existing stations, this massive project is tipped to truly transform the way Brisbane moves. 40
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To speak on the role of the construction industry in economic recovery, we will be joined by Jon Davies from Australian Constructors Association. Jon will speak on the challenges and limitations faced by the industry, the pressures put on the sector by governments and the opportunities to improve conditions for workers. Focusing on one of the most high priority road projects currently underway in Queensland, Andrew Wheeler from the Department of Transport and Main Roads will share his vision for the Coomera Connector project and the significant impacts it is expected to have on traffic movements around the South Coast. On the rail front, Rob McNamara from ARTC will share insights into the 1700 kilometre Inland Rail project and how it will become the backbone of freight movements around the country. From Melbourne to Brisbane, the fast freight line is tipped to reduce road reliance, create over 21,500 new jobs and forge better links between producers, businesses and markets. Speaking on the Future Transport Plan for the Sunshine Coast Council, Emma Thomas will be sharing what the plan entails and how the Council plans to meet the growing needs of the community. As CEO, Emma will share insights straight from the source and provide a fresh update on the plan’s rollout. Following this, the Hon. Rachel Nolan from McKell
Institute will share the Southeast Queensland approach to transport and what the region has in store for the coming years. An insightful panel discussion will delve into the implications of COVID-19 on future transport infrastructure, from investment opportunities to economic impact. Cobi Murphy from Cross River Rail, Neil Sipe from The University of Queensland and Peyer Dwyer from Piper Alderman will come together to discuss Queensland’s recovery and plans for the future. Delegates can expect to receive exclusive information on the biggest transport infrastructure projects being rolled out across the Sunshine State, along with the rare opportunity to mingle with the most influential players from both public and private sectors. Transport professionals, operators, contractors, investors and consultants in attendance will benefit from the exclusive opportunity to network with industry professionals and key stakeholders, gaining access to the freshest insights and biggest opportunities within the infrastructure industry. The 11th Annual Queensland Transport Infrastructure Conference will be held on the 25th-26th of May at the Brisbane Convention Centre. For more information, visit: www.qldconference.com.au
CONTRACTS & TENDERS
CONTRACTS IN BRIEF ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE CONTRACTS AND TENDERS RECENTLY AWARDED OR PUT TO MARKET ACROSS THE AUSTRALIAN INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR.
NEW SOUTH WALES Local businesses invited to bid for Coffs Harbour bypass Transport for NSW is encouraging local businesses to suggest how they can contribute to the Coffs Harbour Bypass works. Early works began on the project in December 2020 and construction will see 12 sets of traffic lights bypassed by three tunnels. Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan said this is a project that will transform journeys for the more than 12,000 vehicles a day that drive through Coffs, saving around 11 minutes in travel time. “On top of delivering safer, quicker journeys for locals, tourists and freight operators who use this route daily, the project is also going to support around 2,000 local jobs during construction and around 12,000 jobs over the whole lifecycle of the project,” Conaghan said. Two contracts worth over $300M awarded for the Bankstown Line upgrade Sydney Metro have awarded a $227 million contract to upgrade the 125 year old Bankstown Line to metro rail standards. John Holland and Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction will take on the works. The project includes upgrading 15 bridges that cross over or under the railway, including the installation of safety screens. Civil construction works will involve building retaining walls, culverts and track drainage. Crews will build fencing along the rail corridor and will segregate the existing freight line from the new driverless railway tracks. In addition, a $98 million contract has been awarded to Downer EDI Works to upgrade three stations to Metro standards. This will include upgrading and re-levelling of existing platforms
to accommodate the new metro trains, building lifts at Hurlston Park and Wiley Park stations. Upgrades to the station’s amenities such as toilets, bike parking, taxi spaces and park and ride will be included in the works. Three consortia shortlisted for Western Sydney Airport Metro line Transport for NSW has announced a shortlist of three consortia to build the new metro railway line to Western Sydney Airport. The shortlisted groups are: • Bouygues Construction Australia Pty Ltd • John Holland Gamuda Joint Venture • Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd Construction will include creating 10 kilometres of twin metro railway tunnels and the associated excavation of stations along the route.A contract for the station box and tunnelling construction is expected to be awarded before the end of 2021. The first of four tunnel boring machines to be deployed on the project is scheduled to be in the ground by the middle of 2023. Contractors called to tender for $187.2M Parkes Bypass Tenders for the Parkes Bypass will be open for eight weeks from the end of March, bringing the project a step closer to construction. In addition to the main construction tenderer, businesses are invited to tender for a wide range of services from earthworks, concreting, scaffolding, road construction materials and more. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the opening would allow for the best proposals to come forward.
“We know how important this bypass will be for the community at Parkes and for the thousands of vehicles that travel along the Newell Highway everyday – that is why we have committed $149.7 million of Commonwealth funding,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. VICTORIA Contract awarded for $530M Hurstbridge Line duplication project The Hurstbridge Line Duplication in Victoria, is expected to improve rail reliability and frequency and it’s now a step closer to construction. A contract for the $530 million project has been awarded to an alliance of Acciona, Coleman Rail, WSP and Metro Trains Melbourne. Stage one of the upgrade was completed in 2018 and with a contract awarded for Stage two the works are expected to be complete by 2022. In total around 4.5 kilometres of track will be duplicated on the line. This will allow, on average, for trains to run every seven minutes from Greensborough and every 10 minutes from Montmorency and Eltham in the morning peak. As part of the contract, two new stations will be built at Greensborough and Montmorency. A pedestrian track will also be constructed behind Diamond Valley College. Consortium awarded major Gippsland Line upgrade project The Gippsland Line upgrade works between Pakenham and Taralgon are a step closer to getting underway with a contractor being appointed. VicConnect, a consortium comprising UGL Limited, Decmil and Arup will deliver the upgrades. Crews will duplicated the track, extend the Morwell crossing loop, upgrade level crossings and signalling, roadsonline.com.au
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add second platforms at three stations and reactivate the second platform at Taralgon. Recently the second platform at Morwell Station has been redesigned to improve connectivity with the nearby bus exchange. Now trains will travel from Taralgon every 40 minutes between peak hours. Early works in signalling and track inspections are already underway. Site investigations and surveying will continue along the line to support major construction ramping up over the next couple of months. WESTERN AUSTRALIA Alliance awarded contract for $230M Swan River Crossings project in WA Main Roads WA will work with an alliance of contractors in the planning and development for the Swan River Crossings Project in Perth. The team will establish the next steps in alignment investigation,
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detailed design and construction. Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction, Arup Australia and WSP Australia will form an alliance with Main Roads for the project which will replace the old Fremantle Traffic Bridge. Western Australian Minister for Transport and Planning, the Hon Rita Saffioti MLA, said the Fremantle Traffic Bridge was one of the major infrastructure projects brought forward to support the Western Australian economy through COVID-19. “This is a significant project that has been on the agenda for decades,” she said. “There are ongoing significant maintenance costs with the existing bridge, and a need to replace the current bridge with a new structure.” Works will also include a dedicated pedestrian and cycling path. This will form Stage 3 of the Perth to Fremantle Principal Shared Path, of which Stage 1 was recently complete and Stage 2 is now underway.
QUEENSLAND Cross River Rail appoints contractor for detailed design of three stations Professional services company GHD and architectural firm GHDWoodhead have been commissioned by the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority for the design of three stations. Working as an integrated team, GHD and GHDWoodhead will design infrastructure for Pimpama, Helensvale North and Merrimac stations on the Gold Coast, Queensland rail line. Designs will promote sustainability, encourage people to catch the train instead of driving, provide active transport connections, bicycle storage, shading for sun and storms and recycled water use. A team of up to 100 people from across GHD and GHDWoodhead’s national network will be involved at different points of the project process from their architectural, rail, civil, project management, structures and building services teams.
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