Roads & Infrastructure June 2019

JUNE 2019

& INFRASTRUCTURE

ASPHALT ACCURACY How hydrostratic pressure technology supports infrastructure pipeline

NORTHCONNEX How one of Australia’s biggest road tunnels will take congestion off the country’s busiest roads

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SUSTAINABLE SURFACES Recycled products and how they are impacting civil road works

AUSTRALIA’S ONLY SPECIALIST ROAD MANAGEMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND CIVIL WORKS MAGAZINE

JUNE 2019 CONTENTS

& INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT REPORT

16 NorthConnex Tunnel

As the NorthConnex Tunnel nears completion, it’s time to take stock of what the carriageway will mean for one of the most congested roads in NSW.

UPFRONT

20 New Vac Truck

Jamieson’s VT2000 vacuum truck has a lot of new technologies that make it one of the best in its class.

22 Sustainable Roads

Sustainability is a key ingredient to Alex Fraser’s success and its future.

Here’s why.

24 AI for driverless cars

QUT is looking at how AI in driverless cars can be adapted for current road infrastructure.

26 Design for destiny

Public transport upgrades are necessary as the population grows.

ASPHALT NEWS

28 Keeping on the move

A mobile asphalt plant is helping one company meet the demands of its clients.

30 Everlasting roads

What’s on at the 18th annual AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition 32 Strength and durability

Why SAMI Bitumen binders are important when airport runways are being built.

34 Accent on accuracy

Why level and pressure measurement is crucial in asphalt production.

SOFTWARE

36 Turning it on

AutoTURN software helps plan for manoeuvrability in tricky situations.

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

52 Batching plant increases capacity

A new batching plant means that less concrete trucks need to be used as the concrete is poured on parts of the Metro Tunnel Project in Melbourne.

54 Upgrade brings accuracy

A new Dynapac paver and vibratory roller has helped one civil contractor with its workload.

BUSINESS INSIGHT

55 Data collecting machine

MatManager has been designed to collect an array of data designed to help paving contractors save money among other things.

IPWEA

39 What skills are needed

IPWEA Victoria’s Public Works Conference outlined what employers are after in the arena.

40 Bringing industry together

National Precast CEO Sarah Bachmann has a mission – one to unite the precast industry to push its agenda.

42 Seeing through the dirt

3D modelling gives civil engineers a realistic picture of what lies beneath.

44 Keeping track

12d Model is a software that helps road projects stay ahead of the game.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

46 Partnering for safety

Saferoads and The Australian Road Safety Foundation are raising awarness of life saving initatives.

48 Keeping it quiet

HushPanels are designed to help civil works companies reduce noise on road projects.

56 Accurate volume measurements

A load volume scanner gives an accurate account of the amount of material being loaded into a truck or trailer.

NATIONAL PRECAST

57 Defence for Australian coasts

More councils are looking to precast concrete as a solution to keeping corrosion at bay on Australian beaches

REGULARS

4 Editor’s note 8 News 58 Events diary

roadsonline.com.au

3

& INFRASTRUCTURE PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

IT’S PERSONAL SIX YEARS AGO, I DECIDED TO TAKE THE PLUNGE and buy a house. I left the rental accommodation in the leafy – but unaffordable – lower North Shore in Sydney and headed up the Pacific Highway to more less expensive digs in Normanhurst. When telling my lower North Shore friends, most who had resided in the New South Wales capital all their lives, about my switch of locations, they let out derisive snorts of laughter. At first, I thought it was snobbery. But no, the first question asked was “but what about Pennant Hills Road?”

What about it? I thought. I had hardly ventured up that way since landing on these shores in late 2007. It didn’t take long to find out why I was the object of their mirth. Pennant Hills Road is one of the most congested roads in New South Wales. Some even claim Australia.

In NRMA polls, it is always somewhere in the Top 3 as one of the most congested roads in the state. All it takes is one break down, in any lane, and traffic is backed up for kilometres.

This is especially true of the nine kilometre stretch between the M1 and M2. Unfortunately, it is a regular occurrence. Living 600 metres from the carriageway, you can hear the trucks air braking, as well as loud cars drag racing at night when the constabulary are taking care of more important matters. Then there is the sound of siren after siren as emergency vehicles try and navigate their way to one calamity after another either on the road itself or surrounding neighbourhoods.

When I first arrived in the area, it only took a week to see what my former neighbours had been laughing about. During that week, I also asked my new neighbours – Mary and Patrick who had lived there since 1971 – if there had been any local or state troubleshooting when it came to traffic issues on the road. Patrick said that there are plans that had been around “for ages” to put a tunnel through but “nothing will ever come of it”. That was in 2013. Fastforward six years and the $2.9 billion NorthConnex tunnel project has one more year to run before it is completed.

This project will end up being one of the longest tunnels in Australia when taking both the north and south lanes into consideration. It will take up to 5,000 trucks off the road every day (with few exceptions, all trucks have to use the tunnel), take away a lot of the pollution associated with constant acceleration away from any one of the 21 traffic lights that trucks usually have to stop at, and it will mean less noise for the surrounding neighbourhoods. The main story for this issue of Roads and Infrastructure Magazine, is an interview with the project’s Construction Director, Vince Newton. He takes us through the build and some of the issues that came up during construction.

As for me? I can’t wait for the tunnel to open and the good nights’ sleep that are bound to follow.

EDITOR Mike Wheeler mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS Holly Keys holly.keys@primecreative.com.au 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 Nick Markessinis nick.markessinis@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

Mike Wheeler Editor, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine

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ROADS JUNE 2019

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

ROMILLY MADEW STARTS AS CEO OF INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA Romilly Madew has begun her role as the Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Australia, which she was appointed to earlier this year. She has recently been awarded an Order of Australia in acknowledgement of her contribution to Australia’s sustainable building movement.

Mrs. Madew is recognised around the world as a leader and advocate for change in the property and construction sector.

Previously, she led the Green Building Council of Australia for 13 years, representing over 650 companies with a collective annual turnover of $40 billion.

She also oversaw the Green Star rating system which has seen more than 2,250 projects certified across the country.

Mrs. Madew holds Board positions with Sydney Olympic Park Authority and Chief Executive Women, and has sat on numerous ministerial panels including the Cities Reference Group, National Urban Policy Forum and the China/Australia Services Sector Forum.

Mrs. Madew won the 2015 International Leadership Award from the US Green Building Council and the 2017 World Green Building Council Chairman’s award.

She has been named one of the “100 Women of Influence” by the Australian Financial Review and Westpac.

Mrs. Madew will be replacing Phillip Davies who left the position last year.

Infrastructure Australia Chair Julieanne Alroe said, “Romilly joins Infrastructure Australia at an incredibly important time

for our organisation, and we are delighted to have her on board as we prepare to release the Australian Infrastructure Audit in mid-2019 and begin work on the next Australian Infrastructure Plan.”

Infrastructure Australia’s new CEO, Romilly Madew.

NEW CEO FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT VICTORIA The Victorian Government has announced the appointment of Beth Jones as the new Chief Executive Officer of Regional Development Victoria.

Regional Development Minister, Jaclyn Symes, said Ms. Jones brings a wealth of leadership experience to the role and is Regional Development Victoria’s first female CEO. “Ms. Jones’ leadership experience and understanding of rural and regional communities will be vital in delivering the government’s fundamental program of building jobs, business investment and infrastructure across the state,” Ms. Symes said.

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ROADS JUNE 2019

“With 20 years’ experience in the public sector, Ms. Jones has expertise in program delivery, regulatory reform, industry and community engagement, policy development and emergency management.”

Ms. Jones most recently served as Executive Director Biosecurity and Agriculture Services at Agriculture Victoria, where she led the delivery of key initiatives to grow and protect Victoria’s agricultural sector.

“Ms. Jones’ skills and experience have positioned her perfectly to lead the key organisation that delivers for rural and regional Victoria.”

In addition to her role as CEO, Ms. Jones

has been appointed Deputy Secretary for the Rural and Regional Victoria group within the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions.

Ms. Jones said living and working in rural and regional Victoria has developed her understanding of the importance of strong and connected communities.

“Regional Development Victoria has a central role to play in supporting jobs growth, better infrastructure and new investment for the benefit of rural and regional Victorians and I look forward to working to deliver this,” Ms. Jones said.

Ms. Jones will be based in Ballarat and commence both roles on 13 June.

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NEWS

BENTLEY SYSTEMS ACQUIRES KEYNETIX Bentley Systems has announced the acquisition of Keynetix, a United Kingdom provider of cloud-based software for handling geotechnical data for infrastructure projects.

The acquisition expands Bentley Systems geotechnical offerings and will accelerate its vision to enable subsurface digital twins for infrastructure projects and assets.

Bentley Systems is a global provider of software and digital twin services for advancing the design, construction and operations of infrastructure.

“Today’s [13th May] announcement provides our team, customers, and partners with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance digital engineering in the geotechnical industry,” said Roger Chandler, Managing Director of Keynetix.

Subsurface digital twins can be vital for assessing and managing risks in infrastructure projects.

It is also central to the planning, design, construction and operations of infrastructure assets.

The creation and curation of subsurface digital twins involves modelling the underground environment, such as utility networks, structures and tunnels and then analysing and simulating the subsurface behaviour.

Keynetix will help to supplement borehole reports which are managed by Bentley’s gINT software.

It will capture and manage underground environment information for Bentley’s geotechnical analysis applications, PLAXIS and SoilVision.

“Having a subsurface digital twin – a 3D representation of the subsurface coupled with models to analyse and simulate behaviour – will be immensely valuable in all phases of the asset lifecycle,” said Bob Mankowski, Vice President and Business Unit Executive of digital cities for Bentley Systems.

“The acquisition of Keynetix’s modern and innovative software into the Bentley portfolio, alongside the mature and proven gINT platform, is a breath-taking and exciting landmark moment within the

Bentley Systems acquisition of Keynetix will expand the company’s geotechnical offerings.

GI digital landscape,” said Mark Bevan, Associate Director, ground investigation data systems for Structural Soils.

Bentley Systems provides software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professional, constructors and owner operators for the design, construction and operations of infrastructure globally.

AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION AND AUSTRALIA POST TACKLE ROAD SAFETY Credit: www.shutterstock.com

Australia Post has announced a four-year partnership with the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) with a focus on road safety.

The announcement coincides with National Road Safety Week, and includes a $200,000 sponsorship pledge for the rebranded Volvo ATA Safety Truck.

According to Australia Post, the partnership will focus on educating drivers on how to safely share the road with heavy vehicles through hands-on informative, small group presentations and virtual reality technology.

Australia Post Group Chief Operating Officer, Bob Black, said the new arrangement showcases Australia Post’s focus on road safety education, especially among younger drivers.

“We are always looking for ways to keep our people and communities safe. Every

Road safety is a key issue for Australian Post.

year, over 1,200 people are killed and 35,000 seriously injured on our roads,” Mr. Black said.

“Last year, we experienced 768 road injuries across our workforce nationally.

That means every workday three posties

are injured in motor vehicle accidents – that is three posties too many.”

Australian Trucking Association CEO, Ben Maguire, said the ATA was thrilled to have Australia Post’s support for this educational and behavioural change campaign, with the new truck set to be on the roads in October 2019.

“Official estimates show that about 80 per cent of fatal multi-vehicle crashes involving trucks are not the fault of the truck driver. 25 per cent of occupants involved in a casualty crash with a truck are aged 26 years or younger, however this age group only represents only 10 to 15 per cent of the driver population,” Mr. Maguire said.

“Australia Post’s support for this project demonstrates a commitment to road safety and a shared vision of zero fatal or serious injury crashes on our roads.” roadsonline.com.au

11

NEWS

TRANSURBAN RELEASES FINDINGS FROM QUEENSLAND CAV TRIALS Transurban has released the findings of its Brisbane connected and automated vehicles’ trial.

The trials were conducted on 166 kilometres of motorway-grade road, bridges and tunnels around the Brisbane and Logan area, including motorways operated by Transurban as well as those operated by the Queensland Government.

Specific finding include, electronic speed signs were challenging for some vehicles, some static signs were incorrectly interpreted, absence of lane markings often disengaged lane keeping and stopped vehicles were not always detected.

The trial used vehicles with partial automation capability on Brisbane motorways to identify potential problems and infrastructure changes that would have to be made to facilitate automated vehicles.

According to a Transurban spokesperson, in some cases these findings lead to clear recommendations and others were inconclusive, requiring further investigation.

Recommendations include, testing adjustments of lighting at selected tunnel exit portals, painting a continuous line marking on the left across an emergency bay and exploring options for greater recognition of electronic speed signs within tunnels.

According to the spokesperson, the collective findings will help vehicle manufacturers, road operators and governments prepare road infrastructure to support automated vehicles as they become more common on Australian roads.

Brisbane City Council, the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety

Queensland, the Department for Transport and Main Roads, Queensland Police and the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland advised the trial.

Transurban has also worked closely with car manufacturers Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, Toyota and Volvo.

Transurban’s Cav trials were conducted on bridges and motorways.

SYDNEY METRO UP AND RUNNING Australia’s first fully accessible railway, the North West Metro opened to passengers on May 26th this year.

The service will run from Rouse Hill to Chatswood and will be a turn up and go service. On-peak hour trains will run every four minutes.

“This is an exciting time for the future of public transport. Thousands of commuters will have access to world-class metro rail,” said Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

“We have delivered the North West Metro on time and more than $1 billion under budget. This project is the result of hard work, discipline and focus. I want to 12

ROADS JUNE 2019

thank all those involved in delivering this important project,” she said.

There are 13 stations along the line and four thousand new commuter car parking spaces.

Final commissioning of Sydney’s new generation of driverless trains is currently underway with more than 180,000 kilometres of testing complete.

The North West Metro will be fully accessible meaning each station has a lift and has level access between platforms and trains, with no gaps.

During the six-week settling period, trains will run every five minutes at peak

to allow the new system to get used to full frequency.

Improvements have been made to the bus network in Sydney’s north, more than 1500 weekly services have been added to the timetable.

Minister for Transport, Andrew Constance, said the Metro line is currently being extended from Chatswood to Bankstown. He said by 2024 Sydney will have 31 metro stations running along a 66 kilometre standalone metro railway.

In the future, the line has the ability to run trains up to every two minutes in peak times.

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NEWS

CITY OF MELBOURNE TO CONSIDER DRAFT TRANSPORT STRATEGY Credit: www.shutterstock.com

More space is being created for cyclists and pedestrians around Melbourne’s’ CBD.

City of Melbourne councillors have announced they will consider the Draft Transport Strategy 2030.

The strategy aims to provide more space for people on footpaths and around major transport hubs, reduce congestion for cars coming to the city, boost Melbourne’s $5.7 billion retail and hospitality sector and reduce injuries to pedestrians and cyclists.

Lord Mayor, Sally Capp, says long-term planning is needed to ensure Melbourne’s liveability and economic productivity are maintained, as more than 900,000 people move around the city each day – increasing to 1.4 million people by 2036.

“This draft plan isn’t about supporting one mode of transport over another, it’s about balancing infrastructure,” Ms. Capp said.

“Our streets, footpaths, public spaces and transport hubs must adapt for the variety of ways people are travelling around our city today and into the future.”

Transport portfolio Chair, Nicolas Frances Gilley, says world cities such as Vienna, New York and Barcelona have already recognised the need to create more walkable, enjoyable cities.

“Greater Melbourne is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and our population is projected to more than double in the next 30 years,” Mr. Gilley said.

“If we are to maintain our status as one of the world’s most liveable cities, we have to 14

ROADS JUNE 2019

create beautiful spaces for people to want to come and enjoy.”

By 2030, the plan aims to: • Repurpose the equivalent of 20 Bourke Street malls worth of public road and on-street parking spaces, to create more space for pedestrians, cyclists, greening and trading.

• Reduce congestion for all users by encouraging through traffic to avoid the central city, while accommodating cars and others vehicles visiting for a purpose.

• Convert central city “Little Streets” into pedestrian priority shared zones with lower speed limits for cars, to better support the retail economy and café culture.

• Work with the Victorian Government to deliver welcoming and safe public spaces around central city train stations.

• Create more than 50 kilometres of protected on-road bicycle lanes in key routes of the city.

• Deliver 300 additional motorcycle parking bays on streets as alternatives to parking on footpaths.

• Maintain access for essential car trips, especially for people with a disability, trade, service and emergency vehicles.

Ms. Capp said a 10 per cent increase in pedestrian connectivity could deliver an extra $2.1 billion to Melbourne’s businesses.

“At the moment, 89 per cent of all trips in

the central city are on foot, and walkers face increasingly overcrowded footpaths,” Ms. Capp said.

“We’ve already seen the share of car trips to work in the city decrease by 25 per cent since 2001, and today most people travel to work by train, not car.”

Ms. Capp said while the draft strategy has a large focus on creating more space for pedestrians, there would always be a place for essential car trips in the city.

“I understand that travelling into the city by car is the only option for some people. We will continue to welcome drivers whose destination is the central city including tradies, delivery vehicles, emergency services and people with a disability,” Ms. Capp said.

“We know that 43 per cent of cars in the Hoddle Grid are passing through the city, adding to congestion. We want to see this through traffic reduced and the draft strategy includes actions to provide people with alternatives.”

The draft plan also includes actions to improve safety by reducing overcrowding at tram stops, busy intersections and around major train station precincts at Elizabeth Street, Flinders Street and Southern Cross station.

Ms. Capp said the City of Melbourne will continue to work with the Victorian Government to coordinate long-term, major transport projects across the city to minimise disruption and delays.

“The Victorian Government is delivering a welcome $38 billion investment in road and rail projects which will bring more people to the heart of Melbourne.

The City of Melbourne’s draft transport strategy aims to provide safety, liveability and prosperity for all Victorians moving around our city,” Ms. Capp said.

“Collaboration will be a vital feature over the next 10 years and we are committed to working closely with the Victorian Government and other key stakeholders to deliver a world class transport network.”

If endorsed, the strategy will be released for public consultation and feedback for a six week period.

VICTORIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CALLS FOR REGIONAL GROWTH PLAN The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive, Mark Stone, has recommended a comprehensive decentralisation plan to manage regional population growth and dispersal.

“Regional Victoria has experienced strong growth, but much of it has been concentrated in larger regional cities close to Melbourne,” Mr. Stone said.

“The Victorian Government must broaden its policy approach to not only

promote regional growth, but manage regional growth.”

Mr. Stone said the state government should use its 2019-20 budget to map out growth and upgrade existing transport infrastructure.

“The 2019-20 budget is an opportunity for the re-elected state government to set out a vision for growth and job creation in regional Victoria,” Mr. Stone said.

“Supporting actions include better

regional infrastructure and land use planning, as well as further investment in new technologies to improve regional transport capacity and integration.”

Mr. Stone specifically called for infrastructure support in Geelong, Gippsland, Ballarat and the Hume region.

He added the state government must also ensure the airport rail link incorporates fast trains to Geelong and Ballarat.

TRANSURBAN TESTS ROBOTIC SELF-WHEELING TRAFFIC CONES Remote-controlled robotic traffic cones and smart rumble strips will be trialled on the Victorian tollway Citylink.

The cones which have small wheels attached are expected to help boost safety for people working in live traffic.

“Road workers can be vulnerable in live traffic and we currently have 10,000 people working to build new roads and more lanes on our projects across the country who all deserve to get home safely,” said Transurban’s Group Executive Victoria and

Strategy, Wes Ballantine.

If successful, the robotic traffic cones will remove the risk for road workers to manually place or move traffic cones on busy roads during construction.

Smart rumble strips will also be installed with sensors attached. When a car passes over the rumble strip, workers will be alerted on a wearable device that will light up, vibrate and sound an alarm – so workers can get out of danger.

The testing will be done during routine

maintenance closures of the Burnley and Domain tunnels to manage safety in a controlled environment.

In partnership with Telstra, Transurban will begin testing the new initiatives by the end of the year.

roadsonline.com.au

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AUSTRALIA’S LONGEST ROAD TUNNEL ON TRACK FOR

2020 COMPLETION

DRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE TO MELBOURNE WITHOUT HAVING TO ENCOUNTER A SET OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS IS JUST ONE BENEFIT OF THE NORTHCONNEX TUNNEL. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE EXPLAINS.

I

t had been mooted since 1977. Put a direct link between the M1 and M2 motorways in Sydney. Not only would it ease the congestion on one of the busiest arterial corridors in the city – Pennant Hills Road – but would save trucking companies a fortune in maintenance.

No longer would they have to change gears when stopping at any of the 21 traffic lights, nor will those gear changes belch diesel into the atmosphere of the surrounding suburbs. Finally, 38 years later, in 2015, it was announced the link would go ahead after a lot of consultation between the community, as well as local and state authorities.

With an estimated 50,000-80,000 daily users along Pennant Hills Road, it is hoped that the daily usage will be reduced by at least half. All trucks must use the tunnel, with two exceptions; those making deliveries in the local suburbs, and those not permitted in the tunnel in line with road regulations such as dangerous goods.

The $3 billion dual carriageway is almost near completion and is a successful example of an unsolicited bid by Transurban, delivered by Lend Lease and Bouygues Construction joint venture (LLBJV). Government contributions include $573 million from the NSW State Government and $412 million from the Australian Federal Government.

LLBJV Construction Director, Vince Newton, has worked on many tunnel projects over the past 20 years. He’s enjoying his time on this one. He was attracted to the project, mainly because of the challenges it created.

“I’ve worked in a number of tunnelling 16

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Some of the shafts sunk were up to 90 metres in depth.

jobs and this is probably longer than the Cross-city, Eastern Distributor and M5 East tunnels combined,” he says. “The scale of this job makes it unique among other projects.”

“It’s unique as far as most tunnelling jobs go in that three-quarters to 80 per cent of the excavation has been done from shafts,” he says. “At our Wilson Rd site, the shaft was 90 metres deep, which was quite a challenge – the sinking of it, and then the excavation out of the shaft. Then there was the Trelawney Shaft, which was 56 metres deep.”

They did shafts mainly due to the length of the tunnel. There is a mainline connection at the north end of the tunnel in the suburb of Wahroonga. Another is at the southern end in the suburb of Pennant Hills. Then there are ramps at the southern

end, which are very close to the mainline connections. The other ramps are up at Wahroonga on Pearces Corner. With no ramps in the majority of the tunnel, the only real option was to excavate via the shafts in the middle.

“The issue is that those parts of the tunnel are too deep for temporary ramps,” says Mr. Newton. “With most tunnel jobs, at the portals, you’d have ramps you could operate from. It’s the length and the depth of this project that made is necessary to tunnel from the mid tunnel shafts as well.”

They also sunk a temporary shaft near Pearces Corner and excavated both north and south from there. The tunnel is dual carriageways separated by about 10m of sandstone. Thinking of the future, the designers have made room for an extra lane in each thoroughfare that can be

PROJECT REPORT

added at a later date.

But how do you remove all that tunnel dirt through shafts?

“NorthConnex devised a creative solution using vertical conveyors.

Traditionally shaft excavation would use a large bucket known as a kibble to remove spoil. This can be quite time consuming, so instead we looked for new and innovative technologies. Inspired by a tunnelling project in London, the project used vertical conveyors which sandwich the dirt between two belts and then transport it 90m vertical to the surface,” Newton says.

“The tunnel spoil was then transported to Hornsby Quarry, just a few kilometres away from the nearest excavation site. Yet another conveyor system – this one about 160 metres long – was used to transport the dirt into the quarry void. We placed more than 1 million cubic metres of dirt.

The site is nearly ready to hand over to Hornsby Council, who will turn the Quarry into a recreational precinct.”

“IT’S UNIQUE AS FAR AS MOST TUNNELLING JOBS GO IN THAT THREE-QUARTERS TO 80 PER CENT OF THE EXCAVATION HAS BEEN DONE FROM SHAFTS.” All the different sections of tunnel have now been connected. Modern technology was key making sure the connections were perfect. With 70 surveyors being used across the tunnel and civil sites – along with new technology – there were no mismatches in the middle.

“The roadheaders used to excavate the tunnel also have a very sophisticated guidance system which tells the roadheader operator exactly where to cut. This ensures we have the right tunnel shape from the very outset,” says Newton.

“We also used machines called surface miners to assist with excavation. Surface miners are traditionally used in open

Roadheaders led the charge when it came to excavating the tunnel.

cut iron ore mines in Western Australia.

They have a large cutting drum which removes about 50cm of rock at every pass.

NorthConnex used two surface miners to cut the lower portion of the tunnel known as the bench. In order to bring

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these machines underground, we fitted them out with dust hoods to ensure we maintained good air quality. The machines were effective and I wouldn’t be surprised if they become part of mainstream tunnelling equipment in the future.”

Another consideration, and also a reason the tunnel’s lowest point goes to down 90 metres, is that during the excavation process they crossed under the new Northwest rail link which is due to open in the near future. “We actually passed reasonably close to it,” says Mr. Newton.

There were not too many hiccups in the process.

“There were a couple of unexpected fault zones that we found, but we didn’t find any coal,” says Newton, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

“It was challenging in some parts. There were fault zones around the Wilson shaft and also up at Wahroonga. Crossing the fault zones required installing additional heavy supports, particularly in the vicinity of the North Shore Rail Line overbridge. We had to put a lot of additional support in the fault zone in the tunnel to make sure there was no movement of the rail infrastructure.

We had to do a lot of detailed monitoring of the rail as we tunnelled underneath it. A lot of real-time monitoring was needed.”

Trucking companies can expect to pay about $21 a trip through the tunnel. The builders believe that there are some added benefits to the newer construction. For a start, it connects to main interstate

Shotcrete has an important part to play in the construction of the tunnel.

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The Stats: • 21km of tunnel • 2.25 million cubic tonnes excavated • 20 roadheaders used at peak • 1,700 average daily workforce • 15,000 people inducted during the length of the project • 14 million hours worked on site • 182 apprentices completed Certificate III Civil Construction through the NXHub • 99 per cent of suppliers are Australian companies • 5000 trucks taken off Pennant Hills Road daily when complete • 100 per cent of spoil beneficially reused

highways. And they have made it higher, which will allow some transport specialists to add more cargo to their loads.

“This tunnel will have a clearance height of 5.3 metres, while most tunnels in Sydney have a clearance of 4.4 metres to 4.8 metres,” says Mr. Newton. “This is mainly because NorthConnex has been designed as a heavy vehicle tunnel. It really is to get trucks off [suburban] roads. I’m sure there will be some trucks that can’t use the tunnel due to height issues, but we think most will be okay.”

There will be height detectors leading to the approaches of the tunnel, so there will be no excuses for those with loads that are

too high entering the tunnel.

The Hornsby area, where the northern part of the tunnel is situated, has one of the highest rainfall rates in Sydney. What about the amount of water that might accumulate in the tunnel? And if it pours a lot, where will it go?

“The actual portals and ramps are designed to minimise the amount of rain run-off entering the tunnel. We don’t get a lot of water coming in,” he says. “However, at the low point of the tunnel we have a low-point sump, which is quite large.

Within the tunnel we have stormwater lines, as you would expect on any road.

These lines go from one end to the other of the tunnel and are between 400mm to 750mm in diameter. There’s an inlet pit every 40 metres to collect the water off the road and takes it down to the lowpoint sump, where we have some fairly big holding tanks that can hold the water prior to discharging it to a water treatment plant. The tunnel itself has a full waterproof membrane. All these things are more in place to cater for the fire deluge system – rain water as well as ground water.”

The tunnel’s driving surface will be made of concrete, not asphalt. Why not use the traditional road material?

“Why not use asphalt?” says Mr. Newton.

“That’s a good technical question. Concrete pavements require less maintenance, which means less disruption to motorists.

“Other tunnels use asphalt as a wearing surface on top of concrete pavements.

This is the first tunnel I’ve done that doesn’t have an asphalt wearing surface.

You get similar friction coefficients with concrete as with asphalt. If you drive up the North Coast, you can see that significant amounts of the new Pacific Highway roads are concrete roads.”

Another technology that is being used is a robot that drills all the bolt fixings in the roof. These help hold up all the lights, deluge systems, cable trays and all the other systems on the roof.

“I think there is something like 100,000 fixtures that have to go into the shotcrete,” says Mr. Newton. “The machine has a robot arm similar to what you would see in a process factory. It is mounted on a wheeled carriage and travels along drilling the roof.”

The project also designed a special crane mechanism to install fire rated emergency access passages along the tunnel.

PROJECT REPORT

“To ensure people can evacuate the tunnel safely, we are building Longitudinal Egress Passages which direct people to the nearest tunnel exit. Installing the passages could have been time consuming; however, our engineering team designed a pre-cast concrete solution similar to Lego. The passages were built off-site in sections and then lifted into place using a crane inside the tunnel. Normally, this would require several lifts and multiple cranes, however the project innovated and came up with a lifting mechanism which allows each section to be rotated mid-air and then installed. The installation is now as smooth as a production line.”

One of the interesting aspects of the construction – some parking issues aside – is that there seems to have been minimal disruption to the traffic flows in the immediate area where the build is taking place. Mr. Newton has an interesting take on that.

“I think what it shows is just how busy Pennant Hills Road is,” says Mr. Newton.

The paving of the tunnel has been completed.

“If you look at the truck volumes we are adding to the existing traffic flows as a percentage of that traffic, we are quite a small impact. We take particular care not to schedule deliveries during peak travel times as much as possible. So, for example,

our concrete deliveries for paving works all occur at night – specifically to ensure we don’t impact motorists on Pennant Hills Rd.” The tunnel was due to finish in 2019, but is due to be completed sometime in 2020.

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UPFRONT

ALL-PURPOSE VAC TRUCK RELEASED

BY JAMIESON

JAMIESON’S VT2000 NON-DESTRUCTIVE DIGGING AND VACUUM UNIT COMBINATION OFFERS VERSATILITY AND EFFICIENCY IN THE VAC TRUCK SPACE.

C

apacity and versatility are the key attributes of any vac truck on the market. Designed to do the dirty work in and around public utilities such as sewage lines, a vac truck comes in many shapes and sizes, but it is the features that make the vehicle. South Australian-based national heavy vehicle engineering and manufacturer, Jamieson, has developed a new, high-end all-purpose vacuum truck and digging unit designed for a much wider variety of tasks in this space.

The VT2000 is based on the company’s proven vac truck and vac trailer platform and is said to offer unrivalled functionality, versatility and efficiency in the field.

In addition to a 9000kg (starting) payload and impressive power and safety specifications, its lower profile and compact size provides for an impressive turning circle and suitability for tighter spaces where other vac trucks will have problems performing.

According to Dieter Herzog, Jamieson’s vac truck specialist, the VT2000 has many features not found on other vac trucks, with the main being its spoils carrying capacity, suction and excavating ability.

“The 6x4 version of the truck can potentially carry 10 tonnes of spoils and has 2000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of suction,”

The VT2000 has several patent-pending applications across multiple technologies.

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said Mr. Herzog. “A competitor’s truck would have around 500-1100 cfm and may be able to carry five or six tonnes maximum.”

“I’ve worked in the vac industry for a while, and a couple of the challenges we faced were the amount of weight these trucks can carry, and the other efficiencies involved. We wanted to give our customers an advantage over their competitors and the VT2000 is the end result. This means we now have an edge over our own competitors with the superior carrying capacity, suction power, access and non-destructive digging ability.”

Other features include full remote control and manual operation, which is designed to provide ease of use.

“The VT2000 represents the latest in design and technology, which make it one of the best performing industrial combination units on the market today”, according to Mr. Herzog.

SAFETY IS ALSO IMPORTANT “We did our research on the truck, and the trucks we use really are world leading with their safety features,” says Mr. Herzog. “They have collision alerts and front impact alert, while driver comfort is also a big part of it.” Then, there are its working and timesaving efficiencies.

“The clients using our units unload once a day instead of three times a day, and excavate in one third of the usual time” says Mr. Herzog. “If you are a long way from a waste station, and you are in the Sydney CBD for example, you are about a two-hour drive away. Let’s pretend it’s only an hour and a half – that’s one way. It takes half an hour to three quarters of an hour to unload it - that’s four hours. If you have to do that three times a day, how much work do you get done?”

Putting together a vacuum truck with so many advanced features means other companies might get ideas about building a similar unit. However, Jamieson knows how to make sure that its concepts are protected.

“We have several patent-pending applications across multiple innovations and technologies used on the Jamieson vacuum units,” says Mr. Herzog.

Mr. Herzog also says that there are other factors besides the truck’s efficiencies, such as the legal weight a vac truck is allowed to carry.

“In South Australia, the road transport authorities carried out an extensive campaign on overweight vehicles, and, in particular, vacuum trucks. Results found that up to 98 per cent of the trucks weighed were overloaded. From a safety point of view, it is important to get the weight-carrying capabilities right. Our on-board weighing system shuts off operation to prevent overloading, ensuring we achieve this.”

With 390HP and a 400-litre fuel tank, the truck has a lot of performance under its hood as well as staying power in terms of how much work it can get through before the fuel tank needs refilling.

The new vacuum truck platform from Jamieson comes amid major developments across their range of products, including bitumen sprayers, semi-tankers and kettles, water tankers, heavy horizontal discharge/ live bottom trailers and a range of tippers.

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“Green” roads are part of the future for Alex Fraser.

RENEWABLE ROADS PETER MURPHY SPEAKS TO ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE AS SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL SUPPLIER ALEX FRASER CELEBRATES A MILESTONE BIRTHDAY.

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tarting out as metal traders in the 1800s, Alex Fraser has evolved over 140 years of operation to become Australia’s leading construction material recycler, supplying roads projects around the country with sustainable, recycled material.

“By the end of this year, Alex Fraser will have produced more than 50 million tonnes of quality recycled products,” says the company’s Managing Director, Peter Murphy.

The company, which produces sustainable materials for the civil construction industry, has supplied more than 250 major road projects, as well as thousands of smaller municipal developments.

After the First and Second World Wars, Alex Fraser began recycling metal from war equipment such as aircraft. During the 1980s, the company started demolishing buildings and sending as much material as possible for recycling. It started recycling construction and demolition material in Victoria in the 1980s, expanding its services to Queensland in 1995. The first major project to opt for the use of sustainable materials, better known as a “green road”, was the M80 Ring Road in the early 1990s. Alex Fraser supplied 100,000 tonnes to the project stretching from Tilburn Road to Boundary 22

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Road in Melbourne’s West.

It was also in the early 1990s that Vicroads developed a specification for the use of recycled material. Mr Murphy says Vicroads have continued to work with the industry and he considers their approach to be cautious, but progressive; “one of the best examples of regulator involvement in the world”.

It was also in the 1990s that Alex Fraser moved into asphalt. “We were determined to make sure Alex Fraser Asphalt became Victoria’s go to provider for quality asphalt, and paving services, with a green edge.

Over time, Alex Fraser Asphalt has been progressive in developing a suite of asphalt products that ensure our customers get the best outcomes for their project and the environment,” Mr. Murphy says.

Today, the Alex Fraser asphalt crew paves around 1000 kilometres of roads each year, and is an industry leader in terms of innovation in recycled content.

It recycles four million tonnes of waste from the demolition of roads – recovering enough waste asphalt, concrete, brick and rock to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) more than three times over.

“What’s important is that we’re in the middle of the biggest infrastructure boom the country has seen; and the resources

we need to achieve it are running low,” Mr. Murphy said. “Quarried materials are being carted increasing distances, which is increasing heavy vehicle traffic, and the cost of materials into metropolitan areas.”

Accessible quarry deposits are very valuable, and for this reason, recycling is an important component in ensuring we can continue to build roads, affordably, and sustainably.

In the 2000s, Alex Fraser saw an opportunity to recover another difficult waste stream and turn it into a quality product that could be used in the construction of roads and infrastructure.

“We saw a problem with glass recycling.

There were mountains of stockpiles of glass fines around the country, so we researched every possibility and came up with a solution. We found a way to turn that waste into a high-spec sand ideally suited for use in roadbase, pipe bedding and asphalt production,” Mr. Murphy says. “We have some pretty determined employees and some customers that are great to work with on new ideas. We’re currently converting around four million bottles per day into recycled sand”.

Since then, Alex Fraser’s recycled glass sand has been used in major road projects including CityLink Tulla Widening, Webb

UPFRONT

Dock and the Level Crossing Removals.

Upon completion of the CityLink Tulla Widening Project in Melbourne, the equivalent of more than 40 million glass bottles were recycled and reused in the roadbase beneath the freeway’s asphalt layer.

The next big project is the Western Roads Upgrade in Melbourne. Over the coming months, Alex Fraser will supply thousands of tonnes of recycled material, including recycled roadbase, and asphalt with high recycled content.

“Using recycled materials to create roads not only decreases the pressure on material supply, but enables municipal kerbside collection schemes. Construction companies that choose recycled get quality, reliable products that deliver a number of environmental and cost savings,” Mr. Murphy says.

“Many contractors prefer our recycled road base over a crushed rock product and tell us that it requires less work to achieve compaction. It also offers a density

P L A N T

.

saving of about 10 per cent, representing significant savings,” he says.

Alex Fraser has a network of sites across Victoria and Queensland – including five recycling sites and three asphalt plants – making it easy for customers to recycle waste and access sustainable materials.

The company is determined to keep innovating to provide greener materials for roads and infrastructure while supporting industry and government to find solutions to emerging environmental issues.

It recently developed PolyPave, its first asphalt mix incorporating recycled plastics along with volumes of recycled asphalt (RAP) and glass.

“We are constantly looking at new ways to support the industry to address the growing strain on natural resources, and provide an efficient and quality supply of materials that reduce the environmental impact of new infrastructure,” Mr. Murphy says.

This month, Alex Fraser will officially open its custom-built glass recycling plant,

E Q U I P M E N T

.

P A R T S

.

the first of its kind. The new recycled sand production facility utilises a whole range of technologies to convert mountains of problematic glass into a quality sand that is being successfully utilised in the road and rail projects of Victoria’s “Big Build”.

“The new glass recycling facility has been designed to remove all contaminants from waste glass fines, things like paper, metal, plastic and organics, before turning the clean glass into a sustainable sand product,” Mr. Murphy says.

In tandem with the glass recycling plant, the companying is launching its first high recycled technology asphalt plant. Poles apart from regular asphalt plants, the new asphalt plant prioritises the use of recycled content over virgin material.

“Our new plant puts traditional asphalt production on its head. It’s also playing a significant role in increasing our capacity to service the demand of a market under the pressure of delivering Victoria’s ‘Big Build’,” Mr. Murphy says.

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ROBOT

ROAD-TRIP

RESEARCHERS AT QUEENSLAND’S UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY ARE TAKING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY ON THE ROAD TO PREPARE AUSTRALIA FOR AN AUTONOMOUS FUTURE.

AI technology is being developed for driverless cars, but there is still a way to go with some aspects of the technology.

E

arlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the launch of a new type of microchip, the FSD, which stands for full self-driving. At an event celebrating the launch he said it was “objectively the best chip in the world…by a huge margin”.

While the claim has been largely contested and seems more tied to theatrics than reality, the truth is, regardless of the objective significance of Musk’s microchip, driverless car technology is developing at a rapid pace.

The robot or artificial intelligence (AI) system that powers a driverless car is usually trained through virtual simulation and deep learning algorithms.

Simulations teach the AI how to navigate itself using real-world road examples and subsequent intelligence aggregation.

The technology is admittedly impressive, however leaves room for blind spots potentially unnoticed by human developers.

When confronted with a rural road that 24

ROADS JUNE 2019

lacks lane markings for example, humanbeings would use their common sense and stick to the left – a robot needs to be told.

While driving, automated vehicles use camera vision systems to detect, read and interpret roadside traffic signs and line markings in order to follow road rules and systems. However, an Austroads report on Automated Vehicles from 2018 shows traffic sign recognition systems have difficulties reading Australian signage.

According to the report, a key issue facing the technology is the installation and maintenance of signage. Traffic sign recognition systems performed well when dealing with standard speed signs in testing, but the vision systems could not handle significant variations to a core standard at the current stage of development.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Robotics Professor and Chief Investigator at the Australian Center for Robotic Vision (ACRV), Michael Milford, has

observed similar challenges.

“Autonomous car technology is developing incredibly quickly, however Australian roads are unique, and we need to conduct more research into how this new technology will be able to position itself within our infrastructure,” Prof. Milford says.

As its name suggests, ACRV is driven by a desire to develop technology that enables robots to see, and like humans, understand their environment using this sense of vision.

Mr Milford’s specific field of research models the neural mechanisms in the brain that underlie tasks like navigation and perception. He uses this to develop new ideas and systems for challenging applications such as all-weather, anytime positioning for autonomous vehicles.

Learning and recognition is one of the fundamental processes performed by humans and according to Prof. Milford, should similarly be a fundamental process for robots and AI. The field of robotics centres around how machines interact with the physical world. The field of computer vision is focused on analysis and understanding the world through images.

ACRV, in an attempt to solve real-world challenges, takes a multidisciplinary approach and combines the two through the application of computer vision to robotics.

Prof. Milford’s latest project involves a driver taking an electric car, which a QUT engineering team has fitted out with hightech sensors and an onboard computer, on a 1200 kilometre road trip. Over the three-month road trip the research team will assess the cars AI data each day and analyse how the car responses to certain obstacles and a wide range of road and weather conditions.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

“It’s all about investigating how the artificial intelligence and sensors you would find on an autonomous vehicle will react and cope to the specific infrastructure on Australian roads,” says Prof. Milford.

The project is part of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads Cooperative and Highly Automated Driving Pilot, which is also supported by the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre. Mr. Milford says early testing revealed how a paint spill on asphalt could confuse a self-driving AI system into identifying it as a lane marking.

“When faced with everyday regional road conditions, current autonomous car systems get confused and refuse to work in autonomous mode,” says Prof. Milford.

“Our new research project will look at how a car’s AI system copes with lane markings, traffic lights and street signs and how to determine a vehicle’s exact position despite errors that occur with GPS systems in highly built-up urban areas, or poor reception areas like urban canyons.”

The test car has been fitted with multiple sensors and cameras common for a

driverless car, rather than having the car drive itself however, Prof. Milford and his team will use these sensors to collect data and observe how the system reacts to certain conditions.

“We will then process the data using powerful computing resources to develop high tech algorithms about what works well and what doesn’t in terms of how the car interacts with the various levels of Australian infrastructure.”

The car has been fitted with three different types of sensor, the first being a GPS system that can tell you where the car is positioned within a few centimetres of precision.

Cameras designed to replicate what humans do with their eyes are the second type of sensor and LiDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, is the third. LiDAR uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances. LiDAR sensors are positioned on the car to allow 360-degree viewing and help the car understand different distances between objects.

“The primary goal of our research is to determine how current advances in robotic

vision and machine learning enable our research car platform to see and make sense of everyday road signage and markings that we, as humans, take for granted,” Prof.

Milford says. “Safety is an off-shoot, but that’s not the focus of this study. What’s important is understanding how AI performs and potential improvements to both the technology and physical infrastructure as the autonomous car revolution unfolds.”

On the same day he launched his new microchip, Musk said Tesla would have a million driverless cars on the road by the end of 2020. He added that the cars would

by Level 5 without a geofence, or in laymen’s terms they would be able to travel without a human behind the wheel anywhere and under any conditions. While Prof. Milford and his team might be more realistic about the pace of development than Musk, they’re still setting their sights high.

“Robotics and AI are ultimately about enhancing human life in some way – we’ll be on the roads day and night and in all weather conditions to be sure AI is put to the ‘real world’ test.”

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Geotechnical services firm, Golder used Leapfrog Works to assess geological risk and communicate that risk to a variety of stakeholders as well as to convey information to design and build tenderers.

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DESIGN FOR

DENSITY

MONASH MOBILITY DESIGN LAB IS FORMULATING NEW STRATEGIES TO DISPERSE TRAIN PASSENGERS AND TAKE STRESS OFF MELBOURNE ROADS.

When numbers are low, the doors will not open, facilitating the use of fold-down seats.

I

nfrastructure Australia’s 2019 Australian Infrastructure Plan named the need to address road congestion though public transport investment a central priority for Australian cities— warning that crowded trains and a lack of capacity upgrades would potentially send commuters back to their car.

Monash Mobility Design Lab (MMDL) works to elevate the public transport user experience through interdisciplinary research – with a specific focus on addressing reactions to crowding and subsequent willingness to utilise public transport.

MMDL director, Selby Coxon, says population growth and density have made it difficult to imagine a congestion-free future. Rather than becoming despondent however, he and his team are studying passenger dispersal to try and shift perceptions of public transport and reduce people’s reliance on cars.

According to Dr. Coxon, at a rate of 1.04, Melbourne has one of the lowest rates of passenger to car density in Australia, meaning people are essentially driving themselves.

Likewise, the Australian Bureau of Statistics

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ROADS JUNE 2019

cites inner-city Melbourne as the most densely populated area in Australia, with 17,500 people per square kilometre.

“Historically, public transport has been regarded as a utility and the notion of having creature comforts not considered – that was the realm of the car,” says Dr. Coxon. “What we want to do is elevate the experience of public transport and make it a more attractive option for people with things like heating, ventilation, cleanliness and significantly, less crowding.”

While design considerations might seem superficial, according to Dr. Coxon appearance engenders confidence, making effective design a central force towards the optimisation of passenger experience.

Dr. Coxon says when trains are busy, people tend to congregate closer to the doors for fear of getting trapped in the middle of the carriage and missing their stop.

The concept of “peak doors” is MMDL’s response, envisioning the installation of two extra doors per train carriage – increasing the number from three to five.

However there is a down side, according to Dr. Coxon – the installation of two extra

doors would force a loss of seats. To mitigate this issue, MMDL proposed that extra doors only be operational during peak hour when passenger numbers were high.

At off-peak times, when passenger numbers are low, the doors won’t open, facilitating the use of fold down seats.

The design incorporates fold down seats for multiple functions throughout the carriage. For instance, when a train is travelling through the inner-city, seats can be folded up to generate greater standing room before being folded down again as the train travels further out.

Dr. Coxon says he thinks adjustments like these will increase people’s inclination to take public transport, resulting in reduced road congestion.

A 2016 Australian Road Research Board study found that two in three Australians had changed their work and travel habits to deal with increased road congestion.

However, while 73 per cent of 18-24-year olds have turned to public transport, walking or cycling, less than 29 per cent of 45-65-year have done the same.

In 2015, The Bureau of Infrastructure,

UP FRONT

Transport and Regional Economics estimated congestion costs Australia $16.5 billion a year – predicting if strategy didn’t change this would rise to between $27.7 and $37.3 billion by 2030.

Looking at both studies simultaneously emphasised the significance of road congestion and highlighted the need to conceptualise and apply new ideas and frameworks.

Dr. Coxon explained that rail companies are quite risk averse given the importance of safety in the industry, adding currently MMDL’s designs exist only as a model.

Dr. Coxon also says that while safety concerns make innovation roll out challenging, as congestion pressure increases, rail companies and governments will have to start looking more closely at radical ideas.

MMDL is working on a number of other projects related to the transport sector, including research into how a change to electric motors would affect bus design, anti-vandalism initiatives with Metro, and a partnership with Downer to address

Upgrades of public transport facilities are necessary to handle the increase in expected populations in the main centres.

accessibility concerns at legacy train stations.

The team also received a grant from the Australian Research Council to investigate smart roads. According to Dr. Coxon, MMDL approached issues of transport and infrastructure through the creative lens of design and architecture.

“In the transport sector there’s a reticence

to change for fear of terrible repercussions, whereas we’re allowed to think the bluesky thoughts and give it a go. We can make mistakes in the lab, refine, improve and nothing bad is going to happen,” Dr. Coxon says. “One imagines all these things will eventually filter out into the industry, creating actual services and products.”

ASPHALT NEWS

MOBILE SOLUTION THAT ELIMINATES LONG TRIPS WORKING IN PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE REMOTE WEST OF AUSTRALIA, BGC ASPHALT NEEDED A VERSATILE HIGH PRODUCTION MOBILE ASPHALT PLANT. THE INOVA2000 BY CIBER FROM THE WIRTGEN GROUP FULFILLED ITS ROLE. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE EXPLAINS.

I

n 2016, BGC Asphalt introduced a mobile batch plant in its fleet, but almost a year later, and with several ongoing regional projects, the company needed another mobile plant to meet demand.

Ensuring a contract in the Airport of Busselton, 250 km from Perth, and another project of remote airport for BHP in Newman soon after, the company headquartered in the west of Australia needed to complement their mobile asphalt plant with a high capacity configuration. “Because we hoped to implement this extra airport project, and we are working on projects in remote locations, we had a need for extra resources and plant,” says Craig Hollingsworth, General Manager, BGC Asphalt & Quarries. “We wanted an extremely mobile plant, highly productive and unique, in a short time frame, and the Wirtgen Group was the only one that could provide it.”

The company got involved with the Wirtgen Group in relation to its Ciber line of asphalt plants. “We did not know Ciber well before Wirtgen Group, but once they applied their ethos in relation to manufacturing, we believe that it improved the quality of the product,” says Mr. Hollingsworth.

Ciber Equipamentos Rodoviários – or Ciber – is part of the Wirtgen Group, which incorporates the brands Wirtgen, Vogele, Hamm, Kleemann and Benninghoven. In 2015, it launched its mobile asphalt plant, Ciber iNOVA 2000, which BGC identified as the best option for its operations. The plant Ciber iNOVA 2000 provides high production capacity in only two mobile units, helping minimise transport and installation costs, maximising production power. Such production benefits, due to its mobility and adaptability for remote works, have made the Ciber iNOVA 2000 the ideal solution for BGC Asphalt.

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“It is designed to operate at remote locations such as Busselton, so it does not have to be sophisticated in terms of asphalt design. It can produce the mixes we need in such remote locations, such as polymermodified asphalt or special mix asphalt. That means we would be able to provide a broad range of asphalt to all points in Australia if we wanted to,” says Mr. Hollingsworth.

Choosing the basic equipment configuration with an additional storage bin, Hollingsworth says that the beauty of the Ciber iNOVA 2000 lies in its significant production capacity. “One of the most important features of the iNOVA is that our staff can configure it in two or three days. This is not just amazing by itself, but it provides 200 tonnes of power per hour,” he says. “If we can take this plant 1,500 kilometres away from Perth and produce 200 tonnes per hour after two days of installation, this is wonderful.”

Hollingsworth says that the plant is ideal for Western Australia and that it meets all requirements for the business completing jobs at remote locations, something that is a bonus for the company’s Perth operations.

“When we go to such remote locations up

to 1,500 km outside of Perth, we need to be fully self-sufficient. It has been meeting all our requirements and it is so simple that, if something goes wrong, we do not need to fly a technician from Germany – we can fix it ourselves,” says Mr. Hollingsworth.

For the business based in Hazelmere, the additional advantage of Ciber iNOVA 2000 is that the main office of the manufacturer is located nearby, in South Guildford. “This is the cherry on the cake – the shop and the technicians are right there and we know they will always have spare parts available,” says Mr. Hollingsworth.

The Wirtgen Group in Australia worked with BGC and the manufacturing engineering team to ensure that the new iNOVA 2000 met all compliance requirements before total commissioning. The company’s local support team, headed by the Internal Engineer, Ash Johnson, was able to ensure a smooth program for the engineering modifications that were completed in due time. The current fleet includes the plant Ciber iNOVA, a small milling machine Wirtgen W 35 Ri, a Vogele paver Super 1303-3, an HD 14 TT tire roller, and 2 HD 14 VO vibration and oscillation tandem rollers by Hamm.

The Ciber iNOVA 2000 has significant production capacity.

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Keynote’s

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Future M

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18th AAPA International Flexible Pavement Conference & Exhibition 18 – 21 August 2019 | International Convention Centre, Sydney For more information go to www.aapa.asn.au/aapa-conference-2019/

50 50 Years CE

L E B R AT I N G

Years

A A PA

Celebrating of AAPA

1

INTERNATIONAL FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS CONFERENCE

LOOKS AT EVERLASTING ROADS INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF ASPHALT AT THE 18TH AAPA INTERNATIONAL FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION.

I

n the coming years it is anticipated that a continual increase in road construction and maintenance activity is likely to occur, according to a report from the Australian Asphalt Pavements Association (AAPA).

Overall, there is sufficient capacity in the supply of asphalt, however the supply of aggregate for spray seal delivery can pose a challenge. Aggregate between seven and 10 millimetres is in high demand in Victoria, which poses time constraints because they cannot produce enough for the demand and this can impact on the cost effectiveness of projects.

With increasing demand for the industry to provide asphalt with an extended lifetime and quality, key players must look at innovative ideas and technology to meet expectations. Creating everlasting roads and enabling future mobility will therefore be the focus of the 18th AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition. The event will run from 18-21 August at the International Convention Centre in Sydney.

This year, the conference received a record number of paper submissions and international participants. International industry experts will to travel from around the world to share their expertise, ideas and new technologies. The international guests will present various developments from Europe, America and beyond. The event is expected to enable the industry and government to learn from overseas partners and incorporate new ideas.

There will be four main focus topics covered over the course of the three-day conference. The first is exploring the idea of a circular economy – instead of using and disposing of a product, companies can look to extend their lifecycle for as long as possible.

Erik Denneman, the AAPA’s Director of Technology and Leadership, spoke to Roads and Infrastructure Australia and says, because asphalt is 100 per cent recyclable, the opportunities are endless.

30

ROADS JUNE 2019

The asphalt industry is committed to safety and sustainability.

AT THE EXHIBITION THERE WILL BE THE LATEST EQUIPMENT THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY IN THE INDUSTRY Ideas explored at the conference will explain how a circular economy can link with other industries to utilise waste.

“We are also looking at how we can help other industries with their waste problems. There is a session on the use of tyre rubber in asphalt and there has been attention lately, particularly from local government, on the use of plastics in asphalt,” Mr. Denneman says.

The conference will explore ideas about preserving and rehabilitating roads. Speakers will look into the issue of a backlog with regard to maintenance funding in parts of the road network.

It will look at how to preserve the functionality of current pavements, how best to rehabilitate pavements that need to be repaired or strengthened, and the idea of early intervention to prevent issues occurring in the first place.

Roads as a Service will look to the future and focus on the way electric and

autonomous vehicles will impact road infrastructure. Autonomous vehicles are expected to change loading patterns and traffic density used in pavement design.

This will form another focus for the conference.

Continual Improvement, the fourth topic, covers the industry’s commitment to safety, sustainability, quality and consistency and how these attributes can be delivered and improved with new technology or industry practices. Mr. Denneman says that looking at how to use smart technologies in the industry to improve the uniformity of outcomes will be an important focus.

“At the exhibition there will be the latest equipment that is available for improved efficiency and productivity in the industry,” he says.

The three-day exhibition will run alongside the conference and exhibitors from around the world will showcase their equipment, highlighting the problems it solves.

Attendees will be able to learn from industry professionals about new technologies first hand. There will also be numerous papers about the use of reused asphalt.

Mr. Denneman says that the industry will learn exactly how to can utilise

ASPHALT NEWS

more reclaimed asphalt into new asphalt pavements.

A specific day at the conference will be dedicated professional education in the industry.

“There is a lot of attention for training and how we provide the appropriate recognition for people working in our industry,” says Mr. Denneman.

He says that there is a need to better exemplify job opportunities and make the occupation look more attractive to young people.

Hugh Bradlow, President of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, will be the main speaker for the event. Mr. Bradlow has an influential background in forecasting technological changes within the industry, such as the introduction of smart technology to aid processes like asphalt compaction. Mr. Bradlow will be able to provide insight and give knowledge around how to tackle and best utilise new technologies.

Other speakers so far announced include Dr. George K. Chang, P.E – founder of the

New plant and equipment will be on show at the exhibition.

International Intelligent Construction Technologies Group (IICTG); Dr. David Timm - Brasfield & Gorrie Professor of Civil Engineering at Auburn University; and Darren Hill – a behavioural scientist and best-selling author.

Exhibitors include the Ammann Group, Huesker Group, N2P Controls, Controls Group, Assignar, Bliss and Reels, Hansoo

Road Industry and Pragmatic Thinking.

The 18th AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition will look to the future in every sense of the word. It will explore the exciting technological prospects for the industry, new innovations and how to better promote industry work.

Registrations are open now.

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AIRPORT GRADE

ASPHALT

SAMI BITUMEN TECHNOLOGIES’ POLYMER MODIFIED BINDERS ARE PROVIDING THE STRENGTH AND DURABILITY REQUIRED FOR AIRPORT ASPHALT APPLICATIONS. SAMIfalt B380 binder is designed for airport runways.

A

ustralia’s infrastructure pipeline isn’t confined to roads. As populations grow, and air travel costs plummet, airports around the country are upgrading their runways.

Airport pavements have highly stringent requirements, exceeding those for roads and other public infrastructure.

In the Australian Airports Association Airfield Pavement Essentials report, Dr. Greg White says pavements for airports are not fundamentally different to those for roads or other applications.

According to Dr. White, the principles for design, construction and maintenance are essentially identical. The physical characteristics of a plane places a unique 32

ROADS JUNE 2019

set of demands and stresses on airport pavements.

Aircraft are very heavy. The averagesized Boeing 737-800, for example, has a maximum takeoff weight of 80,000 kilograms. They also have high tyre pressure and are less tolerant than cars to weak or bumpy surfaces.

SAMI Bitumen Technologies General Manager, Sebastien Chatard, says the binder supply and technology companies have invested significant time and resources into developing airport-grade polymer modified binders.

“Bitumen properties change over time, lighter fractions within the material are lost through evaporation and exudation, surface

oxidisation causes the material to harden and lose durability ,” Mr. Chatard says. “The surface eventually loses aggregate particles that present as debris, and the aggregate loss affects the pavement’s functional integrity.”

The wearing course of an airport pavement must be able to resist plastic deformation due to its constant subjection to the high shearing stresses of aircraft movements.

According to Mr. Chatard, polymer modified binders are commonly adopted by airport contractors for this reason, as the polymeric additive promotes thermal stability, resistance to oxidation and increase in durability.

ASPHALT NEWS

“BITUMEN MIXTURES ENGINEERED WITH POLYMERS HAVE THEREFORE BEEN WIDELY ADOPTED IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE RISK OF PAVEMENT FAILURE UNDER DEMANDING LOADING OF AIRCRAFT TYRES” “Bitumen mixtures engineered with polymers have therefore been widely adopted in order to reduce the risk of pavement failure under demanding loading of aircraft tyres.”

Mr. Chatard recommends the company’s SAMIfalt B380 binder for runway and taxiway applications. He says that, because the binder was developed by blending specialty polymers with harder grade bitumen, it provides a combination of resilience and durability benefits, prolonging overall life expectancy.

“SAMIfalt B380 is a low to medium polymer modified binder specifically engineered for use in asphalt mixes requiring high workability, with excellent deformation and fatigue resistance,” Mr. Chatard says.

According to Mr. Chatard, a section of taxiway at Sydney’s domestic airport was paved in 2006 with dense graded AC14 and AC20 asphalt mixes, in which SAMIfalt B380 was used as a binder.

“Wheel tracking laboratory testing is extremely important when dealing with very heavy traffic situations, like those at an airport,” says Mr. Chatard.

“We took samples from the Sydney airport mix and tested them at SAMI’s in-house National Association of Testing Authorities accredited laboratory for wheel tracking and resilient modulus.”

Mr. Chatard says the tests revealed significant resistance to groove closure, with a 1.7-millimetre rut depth for the AC14 and a 1.2-millimetre rut depth for the AC20.

“The SAMIfalt B380 binder also has significant storage stability and remains homogenous under prolonged hot storage conditions,” Mr. Chatard says.

“This allows the binder to be transported and stored for long periods and, unlike other polymer modified binders, it’s not susceptible to phase separation.”

According to Mr. Chatard, SAMIfalt B380 is one of the multiple SAMI products suitable for airport applications. He names SAMIfalt EME high modulus asphalt and SAMIfalt

Multigrade Plus as other examples.

“The base course of an airport pavement has to be stiff enough to withstand very high loading stresses,” Mr. Chatard says.

“A high modulus asphalt containing SAMIfalt EME bitumen works well under those conditions.”

According to Mr. Chatard, since being developed at the beginning of 1990s in France by the parent company Colas, EME binders have been extensively used in airports pavements all over Europe.

“SAMIfalt EME binders are manufactured with the aid of a blowing column under controlled conditions in order to obtain unique rheological properties,” Mr. Chatard says.

“When combined with high modulus asphalt, the overall pavement’s stiffness and rut resistance increases, which is crucial for heavily used runways.”

Mr. Chatard says SAMIfalt Multigrade Plus, an un-modified bitumen, was used for taxiway rehabilitation works at Sydney Airport, Port Macquarie Airport and at the RAAF HMAS Albatross base at Nowra in NSW. “The Multigrade Plus has better temperature susceptibility than standard bitumen and is process designed to provide improved crack and rut resistance,” Mr. Chatard says.

“It is manufactured to meet the Australian Standard specification AS2008: Multigrade 1000 and improves the durability performance of asphalt.”

As airlines add additional flights to their schedules and plane ticket prices drop to an all-time low, Australian runways require a bitumen binder capable of withstanding the stress.

“SAMIfalt binders facilitate mass transit without the expected wear-and-tear of standard bitumen,” Mr. Chatard says.

“If you’ve been a on a plane in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve been landing on SAMI bitumen.”

EME binders have been used in airports and pavements throughout Europe.

roadsonline.com.au

33

THE DEMAND FOR PRESSURISED

PRODUCTION

VEGA MANAGING DIRECTOR JOHN LEADBETTER TALKS TO ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT THE NEED FOR ACCURATE HYDROSTATIC LEVEL MEASUREMENT AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE PIPELINE.

W

ith the Coalition’s recent reelection shoring up the Federal Government’s $100 billion infrastructure plan, the sector’s pipeline is set to grow exponentially.

The result, according to VEGA Managing Director John Leadbetter, will be a nationwide surge in demand for asphalt and subsequently bitumen emulsion.

Bitumen is the central ingredient in asphalt fabrication as it binds stone aggregates to form the finished road product. The nature of the emulsion process, however, creates a potentially explosive environment due to extreme temperatures and an ensuing rise in hydrostatic pressure.

During the emulsion process, water vapour from the bitumen mixture attempts to exit the emulsion tank, causing pressure to increase.

From crusher monitoring to controlling the filling of silos, radar and pressure sensors are therefore a crucial component of multiple applications and areas of asphalt production.

According to Mr. Leadbetter, hydrostatic pressure is exerted by fluid material when gas shifts in a contained space. In layman’s terms, pressure is generated by an agitated liquid, such as bitumen during the emulsion process.

“New road construction contracts are being awarded almost constantly, and that 34

ROADS JUNE 2019

is only set to increase when the government starts to roll out the 10-year infrastructure plan,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“I expect to see a sharp uptick in the need for pressure measurement transmitters over the next few years,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

According to Mr. Leadbetter, pressure transmitters can be used to measure process and differential pressure, level, volume, density and mass flow in all areas of process technology. He says this makes the units well suited to monitoring hydrostatic pressure and therefore ensuring material supply plant safety.

“VEGA’s pressure transmitter range VEGABAR simplifies the asphalt production process by measuring the pressure and levels of liquids, gases and vapours — giving material supply companies peace of mind and safety assurance,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

Mr. Leadbetter says VEGABAR sensors have the ability to measure the temperature of the material medium, while simultaneously enabling precise adaptation to the process through a selection of appropriate measuring cells.

Additionally, Mr. Leadbetter says VEGABAR sensors are not affected by foam generation or variable vessel internals.

“Being unaltered by foam is a helpful feature given the rise in foamed bitumen

technology,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“Foamed bitumen is a mixture of air, water and bitumen. When the mix is injected with a small amount of cold water, the hot bitumen expands to roughly 10 to 15 times its original volume. It’s quite an innovative process.”

According to Mr. Leadbetter, the measuring range of VEGABAR sensors starts at a few mbar and extend to extreme pressures up to 1000 bar.

“The VEGABAR range is designed for use with chemically aggressive liquids in hazardous areas and is ideal for detecting relative or absolute pressure in applications with condensation or rapid temperature changes,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“The measuring cell of the VEGABAR will detect even the slightest change in hydrostatic pressure, which increases and decreases depending on the material levels.

Mr. Leadbetter says VEGABAR’s measuring principal is a comparative reading, with the pressure of the measured medium acting against the pressure measuring cell.

“The acting pressure is converted into an electrical signal, which is translated into an output signal by the integrated electronics,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“There are a range of measuring cell technologies employed, including ceramiccapacitive CERTEC and MINI-CERTEC,

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

The VEGABAR simplifies the asphalt production by measuring the pressure and levels of liquids, gases and vapours.

metallic METEC and piezoelectric and strain gauge cells.”

According to Mr. Leadbetter, this facilitates adjustments to service any individual application need.

“The submersible VEGABAR can be freely suspended above the emulsion tank, and the compact units can be installed directly onto the vessel,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“Our variety of process fittings and seals also enable secure application.”

Mr. Leadbetter says the VEGABAR range’s metallic measuring cells allow the instrument to deliver proficient measurement accuracy, even under intense conditions.

“The VEGABAR range also offers an integrated self-monitoring function, delivering safety outcomes for the user,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“The range is characterised by high overload resistance, long-term stability and thermal shock compensation.”

Mr. Leadbetter highlights the VEGABAR

83 as a pertinent example of the VEGABAR range.

“The VEGABAR 83 sensor is completely welded with a metallic measuring cell, making it suited for universal application and process simplication,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

Mr. Leadbetter says when measuring ranges up to 40 bar, a piezoresistive sensor element with internal transmission liquid is used.

According to Mr. Leadbetter, from 100 bar upwards, the VEGABAR 83 uses a strain gauge sensor element on the rear of the stainlesssteel diaphragm, with the dry system operating without additional isolating liquid.

Mr. Leadbetter says as with all VEGA products the instrument has full wireless capabilities via the optional display and adjustment PLICSCOM module.

“Given the high temperature and instability of bitumen emulsion and asphalt production, VEGA takes the responsibility of safety very seriously — this is why all of our products conform to the Safety Integrity Level.”

Mr. Leadbetter says he is excited to

Specialists in stability management

watch as the industry transitions and evolves around the governments 10-year infrastructure plan.

“It’s an exciting time to be working in this sector, and it’s great for the growth of the company,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“Interestingly enough, different states have different wants and needs when it comes to bitumen production and pressure measurements,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“In Western Australia for example, Fulton Hogan consistently uses a radar sensor, whereas Boral and Downer, who work predominantly in New South Wales and Victoria, prefer to work with pressure sensors.”

Mr. Leadbetter says while the difference is generally informed by the technology preferences of individuals, the distinction is nonetheless interesting.

“We can provide customers with either style sensor of technology, all they have to do is tell us their application needs are we’re good to go.”

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HMGT8000 Our GPS trip meters are a popular choice for councils and road authorities. Easy to install and operate, they are used for marking road locations for repair, measuring sign and cone positioning for lane closures and traffic control as well as road length measurements.

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WHEN SPECIAL TRANSPORT NEEDS A

SPECIAL PARTNER

AUTOTURN IS THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR TRANSPORT COMPANIES WHO ARE MOVING AWKWARD PIECES OF EQUIPMENT AROUND THE COUNTRY. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE EXPLAINS.

Cardno uses AutoTURN software to help move things that are not of a standard shape or size.

B

risbane-based Cardno is no stranger to challenging projects. After all, it’s a multi-disciplinary engineering consulting, global infrastructure, environmental and social development company with more than 6,000 employees and operations in more than 100 countries.

But Cardno faced a unique test recently through its involvement in a series of solar and wind farms across Australia.

The challenge – ensuring the safe transport of the immense equipment needed for these types of developments.

Building solar and wind energy farms requires the use of oversize and over mass vehicles (OSMV) because hauling the equipment to site is anything but standard.

Consider this: loaded trucks carrying wind farm equipment can measure six 36

ROADS JUNE 2019

metres wide and 80 metres long – and can stop traffic literally and figuratively.

Navigating narrow roads with the blades of a wind turbine, or a commercial-scale solar panel, would challenge even the most seasoned driver.

This equipment can strike utility poles, trees and all sorts of road-side structures on its way to a destination unless, of course, the right transportation expertise and tools are deployed.

That’s why Cardno turned to a trusted partner, Transoft Solutions, a specialist provider of transportation engineering software.

“We’ve been using the AutoTURN technology from Transoft for more than 10 years,” says Matthew Ballard, Principal Traffic Engineer and Transport

Business Unit Manager, Cardno.

“A big part of what we do is move things that aren’t standard shapes and sizes.

AutoTURN supports the non-uniform environments that we operate in and has been an essential tool for our traffic engineering projects.”

AutoTURN simulates the path of vehicles in various situations, allowing Cardno to allocate manoeuvring space, and design accessways and intersections that are suitable for many types of vehicles. It’s all about using the software to analyse the swept path of the vehicles.

Swept path analysis examines the movement and path of a vehicle to determine the space requirements for vehicle turning manoeuvres. Making swept path analysis part of each phase of the

SOFTWARE

Simulating the path of a vehicle with AutoTURN can increase safety and efficiency.

design process can help avoid costly and time-consuming mistakes by ensuring designs safely and efficiently accommodate vehicle movements.

But with this project, they needed something more.

“It was necessary to develop models of these OSMV vehicles to undertake route planning exercises to ensure the equipment could be transported from a port of entry to the development site,” says Mr. Ballard. “And Transoft came through by providing custom vehicle models for use in our projects.”

Using custom vehicle models has allowed Cardno to accurately plan haulage routes for vehicles with extreme dimensions.

These models, powered with the AutoTURN technology, have been proven over the years in multiple field tests with Transoft’s wind energy equipment transportation clients.

Transoft representatives say that in one recent test, a driving course was built to replicate the precise roadway geometry. GPS coordinates from key points on the truck, trailer and loaded wind blade were recorded.

And using AutoTURN, the swept path of the simulated vehicle matched the swept path of the field test vehicle accurately with variances consistently less than 30 centimetres.

Cardno benefitted from the models in three main ways: • They enabled Cardno to identify the opportunities and constraints along the nominated vehicles routes, so they could

adjust accordingly.

• T hey helped pinpoint the extent of any intersection upgrades and modification work that would be necessary.

• They helped design the site access points for these challenging but significant projects throughout Australia.

And just as importantly, the models supported Cardno’s client experience.

“AutoTURN helps us provide valuable traffic engineering design advice to our clients,” says Mr. Ballard. “This facilitates quicker turnarounds for approvals and streamlines the overall process for our clients as the traffic engineering stage is a crucial early step in projects.”

Over the years, Cardno has used AutoTURN for a variety of projects across a diverse client list in the public and private sectors.

The software has helped design layouts for shopping centres, hospitals, schools, sporting facilities and industrial parks so traffic and emergency vehicles can access the areas, as needed.

In addition, AutoTURN helps with everything from the traffic management plans for construction sites and loading docks to ensuring access for residential garages and private property.

“What we like about AutoTURN is how easy the software is to use,” says Ballard.

Transoft prides itself on continually improving product features. On a quarterly basis, Transoft updates its libraries of more than 300 manufacturer-based vehicles so customers like Cardno can generate turning simulations they require.

The Cardno/Transoft relationship is an example of a win-win situation. While Transoft and AutoTURN ensures clients comply to the standards and guidelines, it is AutoTURN’s ability to support non-standard situations that is critical to Cardno.

This long-time Transoft customer concedes it stays apprised of the competitive offerings for transportation engineering software.

“Yes, we’ve looked at other offerings but from our initial investigations, nobody else offers the same level of functionality and sophistication as AutoTURN,” says Mr. Ballard.

And Cardno can already see future uses.

Using Special Transport Vehicles, AutoTURN could open doors for the company to work in different and/or emerging markets as these vehicles can be a major factor in determining project feasibility.

Engineering the perfect turn The birth and maturation of AutoTURN Believe it or not, it all started more than 25 years ago. Back in 1991 – with the internet just getting some mainstream attention – a University of Calgary civil engineering student was developing the AutoTURN software for Transoft.

And today, after some 18 updates to the software, AutoTURN continues to be used by organisations to analyse road and site design projects including intersections, roundabouts, bus terminals, loading bays, parking lots or any on/off-street assignments involving vehicle access checks, clearances, and swept path manoeuvres.

Over the years, upgrades to AutoTURN have included a variety of supported languages, ability to model 3D vehicles, adding vehicle types, and even including speed profile reports.

How it works It works much like any kind of simulator – think gaming but with a real-world application. If you look at a paper version of a site plan, it’s tough – and sometimes even impossible – to visualise what the path looks like, and what the risks could be. If users can see it play out in an on-screen model, they will feel more confident about what can work.

AutoTURN can be used for many different design projects such as: • Construction Sites • Driveways • Emergency Vehicle Access • Fast Food Drive-Throughs • Intersections • Loading Bays • Mine Sites • Oversized/Abnormal Loads • Parking Lots • Petrol/Filling Stations • Rail Crossings • Roundabouts • Special Transport • Transit/Bus Loops

roadsonline.com.au

37

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Victoria’s Public Works Conference was attended by many stakeholders in the sector.

EXPERTISE NEEDED

IN MANY AREAS IPWEA VICTORIA CEO, DAVID HALLETT, GIVES A RUNDOWN OF WHAT SKILLS EMPLOYERS WANT FROM THEIR PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERS.

A

nyone who attended the IPWEA Victoria’s recent Public Works Conference will think that public works engineering is an increasingly complex and diverse profession. Consider two of the conference highlights – the Engineering Update panel discussion about the practical challenges facing the sector and the What Employers Are Looking For presentation that stressed the importance of “soft” skills for future leaders.

The conference program’s three technical streams addressed smart technology, asset management and environmental sustainability – just some of the areas in which contemporary engineers need a high degree of expertise. However, engineering is not simply a technical discipline.

Engineers must engage effectively with their communities, colleagues and multidisciplinary project teams of consultants and contractors.

Effective inter-personal engagement requires well-developed “soft”, “business” or “enterprise” skills. The conference program also included a non-technical “Performance Enhancement” stream.

This stream featured presentations on organisational design, motivation and innovation, which are just some of the skills required by effective engineering team/ project managers and leaders.

Career progression for engineers

Good leadership requires effective, inter-personal engagement.

therefore requires a “both-and” approach to skill development rather than an “eitheror” approach. Current and potential employers want evidence of both technical and non-technical capability; personal and professional skills; IQ and EQ – all of these attributes. This duality is best represented by a model presented by two speakers, which they called the “T-shaped Engineer”.

This kind of engineer possesses a depth of technical skills and a breadth of transferable enterprise skills, particularly in the area of communication.

This duality underpins the IPWEA Victoria’s focus on “soft” skill development during recent years through its broadbased conference program and its annual

engineering and management leadership programs.

• The Engineering Leadership Program has been created to develop the technical skills of public works practitioners in supervisory or co-ordination roles. With a focus on leading engineering teams and projects, the program aims to develop leading professionals.

• The Management Leadership Program has been created to develop the business skills of public works practitioners in or seeking management roles within the industry. With a focus on contemporary management practice and leadership approaches, this program aims to develop professional leaders. roadsonline.com.au

39

UNITING A GROWING

Prefabricated components are becoming more popular in the construction industry.

INDUSTRY

ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE SPOKE TO SARAH BACHMANN, CEO OF THE NATIONAL PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION, ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE PRECAST CONCRETE INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA.

S

tarting at the National Precast Concrete Association (National Precast) 16 years ago, Sarah Bachmann’s challenge was to raise and expand the profile of the association as previously it mainly concentrated on the technical arena.

Before National Precast, Ms. Bachmann studied economics at the University of Adelaide. She then started in the construction industry with experience in association and marketing. Her first job in the industry was with the Housing Industry Association (HIA) as its New South Wales’ PR and Marketing Manager.

It was while at the HIA that Ms. Bachmann gained skills collaborating with builders and sub-contractors.

Ms. Bachmann took over as CEO of the 40

ROADS JUNE 2019

National Precast in 2003 and has stayed at the helm ever since. Over that time, she has transitioned the association from its aforementioned technical focus to broadening the scope of operations and strengthening the organisation’s marketing and representational initiatives.

Ms. Bachmann’s role as CEO includes a broad scope of tasks. The general management of the business involves running the business and co-ordinating all of the operational initiatives National Precast undertakes on behalf of the industry. Her underlying goal is to unite the industry by empowering, representing and promoting members, which is identical to the mission of the association. This extends to working with government, allied associations and other

stakeholders within the industry.

She says that one of the joys of the job is seeing the difference that members of National Precast make to communities.

“It is wonderful to know precast delivers water and drainage solutions, roads and bridges, as well as some absolutely stunning architectural work for so many buildings around the country,” she says.

When she visits different places around Australia, she is always excited to see what new infrastructure has been created by the organisation’s members.

The precast concrete industry is consistently growing its market share and is increasingly used in construction across Australia. The constantly changing nature of the industry is what has kept Ms. Bachmann in the industry. She says that,

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

as the industry changes, so does her role and she enjoys working each day towards new challenges and ideas.

One of these challenges included developing a real value proposition for precasters because membership of the National Precast is voluntary.

“Recently, we have had a huge restructure of our precaster membership where we are offering several new highvalue services and we’ve adjusted fees, which we think will be more achievable for the middle tier precasters,” she says. “I genuinely believe that membership stacks up financially.

“The new services, as well as the existing marketing benefits and opportunities to build very genuine relationships with their peers together, deliver a well-rounded package.”

Ms. Bachmann believes it is increasingly important that precasters are linked to their industry peers and are aware of industry news.

“Key players need to be in touch with new developments and ideas in the industry, not just operating alone. Knowledge is power,” she states. Ms. Bachmann believes the sharing of information is central to the improvement of the industry.

National Precast consistently provides members of the association with information across a range of platforms.

Alongside its publications, such as the Precast Concrete Handbook, National Precast supplies fact sheets, electronic newsletters, industry journals and other services such as the Tender Service, which connects contractors and suppliers in the industry.

The increasing popularity of prefabricated components in construction has aided the precast concrete industry’s growth. It is seen as a safer, more efficient and productive way to build, says Ms. Bachmann. Precast concrete involves taking work away from the building site and creating the product in the factory.

The product is then supplied to the construction industry to be used in a range of projects.

Currently, National Precast is working on a new online learning project for the industry. Working with the University of Technology Sydney, it is developing a

Sarah Bachmann’s goal is to unite the precast concrete industry.

“RECENTLY WE HAVE HAD A HUGE RESTRUCTURE OF OUR PRECASTER MEMBERSHIP WHERE WE ARE OFFERING SEVERAL NEW HIGH-VALUE SERVICES AND WE’VE ADJUSTED FEES WHICH WE THINK WILL BE MORE ACHIEVABLE FOR THE MIDDLE TIER PRECASTERS... I VERY GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT MEMBERSHIP STACKS UP FINANCIALLY. THE NEW SERVICES, AS WELL AS THE EXISTING MARKETING BENEFITS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD VERY GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR PEERS TOGETHER, DELIVER A WELL-ROUNDED PACKAGE.” series of online learning modules for both students and practising professionals in engineering, architecture and building.

Alongside this, Ms. Bachmann is helping to engage with the Tier 1 builders’ national quality managers and is working to implement a substantial structural and membership services change, which will allow National Precast to stay relevant to the industry and continue to grow the organisation.

Ms. Bachmann enjoys being a part of an organisation where she believes she can have profound influence.

“The minute I feel like I have stopped contributing, or I feel like I am not making positive advancements for the industry or taking the industry forward, then it is time to pack my bags and move into

something else,” she says.

Ms. Bachmann has been nominated for the upcoming Women in Industry Awards.

Roads and Infrastructure magazine, a media partner to the awards, is encouraging leaders achieving excellence in the engineering and infrastructure sector, to be a part of the event.

The awards recognise outstanding women from across the mining, engineering, manufacturing, road transport, logistics, infrastructure, rail, bulk handling and waste industries.

The Women in Industry Awards take place on Thursday 6 June 2019 at The Park, Albert Park in Melbourne.

The event aims to raise the profile of women within industry, as well as promote and encourage excellence. roadsonline.com.au

41

Ground, by its very nature, is complex and variable.

VISUALISING THE

SUB-SURFACE

GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING IS FRAUGHT WITH COMPLEX CHALLENGES, NAMELY THE INABILITY TO SEE UNDERGROUND. ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE EXPLORES HOW 3D MODELING CAN OFFER A SOLUTION.

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elbourne’s West Gate Tunnel is one of the largest diameter bore excavation projects in the world and the second largest ever undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere.

When completed, the tunnel will run six kilometres, with its construction estimated to generate two million cubic metres of earth and rock spoil material. Project Manager, Transurban, faced a significant instability challenge.

Ground by its very nature is structurally complex and variable, with even the slightest disturbance altering its internal physics.

To address the unpredictable ground issue, Transurban engaged geotechnical services firm, Golder Associates, who undertook a geological assessment of the surrounding area.

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Using Seequent’s 3D dynamic modelling software for ground engineering, Leapfrog Works, Golder Associates assessed geological risks before communicating these to relevant design and build stakeholders.

Seequent, a global company with headquarters in New Zealand, designs software solutions for civil engineering and construction companies working in the sub-surface area.

Without an understanding of terrain, time- and money-wasting problems are likely to arise in geologically complex areas.

According to Seequent Civil and Environmental Industries General Manager, Daniel Wallace, the West Gate Tunnel passes through variable sedimentary and igneous deposits,

which reflects the complex geological and geomorphological processes of the region.

“We create software that allows people to visualise what they can’t see above the ground by generating a 3D visualisation of what the sub-surface looks like,” Mr. Wallace says. “It’s a bit like Google Earth but underground.”

Mr. Wallace says while taking samples and analysing them isn’t new, outputs were previously designed in CAD or 2D crosssections on paper.

“Cross sections are difficult to communicate with as they only show what has been found in relation to a particular sample.”

Mr. Wallace says Seequent’s 3D visualised approach enables users to construct a holistic site image and narrative.

BUSINESS INSIGHT

“If all you have is a 2D drawing, it’s actually quite difficult to effectively communicate,” Mr. Wallace says.

“What we’re hearing from users is that Leapfrog provides a deliverable, which matches the way humans think. We don’t think in 2D cross sections, we think in 3D.” According to Mr. Wallace, Seequent hopes to give geological engineers a larger voice in the design process.

“We hear all the time about infrastructure deteriorating – a better understanding of the ground and how it works will eliminate that,” Mr. Wallace says.

“We view it as being responsible custodians of the land – facilitating the construction of sustainable infrastructure with a focus on safety and longevity.”

According to Mr. Wallace, Leapfrog generates an insight into what users can expect to find underground through site investigation data inputs.

“A core data point is bore hole samples, and we have access to all the major bore hole databases,” Mr. Wallace says.

“Users can input any number of data formats such as cone penetration test data, topographic information, geological information systems data or anything that holds sub-surface information – they can even digitise old geological maps.”

Mr. Wallace says once all relevant data is loaded onto the system, Leapfrog generates a 3D model that users can drape topography over – producing a photo

realistic representation of their site.

“Users can then insert building information modeling and design data to observe how planned works will interact with the geological nature of the site,” Mr. Wallace says.

He also says that transforming site investigation data into a photo realistic image allows people not familiar with geological information to better understand potential problems.

“Combining disparate data types to create a 3D model of the sub-surface, which can be combined with digital design, gives users a complete picture of what the project will look like – in addition to problems they might face,” Mr. Wallace says.

“As you edit the model over time, and new data becomes available, or the project shifts, Leapfrog’s cloud-based memory tool can create a trail that lets users go back in time for comparative purposes,” Mr. Wallace says.

According to Mr. Wallace, this assists Seequent clients, who typically work in mining and civil construction, make better decisions throughout the course of their project.

“In the civil space, it’s all about how new infrastructure will interact with existing ground conditions,” Mr. Wallace says. “If contractors want to build a tunnel though a hill for example, they need to think, will we find rock? What kind of rock?

Will we find fractures? Will water leak through when it rains?”

Mr. Wallace says these questions can be answered by Leapfrog, allowing engineers to better design fit for purpose infrastructure.

“Engineers can take the information provided by Leapfrog and analyse what elements of the design needs particular attention,” he says. “This saves time and money, as users can trust they have a robust design prior to excavation.”

Mr. Wallace says that within a civil construction context, Leapfrog users are typically geological engineers.

“Leapfrog enables geological engineers to work closely with civil engineers when designing infrastructure, converting what has traditionally been a serial workflow into a parallel one,” he says.

While a serial workflow is chronological, one step after the other, a parallel workflow involves simultaneous processing and interdisciplinary collaboration.

“A civil engineer designing a tunnel can’t function in a vacuum. They need to work in an integrated way,” says Mr. Wallace.

Another point of difference for Leapfrog is its licensing model, which effectively lets users “rent” the system when required.

This business model, according to Mr. Wallace, aligns with the wider trend of digital transformation and joint tenders.

“We create software that allows people to visualise what they can’t see above ground.” - Daniel Wallace

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A road upgrade in Sydney’s Northern Beaches was made easier by using 12d Model software.

SOLUTIONS IN THE FIELD

12D MODEL IS A DEDICATED DATA MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE DESIGNED TO HELP CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT AND IN PRODUCTION.

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he Northern Beaches Hospital Road Connectivity and Network Enhancement Project, a road upgrade in the northern suburbs of Sydney, involved the upgrade of 3.2 kilometres of road, pedestrian bridges, new footpaths, drainage and three new

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road bridges.

To undertake the large task of surveying this project, ESO Surveyors chose the 12d Model software package to keep track of its work from start to finish.

12d Model is powerful civil engineering, surveying and terrain modelling software.

It allows fast production in a variety of projects, including mapping; site layouts; road, rail and highway design; residential and land developments; drainage and sewer design; and environmental impact studies.

After working closely with clients for

BUSINESS INSIGHT

over 25 years, 12d Solutions realised that the industry had a problem with keeping track of vast types of data and specific workflows for projects. As such, it created software for projects that would take care of those issues for the client.

12d Model software enables difficult surveying and civil design tasks to be easily visualised and completed. Users can build their own options from the 12d Model programming library.

Greg Cech, Senior Surveyor at ESO Surveyors, says the software is invaluable to projects.

“You can use it in the field, which allows you to collaborate with people on the run because you have the whole project in 3D on your tablet right with you in the field.

You can do calculations and set out on the run,” he says.

12d Model software is installed onto a server or in the cloud, and all users can access company data through the 12d Model application.

“This enables multiple people to use the projects, so the team shares the information. You can have three to four engineers using it. We’ve synchronised all the tablets in the field so everyone has the latest information. It’s a very good, easy way to ensure everyone is working on the latest design,” Mr. Cech says.

The surveyors can bring work up in the field and also work on their own projects.

All data on 12d Model that is transferred is encrypted to ensure data security.

Clients can grant access to users outside of the office – this way they can connect with 12d Model anywhere at any time.

12d Model has more than 4,000 designers, drafters, surveyors, project managers and office managers using the software. It is flexible, callable and well-suited to multinational enterprises and SMEs. The software also is well suited to design work. ESO Surveyors were able to make 3D models of elements in a project, such as bridges. The team were able to model all parts of the bridge, the top deck, all of the barriers, the bottom deck and more.

Then, when an surveyor was in the field, they are able to be aware of any changes as they occur.

“In the software, you can do the rendering, do the normal rotation and you can have a look at it and see if the design visually looks correct. It is a good, easy way to spot any design errors because they always stick out when you visually look at things,” Mr. Cech says.

Once changes have been made to the software the user has the ability to create pins or digital trains, so colleagues know exactly what they are working towards.

“It’s easier in the field, as surveyor can instantly check the thickness of concrete and asphalt out while they are out working and they can implement changes if need be,” Mr. Cech says.

When installing the bridges for the Northern Beaches Hospital Road Project with 12d Model software, Mr. Cech’s team were able to do a conformance on the concrete prior to it being stressed.

“This allowed us to note how far off

each design point was for height prior to stressing the cables and then afterwards we were able to go back to the same point right there in the field and see the difference,” Mr. Cech says.

Using the reports of the 12d software, Mr. Cech’s team were able to do a comparison with the original design. They could see how far the bridge had moved from when it was laid to after it had been stretched.

Mr. Cech says in some spots it might have only moved 20 millimetres, but these measurements were crucial.

He says the ability to see the designs in 3D allows users to look at how things are forming. They can instantly see any areas that need to be checked over. They can also show the 3D designs to everyone working on the project, not just surveyors.

The 3D element of 12d software was helpful for ESO surveyors. “Seeing the project in 3D is immensely helpful. When you are looking down on a CAD drawing you have got multiple lines, more or less on top of each other. Being able to rotate that in 3D really brings the structure to life,” Mr. Cech says.

“It just helps projects because there are very few isometric drawings on the plans – it is all just 2D line work and sometimes that is difficult to visualise in the field. The 12d Model makes people work to a higher accuracy,” Mr. Cech says.

Mr. Cech admits there is an element of education involved with learning the software, though once learnt, it is simple to use.

“Once you have the basics, I don’t think anyone would voluntarily go back to the older methods. Everyone likes the program and it significantly reduces the chance of setting out old data or old information,” he says.

“It is the sort of package where if you only need to use a certain percentage of it then that is all you will learn and you can become proficient in it really quickly,” Mr. Cech says.

ESO Surveyors will continue to use 12d Model software for future projects due to its success. roadsonline.com.au

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Saferoads CEO Darren Hotchin says that some of the roads stats are still concerning.

PARTNERING

FOR SAFETY

SAFEROADS’ CEO, DARREN HOTCHKIN, TALKS TO ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE ABOUT THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTRALIAN ROAD SAFETY FOUNDATION.

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arlier this year, the federal government announced a $2.2 billion investment in road safety infrastructure.

The proposed funding package allocated $1.1 billion to the Roads to Recovery program for investment in road safety in regional Australia, and a further $550 million for the Black Spot Program.

According to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the Black Spot Program has reduced serious road incidents by 30 per cent since its inception – highlighting the value of road safety investments.

The remaining funds will be used to establish a new Office of Road Safety, which will function as a national point 46

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for collaboration and leadership on key road safety priorities.

Mr. Morrison said 2018 saw 1,000 avoidable deaths on Australian roads. Furthermore, Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) statistics show every six seconds someone is killed or seriously injured on the road globally.

Saferoads CEO, Darren Hotchkin, says that while awareness of road safety issues and proactive initiatives are having a positive effect, some statistics are still concerning.

“Improved safety measures and equipment have to be put in place to reduce trauma and fatality – this is a national issue and shared responsibility,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“That’s why we partnered with ARSF.” ARSF is a not-for-profit organisation committed to achieving positive road safety outcomes through inventive awareness programs, driver education, advocacy, research, community engagement and commercial partnerships.

The Australian Road Safety Awards is an example of ARSF action.

The event is designed to acknowledge the achievements of leading road safety stakeholders and recognise their commitment to responsible outcomes.

Mr. Hotchkin says the awards are intended to function as a motivational tool to further encourage corporate professional

HEALTH AND SAFETY

development and action towards the reduction of road trauma.

“Nominations in each category are evaluated using a number of criteria including commitment, application, innovation, scope, sustainability, engagement and overall effectiveness. Winners and highly commended recipients are selected by an independent judging panel,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“The awards are a vehicle to promote road safety activities on a national scale and unite those programs under a single banner.”

According to Mr. Hotchkin, ASRF’s commitment to supporting material outcomes was the driving force behind Saferoads partnership with the organisation.

“Saferoads has been working in the industry for over 27 years, and as a company we recently made the decision to find a charity we could start donating to,” Mr. Hotchkin says. “We wanted to find an organisation we could support on a long-term basis and form a real collaborative partnership with.”

According to Mr. Hotchkin, after a short search period, Saferoads settled on ARSF. “We were very impressed with the work they do, and after meeting with CEO Russel White, we decided it would be a great fit,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

He says ARSF is the only not-for-profit organisation working within the road safety space and, as such, is highly valuable.

“As a company, we were particularly excited about ARSF’s work on Fatality Free Friday, an annual event that raises awareness for safer road use, with a focus on individual actions,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“ARSF’s values align perfectly with ours and we’re proud to be a commercial partner.”

Earlier this year, Saferoads was invited to present a gong at the award’s luncheon.

Mr. Hotchkin says that while there are a number of award categories presented at the event, such as the Innovation Award, the Community Programs Award and the Corporate Fleet Safety Award, he and the wider Saferoads team wanted to support the Local Government Initiative Award.

“Local governments are a key part of our customer group, so supporting that award made sense to us,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“Additionally, we felt we could provide more value to the council with access to our products than we could with straight cash.”

Mr. Hotchkin says the award facilitated a symbiotic outcome.

“The council won access to life-saving products, while we got to be sure 100 per cent of our sponsorship was being used for road safety devices.” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“On the night, I presented the Local Government Initiative Award to Strathfield Council.”

Located in western Sydney, Strathfield Council was selected for its Road Safety: It’s a Shared Responsibility program.

The interdisciplinary program involves education, enforcement and engineering works, and has proven to be highly successful.

Mr. Hotchkin says Strathfield stood out in a pool of exceptional councils due to its inclusive approach to road safety.

rubber speed cushions, which reduce the speed of cars going past high pedestrian occupied areas.”

Mr. Hotchkin says the choice aligns with the council’s attention to better vehicle and pedestrian integration.

“The speed cushions are great because they provide a road safety system that engages the driver to reduce speed with minimal driver discomfort,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“This makes the product stand out from other speed reduction devices.”

According to Mr. Hotchkin, Strathfield Council also purchased Saferoads’ customisable Kangou Signs and multiple blockout barriers.

“Blockout barriers are designed to redirect

The Australian Road Safety Awards are aimed to acknowledge the achievements of road safety stakeholders.

“In addition to the Road Safety: It’s a Shared Responsibility program, Strathfield runs a Road Rules Awareness Week,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“The week offers drivers the chance to refresh their knowledge of road rules and develop better car, pedestrian, cyclist and bicycle integration strategies.”

According to Mr. Hotchkin, Strathfield Council was presented with multiple vouchers for use on any Saferoads product.

“They purchased various traffic calming products manufactured to control and lower speeds in urban environments,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“One product they selected was our

foot traffic and protect pedestrians from hazards on the walkway,” Mr. Hotchkin says.

“The barriers are economical to transport and easy to install. Weighing only 18 kilograms when empty, they can be stacked in the back of trucks or trays and filled with 250 litres of water once they reach their destination.”

Mr. Hotchkin says knowing Saferoads products are being used in Strathfield is a great result for the ARSF partnership.

“It’s rewarding to know our products are being used by a proactive and engaged council,” Mr. Hotchkin says. “We are looking forward to supporting a lot more initiatives throughout the course of the partnership.” roadsonline.com.au

47

Acoustic panels are just one of Hushpak’s range of products.

SILENCING

THE BOOM IN THE MIDST OF AUSTRALIA’S RAPID CONSTRUCTION GROWTH, HUSHPAK HAS CREATED NEW PANELS DESIGNED TO HELP REDUCE TRANSMISSION OF NOISE.

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o ensure that noise limits are not exceeded adjacent to industrial sites and busy roads, Hushpak, an acoustics and engineering specialist, has developed a new innovation called HushPanel. It provides high-quality, light-weight, easy-to-install, transferable and customisable panelling that aids in noise reduction.

The idea for the creation of the HushPanels came from Managing Director of Hushpak Engineering, Michael Neville, when driving home in the evenings.

“I noticed a timber acoustic fence that had deteriorated, split and rotted over time.

Further along, I saw another barrier that was essentially an old fence with horizontally installed corrugated steel cladding running along a rail line and I thought, ‘we could do that using our HushClad product’,” he says.

HushClad is sound attenuation cladding for traditional steel framed buildings and is one of the company’s original products. It 48

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is manufactured with a patented polymer layer and genuine Colorbond steel sheeting.

HushClad is used for cladding buildings containing noisy equipment such as wood chip mills or coal preparation plants.

Hushpak supplies a range of other products designed to enable clients to comply with noise limits. As well as HushClad for building construction, Hushpak supplies custom-designed mufflers, low noise fans, acoustic panels and acoustic louvres for mobile mining equipment and track noise attenuation kits for earthmoving dozers.

“We wanted to develop our HushClad product to be readily used in noise barrier applications,” says Mr. Neville.

Subsequently, Hushpak was asked to supply a number of roadside noise barriers for an overpass on the New England Highway near Maitland, NSW. “Then, when Hushpak was asked to provide a noise barrier for a conveyor system on a

mine site, we knew we had to make these noise barriers modular so they could be quickly and easily installed anywhere” says Mr. Neville.

“Taking the HushClad product and transforming it into modular HushPanels was the logical next step,” he says.

The development of HushPanels is so recent that they have only been supplied to one roadside project to date. However, Hushpak has received an enquiry to supply them for another noise barrier in a mining application.

“We are now looking at supplying a mining customer with a large noise barrier. The client has equipment that is disturbing their neighbours and they require a barrier about 5 metres high by over 60 metres in length to combat this issue,” Mr. Neville says.

The panels are pre-engineered up to 5.4 metres in height but could go higher, with a post spacing of 3 metres for the panels.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

HushPanels have been tested in an independent National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited Acoustic Testing Laboratory. When using the standard corrugate in the Custom Orb profile, the HushPanel Premium has a sound transmission class of 25. The sound transmission class gives a rating of how well a barrier attenuates airborne noise passing through.

Clients also have the option to go with the HushPanel Ultimate, using a Trimdek profile it has a sound transmission class of 28. This gives a sound reduction equivalent to a 45mm thick sheet of plywood.

The Environment Protection agency sets limits on sites to ensure those living in close proximity to the road or construction project are not disrupted by noise. Each project will conduct a noise modelling study that will determine what needs to be done to reduce noise.

“There are a number of things that can be done to meet noise compliance requirements on road construction projects.

This includes going to owners of properties to treat their residence, possibly installing solid core doors, sound insulation, laminated windows or air conditioning so windows can be kept closed,” Mr Neville says.

However, in areas of higher population density, roadside noise barriers are more cost effective than treating

HushPanels have been tested in an Acoustic Testing Laboratory.

individual houses.

In recent years, VicRoads have looked at the effects of roadside barriers in keeping tired drivers more alert. The VicRoads Supplement to Austroads Guide to Road Design found that drivers are stimulated by variation but dulled by monotony.

One advantage of making the panels from standard Colorbond steel sheets is that the colours of each side of the panels can be easily customised. Similar to the colourful horizontal panels used on the Autobahn in Germany, HushPanels can be designed to fit in with surroundings or to meet any other client needs.

Made with galvanised steel posts and Colourbond steel panels, HushPanels have a long service life making them sustainable over a period of time. Improved colour durability with advanced paint technology resists peeling, chipping and cracking HushPanel is also quickly and easily installed.

“Companies want to minimise the amount of time on site. HushPanel installation involves bringing a post hole digger to site, boring the post holes, standing the posts and concreting them in, dropping the panels into place, then screwing them on and you’re done,” Mr. Neville says.

“It’s a rapid installation.”

The Environment Protection Agency sets noise limits on sites including new roads.

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BUSINESS INSIGHT

CONTRACTS

-- IN BRIEF ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE MAJOR PROJECT CONTRACTS AND TENDERS RECENTLY AWARDED AND OUT TO MARKET ACROSS THE AUSTRALASIAN INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR. QUEENSLAND Downer awarded major Queensland road contract The North Coast District Road Asset Maintenance Contract has been awarded to Downer’s DM Roads business. The five-year contract from the Department of Transport and Main Roads in Queensland involves the long-term asset management and routine and programmed maintenance services.

Contract awarded for $193 million Townsville upgrade The $193 million Port of Townsville Channel Upgrade Project is progressing with a multi-million-dollar rock supply contract awarded to Holcim Australia. Holcim will supply a significant portion of the rock required to construct a wall that will protect the 62-ha Reclamation Area – which will eventually accommodate expanded port infrastructure.

NORTHERN TERRITORY Flightpath road supporting new local development A $6.2 million contract to construct a new road called ‘Flightpath Road’ was recently awarded to local contractor Allan King & Sons Construction. The project, which will create a new intersection off Amy Johnson Avenue and will be located approximately 800 metres north of the Stuart Highway, will provide improved access to Berrimah North, including the Berrimah Industrial Precinct.

VICTORIA Preferred contractor announced for Mordialloc Freeway project A McConnell Dowell and Decmil joint venture has been announced as preferred contractor to deliver the $375 million Mordialloc Freeway project. McConnell Dowell Managing Director, Jim Firth, said an early works contract had been awarded with work commencing immediately.

Contract awarded for Melbourne Airport works Fulton Hogan has been awarded two construction contracts at Melbourne Airport, the Taxiway Zulu Program and the Northern Access Route Project. The contracts form part of the broader Northern Precinct Program, which will reconfigure existing taxiways and the apron layout.

Decmil awarded stage two Plenty Road upgrade Decmil has been awarded the contract for the stage two upgrade of Plenty Road from Mill park to Mernda in Melbourne. Step two of the upgrade includes an additional lane in each direction, and installation of new safety barriers between Bush Boulevard and Bridge Inn Road.

Contracts awarded as Anzac station takes shape Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel’s Anzac Station is fast taking shape with construction now underway on the station roof. AUSREO has won the contract to supply more than 3,800 tonnes of steel reinforcement for the roof and Holcim will supply 15,000 cubic metres of concrete for the roof slabs.

NEW SOUTH WALES Clarence bridge contract awarded in New South Wales Construction of a new bridge across the main western rail line on Chifley Road in Clarence, New South Wales is ready to begin after a contract was awarded. Quickway Construction received the contract to build the new bridge to improve safety for road users and improve regional access.

INTERNATIONAL McConnell Dowell awarded Pacific Island wharf upgrades McConnell Dowell announced they have been awarded a design and construction contract by the Commonwealth of Australia for wharf infrastructure works in a number of Pacific Islands.

Downer awarded Auckland city rail link contract The Link Alliance, a joint venture between Downer and other major construction companies, has been selected as the preferred bidder for the Auckland City Rail link C3 alliance contract.

The Link Alliance comprises of Downer, Vinci Grands Projects, Soletanche Bachy, AECOM, Tonkin + Taylor, and WSP Opus.

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INCREASING CAPACITY AUSTRALIA’S FIRST SIMEM CONCRETE BATCHING PLANT IS INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF CONCRETE WORK FOR THE MELBOURNE METRO TUNNEL PROJECT.

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ork on the Melbourne Metro Tunnel includes the construction of twin ninekilometre rail tunnels from Kensington to South Yarra in Victoria and five underground stations. With an initiative as large as this one, and a deadline of only six years, speed and accuracy are

paramount. With these factors in mind, Gough Industrial Solutions New Zealand and Australia has installed Australia’s first Simem concrete batching plant.

Holcim Australia, the project’s concrete suppliers, chose the Simem Dry Beton 100 batching plant specifically for this project.

The plant, which stores and combines

Workers pleased with quality and speed at which the plant was built.

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various ingredients to create concrete, has been successful with the particular mix and design of concrete Holcim will use for the Metro Tunnel Project. It will operate continuously throughout the three-year tunnelling part of the project.

Gough Industrial Solutions is the dealer that represents Simem in New Zealand and Australia. Its job is to promote and represent Simem’s products, such as the concrete batching plants, water recycling options and many other associated technologies. Gough Industrial Solutions also offers ongoing service to clients with maintenance support and spare parts.

The Simem batching plant used in this project has been designed to provide up to 120 cubic metres of concrete per hour.

This will aid construction teams with large concrete pours that usually require multiple trucks. A batching plant of this size will enable large pours to provide high quality, consistent concrete.

“You can’t start and stop some large pours.

If it was all coming from one plant you can require many hours of sustained production, so you need to have confidence in the reliability of your plant in order to commit to having just one,” Jon Bruce, Project Manager at Gough Industrial Solutions says.

The Simem Dry Beton 100 plant is designed with maintenance in mind. For a threeyear project such as the Metro Tunnel, Mr. Bruce says reliability is a key factor. Rust can

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

become an issue due to general wear and tear when working with concrete. As such, Simem batching plants are made from fully galvanised materials to reduce rust levels.

The plants also include thick, removable steel wear plates, which enable prompt replacement and repair when needed.

Quick assembly of Simem plants is another advantage for clients. The Metro Tunnel plant was assembled on the Holicm site, off Laurens Street in North Melbourne, in just under six weeks. The Simem plant was first partially put together in Italy before being shipped over to Australia in fifteen 40-foot containers. This allowed the Gough Industrial Solutions team to rapidly put the plant together.

“When the plant arrives into the country, clients are always pushing us to complete the site assembly works as soon as possible.

However, usually we end up waiting on the client’s own site preperations as they tend to expect the plant build to take a lot longer,” Mr. Bruce says. “The modular design allows us to take a partially pre-assembled item straight out of the container, drop it onto some legs and already have a significant part of the plant assembled. It’s a proven and rapid assembly process.”

The plant can be changed and modified to some degree due to its modular design.

“They are flexible in their arrangement. So,

“WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND THE PLANTS ARE SOLD WITH THE DORNER AUTOMATION AS IT IS REALLY CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY AND WE ARE EXCITED TO BRING THAT TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.” even once a plant is installed you can add extra storage to it or expand the plant.

Equally you could disassemble it and move it to another location for a different project,” Mr. Bruce says. “They are multi-project plants with low maintenance costs. You get good quality production with a high output and even a high second-hand value.”

A plant similar to the one used in the Metro Tunnel Project has been installed at Auckland’s International Airport in New Zealand. There, the Simem Dry Beton 100 high-production plant was installed in 2018 to help maintain the airports existing runways. It will continue to act as a resource for future airport projects.

Simem plants have also been used in major projects worldwide such as the Panama Canal Extension in between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in Panama and the Euro Tunnel, which connects France and Great Britain. Simem plants are currently being used to construct one of the longest railway tunnels in the world, the Brenner Base Tunnel linking Austria and Italy.

The plants are typically delivered with an integrated automation software called

Dorner. This allows clients to input the recipe for their concrete pour and have the plant automatically measure and deliver accurate material amounts to create the concrete. Clients have the choice to purchase Dorner with the plant or to use their own automation software.

“We always recommend the plants are sold with the Dorner automation as it is really cutting-edge technology and we are excited to bring that to Australia and New Zealand,” Mr. Bruce says.

Both the Melbourne and Auckland plant clients chose to use their own software but have expressed interest in Dorner for their next plant purchase.

Currently, Mr. Bruce says the Melbourne plant for the Metro Tunnel Project is being commissioned. “The client is going through the trial process of testing the speed and consistency of the product with differentsized batches and different recipes,” he says.

“The Dry Beton 100 high-production plant will operate adjacent to the tunnel entrance location where the impressive tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be launched later this year.”

The plant can be changed and modified to suit.

roadsonline.com.au

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TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

SMALL MACHINES DELIVERING

BIG BENEFITS

THE NEWEST ROLLER AND PAVER FROM DYNAPAC IS BRINGING ACCURACY AND EASE TO FAHERTY CIVIL CONTRACTOR’S PROJECTS IN QUEENSLAND.

F

aherty Civil Contractors recently secured a rail project through a partner working for Queensland Rail.

Tasked with upgrading and expanding rail footpaths at five locations in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, Alan Faherty – Managing Director of Faherty Civil Contractors – knew the project needed quality, reliable machinery.

Mr. Faherty approached the Construction Equipment Australia (CEA) to purchase a Dynapac roller and paver to bolster current and future projects. Having successfully used Dynapac machines before, Mr. Faherty decided to purchase the Dynapac F1200CS tracked paver and the Dynapac CC900 double-drum vibratory roller.

“The number one reason I chose to purchase these machines was that I know them – I have worked with Dynapac for a number of years,” Mr. Faherty says.

Not only will Faherty Civil Contractors be able to use the machines for the Queensland Rail project, but they can also be utilised for other assignments. Currently the machines are also being used for night works, in trenches around Queensland.

“I can use the paver on driveways and place gravel with it because it has the European high compaction speed,” Mr Faherty says.

“The roller is particularly accurate, being able to get into smaller spaces. This is an advantage on many projects and that is why we chose the machine.”

For small construction businesses Mr. Faherty says quality of the finished project is key.

“It comes down to the fact that, as a small business, we want our name out there for doing good work and you’ll never get the same result with a shovel and a rake compared to the machines,” he says – explaining that most contractors would hand-lay footpaths, which can lead to poor results.

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“With these machines we can run jobs to the millimetre. When you hand-lay footpaths you don’t get as good of a product. These machines help with accuracy and will give us a better end product overall,” says Mr Faherty. The Dynapac CC900 double-drum roller is a member of the smaller asphalt roller family. Primarily used for small-scale compaction work, its 900mm width makes it suitable for pavements, cycle paths or small roads and parking areas.

The F1200CS tracked paver has a laying capacity of 300 tonnes per hour. Its flexibility and compact design make it a good choice for a range of projects. It has a paving speed of up to 27 metres per minute and can be controlled by a remote control.

Remote control capability for the Dynapac tracked paver was a major selling point for Mr. Faherty, enabling improved safety on site as well as increased productivity.

“It’s the first machine of its type in Australia on offer with remote control – an optional extra that we decided to purchase purely because sometimes we work on ground that isn’t very safe and it is key to increase safety on site,” he says.

“Workers can drive it from either side of the street with the remote control. This function can keep workers away from site hazards. Then there is the added benefit that I could use my operator to keep an eye on the paving level at the same time, for example, if we happened to be down a worker on that day,” Mr. Faherty says.

The paver also allows the company to lay gravel due to its ability to achieve a high compaction speed.

The double-barrelled roller enables workers to access relatively small spaces and uphold accuracy, which Mr. Faherty claims is a drawcard for the machine.

“It allows us to go into small spaces with the same capacity for vibration as a bigger roller,” he says. “Most companies in rail

works would use wheelbarrows and wacker plates for those kinds of jobs. That is why we use the roller it just gives a better overall product.” Mr Faherty prioritises repeat tenders for his small family business. He relies on equipment that emphasises easeof-use, safety features, accuracy and high output. “From an operator’s point-of-view, visibility around the machine is great – even from up top,” he says.

“With these machines, it’s easy to learn and use, you can cross over workers on it with ease. Anyone can come from using any other machine and they will be able to work it.”

Another highlight is their reliability. “I know I can stand by them and I know I can do my job without having to worry about breakdowns or anything like that,” he says.

This is not the first time Faherty Civil Contractors have purchased Dynapac products and the service from the CEA that comes with the machines is key.

Mr. Faherty says the CEA have been great for Faherty Civil Contractors to deal with over the years, both during the buying process and afterwards.

“Anyone can buy a machine, but you need someone to be there for the whole process which CEA are,” he says.

“They do repairs, they listen to feedback from me and my team for the future, and they are always willing to have a chat,” Mr Faherty says.

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

MATMANAGER PROVIDES ARRAY OF

DATA FOR PAVERS COLLECTING DATA NOT ONLY LEADS TO EFFICIENCIES, BUT CAN SAVE MONEY ON PAVING PROJECTS. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE EXPLAINS.

A

stec Australia is a company that is always looking at new ways to make paving more efficient and costeffective. As well as the machines that do the work, there are other ways companies can save on time and money, including collected data and analysing how it can help a business grow.

One such product that is available through Astec is MatManager. It is a device that is loaded with a program that is designed to monitor all the key parameters of a paving project – it enables users to keep track of material consumption, document how many kilograms of material that has been laid per square metre, and also keep track of when workers have stopped, started and loaded new materials.

It also allows the user to export and save data that has been captured by the device.

It is possible to deliver a hard copy printout of key data to prove that all specifications of the job have been met. This information can also be exported electronically.

It works by using as range of input sensors mounted on the asphalt paver, which are designed to measure and calculate the major paving parameters. This information is collected using the device’s interface box.

The system is continually collecting paving data, which is sent to a log file. This file can be used to further analyse the data using the MatWiser reporting system.

MatWiser is a web-based graphical reporting system that offers access, as well as a visual overview, of completed jobs, paver models and even the crew who completed the project. This is helpful because that it allows companies to create custom reports, which means different aspects of a job can be targeted when it comes to making improvements or finding specific information.

In addition to using the data for internal

purposes, users can present the information to clients either by printing out a report, or sharing facts and figures via MatWiser.

Users can customise each project so it can be reviewed to validate various specifications of the job, such as how much material was used, how much area was covered and how many loads were received. It will even track the temperature of the material and where it was laid.

Finally, the MatWiser aspect of MatManager is a good tool to optimise good paving processes, such a reducing the number of starts and stops, keeping speed consistent, and adjusting the tamper RPM to achieve the best results.

Overall, MatManager is designed to make paving jobs easier by collecting data, which in the long term can be used to build in cost and time efficiencies that will help make a project run smoother.

Highlights include: • Interface box that collects input from the sensors and sends data to the MatManager screen. It also holds all calibration data of the system.

• Sensors include a GPS, distance sensor, IR temperature sensor, weather station, vibration/tamper sensor, and a screedwidth sensor.

• The MatManger screen offers visual presentation of data for the operator. From here, the operator can start a new job and add truck loads to the job.

•M atManager offers many data sets including paved distance and area, material consumption, planned material consumption, actual material consumption, material consumption per hour, graphical presentation of temperature and stops/loads, paving speed, tamper/vibration frequency, mat width, as well as weather data.

MatManager is a good tool to optimise good paving processes.

• Option to add IR camera.

• Visual map of temperature differences on the newly paved mat.

• Tool for operators and authorities to secure good praxis in paving.

• Document problem areas.

MatManager collects information using its interface box.

roadsonline.com.au

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TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

LOAD VOLUME SCANNER

SIMPLIFIES RESOURCE CONSENT CONDITIONS

FULTON HOGAN’S QUEENSTOWN QUARRY IN NEW ZEALAND HAS PURCHASED A LOADSCAN LOAD VOLUME SCANNER, WHICH IS HELPING SIMPLIFY RESOURCE CONSENT CONDITIONS.

T

he load volume scanner measures large amounts of clean fill entering the site from multiple projects, including the expansion of Queenstown airport.

Rules set out by the Queenstown Lakes District Council mean certain levels of earthworks require resource consent, which is official permission given by council for companies to carry out operations with environmental impact.

Accurate volume measurements of trucks like these delivering aggregate is key to the load volume scanner.

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The unit will enable Fulton Hogan to accurately track the volume of materials coming onto the site. This will help them to adhere to resource consent conditions on projects.

The load volume scanner has delivered accurate volume measurements on the project in a single automated, noncontact, drive-through scan.

The scanner uses laser scanning and radio frequency identification technologies

combined with software that creates 3D model images of trucks. This enables the scanner to measure the exact volume of material that is loaded in a truck or trailer bin.

The block mount fixed load volume scanner, used at Fulton Hogan’s Queenstown quarry, is hardwired to the office, which gives operations staff instant access to the load data.

It also can be operated from inside, not on site, giving added convenience.

SUPERIOR LINES OF DEFENCE FOR OUR COASTLINES ABLE TO WITHSTAND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IS ONE REASON PRECAST CONCETE IS A GOOD MATERIAL TO USE ALONG AUSTRALIA’S COASTLINE.

T

he impact of rising sea levels is significant. It is causing coastline erosion, which is impacting not only the integrity of coastal structures, but precious marine life as well.

The protection of marine life and coastal communities requires a solution that must be able to withstand extreme weather events and the harsh marine environment.

Durability is the key. Precast concrete, a strong, long lasting and durable material, is the necessary solution to provide a longterm fix to this ever-growing concern. It is helping to address the decline in marine life populations that has come about due to a fall in the volume of marine habitats and to protect the large population that lives on Australia’s coastline.

Structures such as artificial reefs and concrete walls are based on a proven track record, offering engineering resilience, constancy and predictability.

Artificial reefs not only aid in reducing wave heights, providing a strong line of defence for coastal communities; they also provide food, shelter, protection, and spawning areas for hundreds of fish species and other marine organisms.

In Geographe Bay, a trial of two artificial reefs has been underway since 2014. It entails a scientific monitoring program that is observing the reefs’ ecological development. It is providing researchers and State Government agencies with the opportunity to study the benefits of artificial reefs and the chance to develop protocols for installing artificial reefs at other locations. National Precast member, MJB Industries, manufactured and transported 60 ten-tonne, three metrehigh precast concrete modules for the two reefs. Located at Bunbury Port and Port Geographe, the reefs comprise 30 modules each, involving six clusters of five modules that have been positioned over an area of 200 sqm and at a depth of 15-30 metres.

The modules have been designed for Geographe Bay’s current, waves, and sediment conditions. They are transforming areas of low-marine biodiversity into an ecological hub by providing complex environments. Through this, the modules are promoting the growth of rich ecosystems that support diverse fish populations. Before the reefs were deployed, fewer than 10 fish species were documented at the predominately sandy sites. However, since the project’s completion in April 2014, more than 40 fish species have been recorded at the artificial reefs, including all three targeted species of pink snapper, Samson fish, and silver trevally. The modules are now covered with a range of thriving macroalgae, sponges, bryozoans, and ascidians.

SECOND LINE DEFENCE On the other side of the country in South Australia, Adelaide’s coastal suburb West Beach is experiencing shoreline erosion, and it’s affecting the local community.

According to the City of Charles Sturt Operations Engineer, Mark Chittleborough, environmental impact in recent years has damaged the structural integrity of the existing West Beach Coastal Seawall.

Constructed in 1973, the original sea wall was built with the purpose of protecting nearby assets including car parks, the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club (WBSLSC), domestic properties, public amenities and tourist areas. Storms in 2015 and 2016 caused the wall to slump in some areas, posing a safety threat. The city engaged engineers Kellogg Brown Root to design a rock wall that would improve the durability of the shoreline during such events.

Integral to the design is a series of precast L-walls manufactured by National Precast member Rocla. The L-walls measured 2000mm by 2800mm and have a 50-year design life to comply with AS 4997-2005

The precast concrete sea wall is designed to protect shoreline erosion.

Guidelines for the Design of Maritime Structures. Locally supplied from the precaster’s Edinburgh factory, the elements were selected to enhance the structural integrity of the design.

Chosen for its longevity and strength as well as its inherent mass, the L-walls are well placed to provide impact resistance against strong currents and storms. The council was confident that the high quality precast would withstand the chloride-induced corrosion from the aggressive marine environment. Cost and efficiency of construction were other considerations. Precast proved to be more cost competitive than an in-situ alternative, and its offsite manufacture and just-intime delivery meant that erection and installation was efficient and simple.

Once complete, Mr. Chittleborough says the project will ensure that the rock wall will withstand storm events and projected sea level rise. “It will act as a barrier and protector for the Surf Club, the Coast Path, road, car park and homes along Seaview Road for the design life of the wall.” roadsonline.com.au

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EVENTS DIARY

NATIONAL ROADS & TRAFFIC EXPO 17-19 SEPTEMBER

CORROSION AND PREVENTION 2019 24-27 NOVEMBER

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, Australia

Bringing together the roads transport ecosystem and creating opportunities for the roads, traffic and infrastructure industry, the National Roads & Traffic Expo is a free event taking place on 17-18 September 2019 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The show unites government, road agencies, operators, industry leaders and innovators, providing key organisations with a platform to meet, network and engage with the industry. With 300 speakers, 200 exhibitors, 3000 attendees and an Innovation & Start-Up Zone, The National Roads & Traffic Expo features 280 FREE information sessions that run alongside a free-to-attend exhibition.

The Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) will host the industry leading Corrosion and Prevention 2019 (C&P 2019) conference on 24-27 November at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne, Australia. This annual conference and trade exhibition will bring together leading researchers and industry practitioners who combat corrosion on a daily basis. Topics covered will include concrete corrosion and repair, steel corrosion, water infrastructure, cathodic protection of pipelines, asset management, high-temperature corrosion, non-ferrous metal corrosion and microbiologically influenced corrosion.

www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/road-traffic-expo

www.conference.corrosion.com.au

18TH AAPA INTERNATIONAL FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 18-21 AUGUST

WORLD ENGINEERS CONVENTION 2019 20-22 NOVEMBER

Sydney, Australia

Hear national and international speakers reflect on the legacy of engineering achievements over the past 100 years – and define the future of engineering disciplines for the next 100 years. Co-hosted

by Engineers Australia and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations, the World Engineers Convention 2019 gives attendees the chance to build networks with leaders in global engineering practice, all while enjoying the natural beauty and quality of life for which Australia is renowned.

Under the title “Our Everlasting Roads – Enabling Future Mobility”, the 18th Australian Asphalt Pavement Association International Flexible Pavements Conference & Exhibition refers to the changing demands that society and transportation technology place on the long-term investment that is road infrastructure. It also refers to our increasing technical ability to build perpetual pavements, roads that will last for an indefinite amount of time, while only requiring regular surface maintenance. The event will bring together the leaders and key industry stakeholders of the flexible pavements industry under one roof to discuss the future of the sector. www.aapa.asn.au 58

ROADS JUNE 2019

Melbourne, Australia

www.wec2019.org.au

Designed to Perform Built to Last Dynapac is the world’s most specialised and experienced manufacturer of compaction and paving equipment.

They have been at the forefront of vibratory compaction and paving technology for many years.

Contact Construction Equipment Australia today for more information on the exceptional Dynapac machinery range including light compaction, soil rollers, asphalt rollers, pavers and mobile feeders.

Visit us at the 18th AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference & Exhibition 2019 International Convention Centre Sydney 18–21 August 2019

1300 788 757

cea.net.au

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