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ATA DISCUSSES HEAVY VEHICLE NATIONAL LAW REVIEW
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has confirmed that its Safety Committee and Transport and Economics Committee has held discussions regarding the first issues paper from the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) review.
The issues paper seeks views on how to help make the law outcome focussed and less prescriptive, while ensuring safety and promoting productivity.
ATA CEO Ben Maguire says industry could not afford to underestimate the impact of the review and legislation likely to follow.
“Today’s meeting saw committee members work closely together on developing our submission,” Mr. Maguire says.
“Members discussed how the structure of the HVNL could be radically changed to make the law more responsive, so it can deal with evolving technology and the diverse nature of our industry.”
Mr. Maguire says valuable contributions at the meeting were made from SA Road Transport Association’s Steve Shearer, Queensland Trucking Association’s Gary Mahon, Victorian Transport Association’s Greg Cain, NT Road Transport Association’s Louise Bilato and National Transport Insurance’s Adam Gibson.
“Members agreed on the need to retain the primary duties in Chapter 1A of the HVNL and its current approach to executive officer liability,” Mr. Maguire says.
“The meeting is a prime example of how our members are working together in the best interests of the industry and collaborating to deliver positive outcomes. I thank them all for their contribution and expertise.”
ATA CEO Ben Maguire.
NEW SPECIFICATION TESTING FOR MODIFIED BINDERS
Austroads has announced updated specification testing for polymer and crumb rubber modified binders in sprayed seal and asphalt.
Updated specs include adding a definition for field-produced crumb rubber modified binders.
According to a spokesperson for Austroads, modified binders are used by material processing companies to enhance the performance of binders on heavily trafficked
or distressed pavement surfaces.
“The test method has been revised following a review of current modified binder manufacturing, testing and application experience,” the spokesperson says.
“Specification limits are framed around the results of nationally coordinated field trials and laboratory studies, supplemented by Austroads jurisdiction experience.”
Changes include: • Adding an alternative Standards Australia method for determination of viscosity at 165˚C. • Adding a stress ratio binder property. • Removing the consistency and elastic recovery binder properties. • Replacing the rubber content by analysis binder property for the class S45R binder with a stipulation that this binder class be manufactured from crumb rubber derived from used vehicle tyres. • Adding a definition for field-produced crumb rubber modified binders.
“These specifications aim to achieve satisfactory design performance in the field for both sprayed seal surfacing and asphalt pavement applications,” the spokesperson says.
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INFRASTRUCTURE ACTIVITY DECLINED SLIGHTLY IN Q1 2019
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) official figures show construction activity dropped 1.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 and total construction is now worth $50,787.9 million.
In that time, civil construction activity dropped back nearly four per cent compared to last quarter, engineering work fell nearly four per cent, while commercial building grew by 3.6 per cent.
“Unfortunately, the decline in civil construction activity during the opening quarter of this year will not be a surprise to the industry. The time taken for government infrastructure announcements to translate into real, visible activity on the ground is often far too long,” says Master Builders’ Chief Economist Shane Garrett.
He said the re-election of the Morrison Government will boost confidence in the industry and will be welcomed by the hundreds of thousands of small firms active in building and construction.
Despite growing populations around the country every state has experienced construction work decline.
Civil construction dropped nearly four per cent.
In the Northern Territory, construction work has fallen for the past six quarters.
Both New South Wales and Victoria have also seen construction work fall for the past two quarters.
Master Builders are hopeful that the Government’s renewed mandate will drive new energy to get more projects started.
CITY OF SYDNEY TRIALS INDUSTRIAL WASTE CONCRETE
The City of Sydney is testing concrete made using industrial waste from coal-fired power stations and steel manufacturing on a busy inner-city road.
A 30-metre section of Wyndham Street in Alexandria has been constructed using the ‘green concrete’.
The council laid 15 metres of traditional concrete and geopolymer concrete, which is a sustainable blend of concrete and recycled materials to test its durability.
Made from fly ash and blast furnace slag, it’s estimated geopolymer concrete generates just 300 kilograms of CO2 per tonne of cement, compared to the 900 kilograms from traditional cement production.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the city was committed to finding new ways to lower carbon emissions.
“I’m proud that the City of Sydney was Australia’s first carbon-neutral local government and that we’re continuing to take significant steps to reduce our carbon footprint,” the Lord Mayor said.
Wyndham Street is a major road leading to Sydney Airport with a high volume of traffic. Nine sensors have been placed under the concrete to monitor and compare how the ‘green concrete’ performs.
The results from the trial will then be used by University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney researchers and the Cooperative Research Center for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL) to create industry guidelines for geopolymer concrete.
Mr. Moore said 70 per cent of concrete produced goes into pavements and footpaths leaving great potential to further reduce emissions while providing quality infrastructure.
The low CO2 concrete has the potential to put 400 million cubic tonnes of waste from the coal and steel industries to good use.
The UNSW Sydney researchers will monitor the road’s performance for up to five years.
Professor Stephen Foster, Head of School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is the CRCLCL project lead and described the trial as “a huge step forward.”
“Concrete contributes seven per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions and in 2018 the world produced about 4.1 billion tonnes of cement, which contributed about 3.5 billion tonnes of CO2,” Professor Foster said.
“This trial is important because we need demonstration projects to accurately assess the performance of geopolymer over time so that there can be broader uptake.”
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NSW METRO SEES 1M TRIPS IN TWO WEEKS
Two weeks since the opening of the North West Metro in New South Wales, the network has already conducted more than one million trips.
“Patronage in the Metro’s first two weeks has been amazing with an average of 72,000 journeys on weekdays – a huge result for a brand new mode of transport,” says Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
The North West Metro runs from Chatswood to Rouse Hill and is intended to be a “turn up and go” service.
Peak hour trains run every four minutes and the line has the ability to run trains every two minutes at peak in the future.
The line has 13 new stations, all accessible with a lift and level access between the platform and train, and 4000 new commuter car parking spaces.
“The success shows just how much commuters appreciate the delivery of this game-changing project, which connects the area by rail like never before,” says Ms. Berejiklian.
So far more than 3,400 train services have run, with Thursday May 30th being the busiest day with 75,876 trips.
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance says customer feedback had been positive. “We are now getting on with the job of extending the line from Chatswood, under the Harbour, through the CBD and onto Bankstown,” says Mr. Constance.
There have been 72,000 journeys a week since the Sydney Metro opened.
A critical skills shortage remains the number one concern of transport infrastructure leaders, according to a new Roads Australia industry survey.
The Roads Australia Industry Confidence Outlook shows while short-term confidence is running high, industry leaders believe there’s an urgent need to take strong collective action to attract and retain the skilled workers needed to deliver projects beyond 2020.
Results are based on responses from 50 senior executives from contracting and consulting firms and industry suppliers.
Of those polled, 87 per cent said they have confidence to invest in plant, people and equipment in Australia over the next year.
According to a Roads Australia statement, on a scale of one to 10, the average confidence rating is 7.6, across those who responded positively.
Additionally, 89 per cent of those surveyed expect to increase or maintain staff levels in the next 12 months, with only 11 per cent anticipating a decrease.
Roads Australia President David StuartWatt said the lack of a skilled worker pipeline and ‘fit-for-purpose’ procurement processes rated as highest areas of concern.
“Skill shortages are the number one risk to delivering Australia’s record infrastructure pipeline and if not addressed may lead to cost blowouts, delays and unprofitable projects,” Mr. Stuart-Watt said.
“Government and industry need to work together to identify strategies to encourage more women and young people into the industry. Gender diversity, in particular, remains a very big problem in our industry and we need to redress it far more quickly than we’re doing at present.”
Mr Stuart-Watt said the survey also shows current procurement processes as a potential blockage on industry’s ability to deliver future work on time and budget.
“There are a lot of inefficiencies and inconsistencies that add to the overall cost of bidding, and which could be addressed through greater standardisation of contracts and processes,” Mr. Stuart-Watt said.
“Industry and government also need to find the middle ground on project risk. We need to come up with a more balanced, partnership-based approach.”
DOWNER BEGINS LARGE-SCALE TRIAL OF SHREDDED PLASTIC IN ASPHALT
Downer has recently been awarded a 10-year contract from the New Plymouth District Council in New Zealand that covers urban and rural roads in the district. The contract covers several aspects of roading, including road maintenance, CBD cleaning, water and wastewater reticulation renewals, as well as small to medium bridge maintenance. Downer’s General Manager of Transport Technology, Murray Robertson, says this contract presented the right opportunity for the first large-scale trial of Plas Mix, which was delivered last month in New Plymouth.
Plas Mix is raw, shredded plastic that goes into asphalt.
Plas Mix is raw shredded plastic that goes into asphalt. Common types of plastics used are containers for margarine, yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, bottles for cleaning products and more.
“The creation of Plas Mix is a collaboration between two commercial companies actively working together to solve significant local and global waste minimisation issues. The team are tasked with developing a meaningful outcome that can successfully repurpose waste plastic while not compromising the integrity of the pavement solutions,” says Mr. Robertson.
A spokesperson from Enviro New Zealand, who is working with Downer, says the main benefit of Plas Mix is the prevention of waste to landfill, which in turn eliminates the need to transport materials thousands of kilometres overseas for processing.
The trial in New Plymouth was the first example where plastic has been used to surface a public road in New Zealand.
The trial consumed 500 kilograms of hard plastic waste in 100 square metres of road. Downer said this is the equivalent plastic waste that 1,300 people would generate in one week.
Downer’s road science laboratories have gone to great effort to identify the optimum plastic mix and the size needed for a successful product. It is laid and paved in the same way as traditional asphalt.
One of the benefits Downer found in testing was that the performance of asphaltic road surfacing was enhanced by adding the plastic, especially in the areas of waterproofing and rutting.
“Developing practical and cost effective solutions to sustainability challenges remains front and centre for our team. Reducing solid waste from entering landfills while reducing our carbon footprint and providing high quality cost effective outcomes is a challenging yet motivating assignment for us,” says Mr. Robertson.
REGIONAL COMMUNITIES HAVE THEIR SAY ON ROAD SAFETY
The Victorian Government will hold eight road safety community roundtables across the state to seek views on reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on regional roads.
The roundtables follow last week’s Road Safety Summit, where experts and community leaders gathered to discuss what could be done to address the Victorian road toll.
Key themes to emerge from the summit include enforcement, speed limits,
technology and infrastructure. The roundtables will explore these issues with a local focus.
Roads Minister Jaala Pulford says the majority of the year’s road deaths occurred on regional roads, with 86 people killed compared to 47 at the same time last year.
“Country people are dying on their local roads. More than two thirds of people killed on country Victorian roads this year, have died within 30 kilometres of their home,” Ms. Pulford says.
“Overall, 143 people have died on the state’s roads this year, compared with 88 at the same time last year – an increase of 63 per cent.”
Ms. Pulford says government would consider ideas from the summit and community roundtables as part of the next road safety strategy, which is currently being developed.
AUSTROADS RESEARCH TO INFORM AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
Austroads has released a report, Relationships Between Cutter Oil Properties and Sprayed Seal Performance, to inform the update of Australian Standard AS 3568 Oils for Reducing the Viscosity of Residual Bitumen for Pavements.
The standard is used by Australian government agencies to specify the properties of hydrocarbon oils used during sprayed seal construction.
Australian Road Research Board Principal Technology Leader and report author, Robert Urquhart, says the standard had not been updated since 1999.
“The existing AS 3568 specifies some materials which are no longer commercially available. Some cutter oils that fail AS 3568 requirements also appear to perform satisfactorily during sprayed seal construction,” Mr. Urquhart says.
“The current issues with AS 3568 have required many agencies to maintain their own local specification standards. We are aiming for agencies to adopt the updated AS 3568 to save themselves time and extra work.”
In Australia and New Zealand, cutter oils are added to hot binders when sprayed seals are constructed at cooler temperatures to enhance the adhesion between binder and aggregate.
“The objective of the research in this report was to produce an updated version of AS 3568 which was performance-based and that also allowed the use of currently available commercial oils,” Mr. Urquhart says.
“We blended seven commercially available cutter oils with C170 bitumen and assessed their sprayed seal performance using four different laboratory tests. The main factors that affected sprayed seal performance were the cutter oils’ final boiling point and viscosity at 40°C.”
The new AS 3568 Standard report will contain the results of the study and input from Austroads Bituminous Surfacing Working Group members.
“Proposed changes include removing tests from the specification which do not provide information about the performance of cutter oils and deleting the specification table for heavy flux oil as this material is no longer used in Australia or New Zealand,” Mr. Urquhart says.
“Flux oil used in sprayed sealing operations will be required to comply with national specified requirements for automotive diesel fuel.”
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