INTERNATIONAL
FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS SUSTAINABILITY, PERPETUAL PAVEMENTS, ROADS AS A SERVICE AND CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT TOOK CENTRE STAGE AT THE 18TH AAPA INTERNATIONAL FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION.
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hen the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) was formed in 1969, the industry was exclusively using batch plants. As the first man stepped foot on the moon, a wide paving machine hit the streets to accelerate paving productivity. AAPA held its first ever conference two years later in 1971 and established its environmental committee in 1973. Fifty years on, around 600 AAPA members turned out for the largest conference and exhibition yet with sustainability as a key focus. In half a century machinery and ideas have developed dramatically from a wide paving machine in the ‘70s to a forward-moving aggregate spreader today. In the ‘90s an environmental guide was created by AAPA for asphalt plants best practice. Today contractors are not only recycling asphalt and bitumen-based materials but also incorporating other waste streams such as glass or rubber into its asphalt mixes. The International Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition, held every two years, took place in Sydney over four days, bringing together a mix of the road construction industry’s latest equipment and knowledge. “Everlasting roads, enabling our future 12
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mobility” set the central theme of the conference. Government representatives, original equipment manufacturers, suppliers, contractors from all tiers, designers and technology experts turned out to discover the latest industry trends and exchange ideas. Spray sealing, perpetual pavements that require minimum maintenance, bitumen viscosity, recycled asphalt pavements, binder specification and warm asphalt mixing were among an array of topics covered over the four-day conference. The industry was able to present and learn about the latest issues and solutions to these topics, all while seeing and experiencing emerging equipment and technology at the exhibition. INFORMING INDUSTRY In the conference opening address Hugh Bradlow, President of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, outlined the effect autonomous vehicles may have on the way road infrastructure is built and used. Mr. Bradlow outlined four autonomous vehicle technologies that could change the make-up of the road network. He detailed artificial intelligence, situational awareness technology including radars and sensors,
localisation and mapping technologies and V2X communications as road construction industry game changers. He also spoke of the challenges these new technologies will bring such as cyber safety, creating public revenue for roads and the changes in infrastructure that will be needed to facilitate the technology. “Over the next 10 years, more autonomous vehicles will be introduced to the road system. You could have a congestion zone
