www.insideconstruction.com.au In 2017, engineering students came together to construct a scaled down version of Brisbane’s Story Bridge - a local and prominent icon. Pictured is the original Story Bridge, which used cantilever construction, with steel erected by rail-mounted stiff leg derricks. More on page 16. (Image credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, negative 168343).
$55B pipeline of infrastructure investments INFRASTRUCTURE Australia has identified a $55 billion pipeline of infrastructure investments in its latest Infrastructure Priority List released at the end of March. Based on the Australian Infrastructure Audit and more than 500 submissions from governments, stakeholder groups and the community, the Infrastructure Priority List is the authoritative list of nationally-significant infrastructure investments Australia needs over the next 15 years. For the first time, the Priority List was also published alongside an interactive map that provides an up-to-date view of the nationally-significant investments Australia needs to meet its future infrastructure challenges. “In the 10 years since Infrastructure
Australia was formed, the Priority List has helped establish a longer-term view of our collective needs as a nation - one that enables our leaders to look beyond elections and budgetary cycles and make evidence-based investment decisions,” said Infrastructure Australia chair, Julieanne Alroe. “In this latest update to the Priority List, we have identified more than $55 billion worth of potential nationshaping infrastructure investments in our cities and regions, including six High Priority Projects and six Priority Projects. In addition, there are a further 24 High Priority Initiatives and 60 Priority Initiatives.” Reflecting the demands of a growing population, Australia’s cities and public transport needs are a major focus of the revised Priority List.
“New investment-ready projects like the $1 billion Brisbane Metro and the $800 million Beerburrum to Nambour rail upgrade in South East Queensland have been prioritised because of their potential to deliver national productivity gains,” Alroe said. “We have also added new initiatives to improve rail network capacity in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to meet unprecedented demand in major capital cities.” The Priority List identifies a number of additional opportunities to improve connectivity between capitals and neighbouring cities. This includes improvements to rail capacity on the Melbourne-Geelong and Brisbane-Gold Coast rail lines, as well as rail upgrades on lines from Sydney to the regional centres of Newcastle and Wollongong.
IN THIS ISSUE MAJOR PROJECTS Gateway Upgrade North addresses challenges DEMOLITION A tale of control and precision TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS A future for autonomous vehicles? STATE INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT Sparks of recovery for WA
ISSUE 2 – APRIL/MAY 2018
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The Intersection of Infrastructure and Technology
Editor’s note +
Be careful what you ask for ON the face of it, US President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion plan to fix ‘crumbing infrastructure’, along with the mention of leveraging this with funding from the private sector and local governments, was the stuff of dreams for contractors. There was the expected outpouring of gratitude (We love you, Donnie!) from some industry groups - a crumb falling from heaven is a feast to a starving person. However, there were some intelligent notes of caution from other quarters. Smart Growth America said that there was a need to develop an infrastructure plan that provides real funding (i.e. does not rob Peta to pay Paula), fixes existing infrastructure, funds smart new projects and measures success. The third point is perhaps the most challenging: beneath the buzz phrase of “Internet of Things” is a lot of smart technology to make monitoring of infrastructure more cost-effective. There are also advances in materials technology that support a worldwide push for more resilient infrastructure to meet the challenges of climate change, or just plain work better. “Smart projects” also means not just building the “same old same old” but looking at the needs of tomorrow rather
than just projecting today’s or even yesterday’s needs. The disappearance of backyards, combined with the high proportion of millennials with no desire to own their own home, increases the demand for leisure space. The increasing number of people living in and near CBDs is increasing demand for more green space in CBDs; and requires a balancing act with competing demands for limited space. On the local front, perhaps the most important recent news is Consult Australia’s “iBodies: Infrastructure Governance in Australia” report calling for all levels of government to establish independent statutory infrastructure bodies (‘iBodies’) around four core principles of independence, planning, assessment and prioritisation. An element of the independence of the iBodies is that should a government wish to change either the projects to be funded or the priority of spending, it must seek parliamentary approval. The full document is accessible online at http://www.consultaustralia.com.au. On the matter of independence, the politicisation of the public service, and erosion over time of the separation of powers (legislative, executive, judicial) is a concern. I still regard the Sydney Harbour Bridge + Underground Rail Loop (often forgotten, but an integral
part of the planning) as the best example of infrastructure planning in Australian history. It delivered on many fronts: connectivity (allowing people to live north of the Harbour and work in the CBD), caters for multiple modes of transport (including trams, until 1960), had the capacity to handle decades of population growth, was planned early enough that the most cost-effective (top down) method of construction could be used for the loop, allowed for future network growth, and changed with advances in technology (originally planned as a two-span bridge but changes in steel technology allowed this to be built as a single span arch bridge when the project was rekindled post-WW1). The drive and vision of public servant Dr John Bradfield, and the respect accorded him by politicians of the era, was instrumental in the project’s success, as was the courage of those who supported such a large project in a much smaller Australia. Planning commenced over a century ago, but we can still learn valuable lessons today. We hope you enjoy the issue. For daily coverage of all that matters regarding infrastructure, engineering construction, as well as cranes, lifting and access sectors, visit www.insideconstruction.com.au
Senior Editor: Jacqueline Ong Editor: Greg Keane (greg.keane@mayfam.net) Journalist: Jan Arreza (jan.arreza@mayfam.net) Creative Director, Patterntwo Creative Studio: Toni Middendorf Advertising Sales: Ross May (ross@mayfam.net) Subscriptions: Email: subscriptions@mayfam.net Web: www.insideconstruction.com.au Office: Level 13, 333 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000 Phone: 0400 868 456 Email: contact@mayfam.net Website: www.insideconstruction.com.au Publisher: Ross May (ross@mayfam.net) COPYRIGHT WARNING: All editorial copy and some advertisements in this publication are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the written authorisation of the managing editor. Offenders will be prosecuted.
REWIND
THIS TIME, 10 YEARS AGO...
Unions keep ABCC in their sights: following the announcement made by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government that they would “have a tough cop on the beat in the building and construction industry”, unions confirmed they would continue to campaign for an end to the Office of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and its powers. The ABCC was abolished in May 2012 with many of its functions taken on by the Fair Work Building & Construction agency. At the end of 2016, the ABCC was re-established.
Ausdrill rejects MacMahon’s advances: drilling contractor Ausdrill rejected construction company Macmachon’s unsolicited $446 million takeover bid, calling it “inadequate” and “opportunistic”.
Desal plant demonstrates construction excellence: the Perth Saltwater Desalination Project was declared Australia’s most outstanding example of construction excellence at the 2008 Australian Construction Achievement Awards. The project involved the design and construction of a 144-megalitre per day seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant - the third largest in the world at the time - in an 18-month period.
World’s first hybrid unveiled: construction equipment manufacturer Komatsu launched what it claimed was the world’s first hybrid construction machine, the PC200-8 Hybrid excavator. The machine was powered by the Komatsu Hybrid System which used a newly developed electric motor to turn the upper structure, power generation motor, capacitor and diesel engine.
The hunt for a crane leader: the Crane Industry Council of Australia began its search for a chief executive officer - a newly created position at the time - eventually appointing Alan Marshall to the role in September that year. Today, Brandon Hitch leads CICA as CEO.
$1B makeover for Perth Airport: a $1 billion expansion and redevelopment plan was announced for Perth Airport, as part of a five- to seven-year plan to eventually merge the domestic and international terminals. In 2017, another infrastructure expansion program was announced, this time to the tune of $2.5 billion.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
In May 2008, a $1B expansion and redevelopment plan was announced for Perth Airport. (Credit: Hugh Llewelyn, Flickr CC)
APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION
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News Australia’s infrastructure boom is creating cost pressures.
Growing demand pushes up costs GROWING demand is creating pressure within the sector, says international cost and consultancy practice WT Partnership, with personnel, plant and equipment, as well as base materials such as cement, steel and aggregates showing a significant increase in price. Releasing its Construction Market Conditions 2018 report in March, the firm said Australia’s infrastructure boom - major projects including rail, airports, and ports are already underway in NSW and Victoria - has intensified cost pressures and WT Partnership expects an escalation in tender prices in the sector of between 4-5% for civil infrastructure developments. In NSW, the escalation is forecast
to continue at around 4%, while the buoyant conditions in Victoria and the ACT will see the escalation trending at 3% and 3.25% respectively. Over in Tasmania, the escalation is pegged at 3.5%, while other regions across the country are expected to have tender pricing levels escalate at about 2-3%. However, Peter Clack, director of construction cost consulting firm Ralph Beattie Bosworth, told Inside Construction that tender price escalation will be at around 6% by the end of the year. “Major building projects are consequently at risk of cost blowouts, with serious shortages to be expected
$955M Sydney Metro contract awarded WORK is progressing on the Sydney Metro with the NSW government awarding a $955 million contract to transform Sydney’s busiest station. Laing O’Rourke will be upgrading Central Station and the contract includes: ++ the excavation and construction of the new underground Sydney Metro platforms at Central beneath platforms 13 and 14; ++ Central Walk - a new 19m-wide underground concourse from Chalmers Street, connecting customers to suburban rail platforms, Sydney Metro platforms, the new light rail and buses; and
++ escalators linking platforms 12 to 23. Completion of the Central Walk and Central Station metro upgrade contract is expected in 2022, with Central Walk open to customers. Due to the massive scale of the Sydney Metro project, the final Central contract value may vary due to ongoing fine-tuning and optimisation involving the 14 other major contracts, for which tenders have yet to be received. The first of five mega tunnel boring machines will be in the ground before the end of this year to deliver the twin 15.5km metro rail tunnels between Chatswood and Sydenham.
in the availability of structural trade workers such as concreters, steel workers, form workers and fixers, as they will be otherwise occupied in infrastructure projects,” Clack said. “NSW for instance is currently facing significant trade pricing pressures across demolition, formwork, joinery and plasterboard trades. In Victoria, the availability of specialist consultants, subcontractors, suppliers, plant and equipment is beginning to tighten, and will only get worse this year.” Procurement of building materials is another area of concern, with the large-scale demand on materials, especially concrete aggregates, reinforcement and steel for infrastructure
projects leading to cost escalation in other sectors of the industry. According to Clack, this will lead the country to go from a saturated market to an overheated market. “The sheer volume of major infrastructure projects will push up prices of concrete and steel. Prices of steelworks could go from around $5500 to $6000 per tonne now, to around $8000 or $9000 over the next 18 months,” Clack said. “Established developers will take the warning and be prepared to absorb these cost escalations, but newcomers to the industry may suffer from cost blowouts to an extent that they wouldn’t be able to recover from the loss.”
Western Sydney City plan to deliver long-term prosperity THE Turnbull and Berejiklian governments, along with eight Western Sydney councils, have agreed to a landmark Western Sydney City Deal, which is a coordinated plan designed to deliver long-term prosperity for the region. The deal will deliver for Western Sydney: ++ A North South Rail Link from St Marys to Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis via Western Sydney Airport. ++ A world-class Aerotropolis including Commonwealth-owned
land at North Bringelly. ++ An Investment Attraction Office to attract investment to the Western Parkland City. ++ New planning regime for Western Sydney to cut development costs. ++ A $150 million Western Parkland City Liveability Program to deliver community facilities. ++ New STEM-focused education facilities to train skilled workers needed for the Aerotropolis. ++ A plan to embed smart digital technology in the western city.
Four TBMs ordered FOUR tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have been ordered for Victoria’s $11 billion Metro Tunnel project and will start arriving early next year. They will burrow the project’s twin 9km tunnels. Each TBM will be 100m long, weigh up to 1000t and have a diameter of 7.2m. They will operate like moving factories as they travel beneath the city’s surface, with giant cutting heads burrowing through soil and rock before it’s transported via pipes to the surface. The custom-built machines include 4
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offices, kitchens and bathrooms to support crews of up to 14 people during a round-the-clock operation. They will progressively install watertight concrete lining as they move under the surface at around 10m a day building the new tunnels. The heaviest single component of each TBM is the cutterhead, which weighs in at 175t and can tunnel through rock six times harder than concrete. The deepest tunnelling point will be under Swanston Street, at the
northern edge of the CBD near the new State Library Station. Here the TBMs will excavate around 40m below the surface. The four TBMs will install a total of 55,000 individual concrete segments that are needed to create the two tunnels. Upon their arrival, two machines will be transported to Arden and two to Domain, where they will be assembled, lowered into a shaft 20m underground and launched into the earth. Each TBM will head away from the city
on the first leg of their journey before being retrieved in Kensington and South Yarra. They will then be dismantled and trucked back to their starting points to be relaunched towards the city, with tunnelling expected to be complete by 2021. Significant work has already been undertaken at both launch sites to prepare the areas for tunnelling work, including the installation of temporary construction power substations to power the TBMs from both locations.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
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News
$255M win for John Holland
Artist’s impression of the Sunshine Coast Airport, which is undergoing an expansion undertaken by John Holland.
AUSTRALIAN contractor John Holland has secured a contract worth $225 million to build a new runway at the Sunshine Coast Airport in Queensland. The expansion is part of a $372 million privatisation deal with Palisade Investment Partners, which took control of Sunshine Coast Airport in 2017 under a 99-year lease with Sunshine Coast Council. Under the terms of the contract, John Holland will construct a new 2450m by 45m main runway, which will be designed by Beca Consultants and referred to as Runway 13/31. It will be capable of handling aircrafts up to the size of an Airbus A330 or Boeing 787. Runway 13/31 would intersect the existing Runway 18/36 slightly north of the current connection to the cross runway. The alignment of the new runway was chosen to avoid topographical constraints including Mt Coolum and Mt Ninderry. The location of the runway within the site was influenced by the following factors: ++ meeting aviation standards without the need for exemptions; ++ achieving the runway length required to meet target destinations in Asia and the length required for larger aircraft; ++ reducing the number of residents affected by aircraft noise; ++ avoiding poor geotechnical
conditions immediately east of the Sunshine Motorway at the north-west end of the runway; and ++ providing adequate flood conveyance capacity between the end of the runway and the Sunshine Motorway to avoid potential flood impacts. While the airport expansion was initially estimated to cost $347 million, current estimates show that the project would be delivered for around $303 million. This is largely due to the terminal expansion being taken over by the airport operator Sunshine Coast Airport. Early works progressed well throughout 2017, including the completion of the Finland Road upgrade to prepare the road surface for heavy vehicle traffic, engaging with the Kabi Kabi First Nation People to protect the cultural heritage of the runway expansion land, clearing the centreline and the relocation of the water main and power lines. John Holland Group will be taking possession of the project site over the next couple of weeks to start preparing the site for the dredging works, which will commence mid-year. Delivery of the expansion is being supported by loans from the Australian government and the Queensland Treasury Corporation and remains on track for completion by Christmas 2020.
Kingfield Galvanizing wins construction award KINGFIELD Galvanizing has won the Process Innovation Award at this year’s Australian Construction Awards (ACA) for its technological advances in the hot dip galvanizing (HDG) industry. Kingfield’s process innovation integrates sustainability and automation in a state-of-the-art HDG facility in Somerton, Victoria. The plant is considered a benchmark for the future of Australia’s HDG industry. With a focus on quadruple bottom line outcomes, the facility uses technology to lower emissions, improve both workplace safety and the working environment, increase recycling and re-use outputs to minimise waste. Kingfield’s investment in HDG process innovation was prompted by the requirements for major refurbishment works on their 30-year old traditional HDG plant, to modernise equipment and improve throughput for a growing customer base. 6
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Inland Rail and Regional Rail Revival agreements reached DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael McCormack and Victorian Minister for Public Transport and Major Projects Jacinta Allan have signed a Bilateral Agreement in relation to Inland Rail, making Victoria the first state to sign up to project. This agreement includes a commitment to negotiate a new long-term lease with the Australian Rail Track Corporation and to support the extension of the corridor to accommodate any changes to the North East Rail Line alignment required to support the delivery of Inland Rail. On completion, the Inland Rail Project will create a direct rail freight connection between Melbourne and Brisbane capable of moving double stacked freight containers. Inland Rail will deliver almost $7 billion in additional state gross product through construction and in the first 50 years of operation.
While the Inland Rail Project is a freight project, both governments acknowledge the North East Rail Line is currently used for both passenger and freight services and that this mixed use is intended to continue. Now that an agreement on Inland Rail has been reached, money for the $1.7 billion Regional Rail Revival program will begin to be delivered to Victoria. The works will be delivered under the Regional Rail Revival Program that will provide an upgrade to every regional passenger rail line in Victoria. Planning and defining the scope of works have already begun to ensure these projects meet the transport needs of passengers and regional communities, and the Victorian and Australian governments reaching agreement on the first stage of works, with some work already underway.
Companies shortlisted to build high priority QLD project THE Queensland government has announced the shortlisted companies for the contract to build the state’s highest priority infrastructure project - Cross River Rail. The shortlisted proponents are for two Cross River Rail major works packages: The Tunnel, Stations and Development (TSD) public-private partnership (PPP), and the Rail, Integration and Systems (RIS) alliance. Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said the announcement followed a comprehensive evaluation by the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority of the Expressions of Interest received for the two major works packages at the end of last year. “Shortlisted companies will now be required to prepare detailed bids that demonstrate innovation and offer Queenslanders the highest possible value for money,” Trad said. “Once the assessment process is complete, the consortia selected from these shortlists will be building this project.” The shortlisted companies are: 1. Tunnel, Stations and Development public-private partnership: ›› Pulse - CIMIC Group-led consortium, including Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors, UGL, BAM, Ghella and DIF. ›› Qonnect - QIC, Capella Capital, Lendlease, John Holland and Bouygues. ›› CentriQ Partnerships - Plenary Group, ACCIONA, GS Engineering & Construction, Salini Impregilo and Spotless Group. 2. Rail, Integratoin and Systems alliance: ›› River City Alliance - Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction Pty Limited, GHD Pty Ltd, Aurecon Australasia Pty Ltd, SYSTRA Scott Lister Australia Pty Ltd. ›› Unity Alliance - CPB Contractors Pty Limited, UGL Engineering Pty Limited, Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, AECOM Australia Pty Ltd. The TSD PPP will primarily consist of the construction of the underground scope, comprising 5.9km of tunnel and new station caverns under the Brisbane River and CBD. Meanwhile, the RIS Alliance will comprise surface works and integration with the separate European Train Control System project being procured separately by Queensland Rail.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
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Major projects
Gateway Upgrade North addresses many challenges
BY GREG KEANE THE Gateway Upgrade North project is on schedule for completion in late 2018. Major works started in early 2016. The $1.143 billion project is funded by the Australian government and Queensland state government in an 80:20 split. The Gateway Upgrade North project aims to ease congestion and improve the safety and efficiency of one of Queensland’s busiest motorways, which carries more than 83,000 vehicles each day. Capacity improvements will be delivered by widening the motorway from four lanes to six between Nudgee and Deagon. The project will increase the freight capacity and efficiency along this important strategic transport corridor, which is part of the National Highway and directly services the Port of Brisbane, Australia Trade Coast and the Brisbane Airport precinct. In addition to widening the motorway, the upgrade includes widening the Deagon Deviation between Depot Road and Bracken Ridge Road to provide two lanes in each direction. Reconfiguring major interchanges 8
INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
at Nudgee, Boondall and Deagon will increase the efficiency of the motorway’s operation and improve connectivity to key urbanised areas. The Deagon section in particular has a poor traffic incident record and a high number of merge/weave movements for motorists travelling to and from Redcliffe. The new Deagon Deviation overpass will improve safety and efficiency by separating traffic travelling on the Deagon Deviation from traffic on the motorway. The motorway widening design incorporates provision for a ‘skinny 8’ lane configuration to cater for future traffic volumes. Bridge width, pavement widths, the alignment of on- and off-ramps, and the placement of utilities and services, have all been considered in the widening to accommodate this configuration. Implementing a future ‘skinny 8’ configuration would involve relocating barriers and guard rails, and safety features such as emergency stopping bays and signage gantries. Active transport has also been an important project consideration, with the project delivering better amenity and connectivity for pedestrians and
cyclists. Improvements include 15km of upgraded shared use pathway (SUP) along the length of the project from Nudgee to Bracken Ridge, with connections to existing local bicycle and pedestrian networks. The new pathway will connect the Jim Soorley Bikeway at Nudgee to the existing Gateway Motorway pedestrian/cyclist underpass at Bracken Ridge and incorporate existing shared paths
adjacent to the Gateway Motorway. As part of the design and construct (D&C) process, the Gateway Upgrade North project was able to include a major safety improvement to the SUP connection over the Sandgate Road bridge at Shorncliffe. This comprises a grade-separated path that extends the shared pathway along the motorway corridor over the bridges; and provides a more efficient, shorter journey with
PROJECT STATISTICS (TO JANUARY 2018) ++ more than three million hours worked; ++ 5200 people inducted to site; ++ 16 major traffic switches; ++ 230,000t of asphalt placed; ++ 214 bored/driven piles installed; ++ 63 bridge girders installed; ++ 346 deck units installed; ++ 15,000m3 of concrete poured for structures; ++ 46 drainage structures installed; ++ about 260 visitors to the Visitor Information Centre; ++ more than 330 site tour attendees; and ++ more than 250,000 community notifications delivered.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Major projects +
Bridge girders being installed at Nudgee.
The new, straightened alignment of the Gateway Motorway at Nudgee. A vehicle rest stop is being built to the left of the new alignment.
New bridge deck being installed between existing bridges at Sandgate Road.
fewer detours to local roads and paths. The new path includes designated rest stops and is scheduled for completion during the second half of 2018.
Project delivery The Queensland government has engaged Transurban Queensland (TQ) to assist Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in managing the delivery of the major works package. LendLease was awarded the D&C contract in July 2015. There are 13 bridges in the Gateway Upgrade North Project. The final girders for the new Deagon Deviation overpass bridge were installed in December 2017. The 90t girders were up to 35m long and were erected in a dual lift by a 500t allterrain crane set up behind the bridge abutments and a 350t crane working from the median strip. LCR Group provided the cranes and transport.
Ground improvement and piling Areas with particularly poor existing material required preload, combined with wick drains, to consolidate the soil. Other areas required removal and replacement of soil to ensure an adequate subgrade for the pavement. A large amount of piling has been
undertaken on the project, using a variety of pile types and piling methods. At its peak, five piling rigs were engaged on the project, supplied by three piling contractors - Avo Piling, Wagstaff Piling, and Caporn Piling. To minimise the environmental impact on Nundah Creek and the nearby protected wetland during the bridge construction, a custom-made temporary bridge was installed over a rock causeway to support the piling rig for all three stages. Precast concrete piles were driven by a leader mounted on a Manitowoc m12000 crane chassis with an operational weight of 135t. Noise mitigation methods during piling included the use of absorbent pads on hammer piling rigs and minimising the hammer drop height. The project has also undertaken a proactive approach to managing stakeholder engagement around piling activities including pre-emptive, grassroots community relations regarding noisy works, introducing a self-imposed curfew on piling night works where possible, and including respite breaks in the piling activity programming e.g. no piling on Friday and Saturday nights and Sundays.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
TRAFFIC SWITCH STATISTICS ++ 30 traffic switches from July 2017 to December 2017. ++ More than 100 traffic switches expected to be completed in the duration of the project.
Services, stakeholders, switches Project director Jenny McMillan said a major project of this size required substantial PUP (Public Utility Plant) and utilities relocation works. The work is being completed as part of the design and construct program, as works progress throughout the different project zones. To accommodate the widened motorway, this project included the major relocation of several high voltage (HV) Energex towers located near the motorway - the main Energex 110kV HV tower line feeding the airport, Port of Brisbane and Australian Trade Coast. “This work required significant planning and time to undertake the major relocation activities - about three years for the planning and construction process - with TMR taking
the lead in working with Energex to successfully complete all tower relocations,” McMillan said. The project’s stakeholder and community engagement team is in regular contact with many stakeholders along the project alignment - including businesses, residents, schools, elected representatives, community groups and road users – to keep the surrounding community well informed of the project’s progress and expected construction impacts. Located at the Bicentennial Road interchange, Boondall, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre (BEC) is one such stakeholder for the Gateway Upgrade North project. The project team has put in place arrangements regarding property access and traffic management during night works, APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION
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Major projects
Earthworks for the new Deagon Deviation alignment.
A custom-made temporary bridge was installed over a rock causeway for piling work at Nundah Creek, to minimise environmental impact.
EME2 pavement being laid.
and specifically on event nights, to assist in minimising disruption to the BEC and its event patrons. Maintaining traffic flow while widening the motorway is one of the key challenges. The project has a requirement to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction on the motorway during the day and at peak times. McMillan said the project team undertook traffic management activities, in particular traffic switches, at times to minimise disruptions to motorists, depending on location and direction of travel.
“These switches may include realigning traffic lanes into road shoulders or on to centre medians to allow construction areas to be established; or realigning both directions of traffic onto one side of the road to allow for construction on the other side of the road (also known as contra-flow),” she said. “Traffic switches have been staged or split up to allow a suitable portion of works to be completed each shift, to ensure works are completed efficiently to minimise impacts to motorists during peak times.
SUSTAINABILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY BENEFITS OF EME2 ++ lower emissions during production by reducing throughput in the asphalt plant; ++ use of fewer non-renewable raw materials (such as aggregates) associated with the reduction in asphalt quantities required; ++ fewer trucks needed to transport the asphalt, meaning less impact on the roads, road users and the environment; ++ reduction in the plant required onsite to construct the pavement; and ++ helps preserve finite non-renewable resources.
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Deconstruction of a bridge at Sandgate Road.
“As a major freight route, a wide-dimension vehicle management process has been implemented on the project to provide a consistent travel time period for both the transport industry and the project.”
Environment and sustainability The project team is collaborating to ensure the use of innovative methodologies and sustainable materials throughout the project’s design and construction, ensuring benefits to road users and the community continue long after its completion. While the construction area is extensive, its ecological impact - particularly around the Deagon Wetlands and Deagon Racecourse - has been managed by reducing its overall footprint compared to the original preferred plan, reducing the vegetation clearing required for construction. The project will also enhance fauna connectivity within the area with the provision of fauna underpasses, treelike crossing structures, and glider poles. Six fauna crossings have been installed at key locations along the corridor to provide safe locations for animals to cross the motorway.
Fauna underpasses and overhead rope ladders will be provided, with overhead crossings designed specifically for squirrel gliders. Fauna fencing will also be installed to direct animals to the fauna crossing locations preventing them from accessing the motorway. The project team is working with Healthy Waterways and Catchments Ltd to carry out a Seagrass Restoration Program to offset the removal of marine plants during construction; and with the Brisbane City Council to offset trees removed for construction. The restoration program is repairing seagrass beds located in Moreton Bay that have been damaged by traditional concrete and chain boat moorings. These traditional moorings are being replaced with Environmentally Friendly Moorings (EFM) that use a ‘screw system’ where the mooring post is screwed to the sea floor and used as the anchor point. The project will install about 115 EFMs as part of the program, assisting with the recovery of damaged seagrass. The project team is also investigating (with Brisbane City Council) options for offsetting habitat trees removed as part of the upgrade.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Major projects +
Work on the bridge over Sandgate Road and the rail line.
Major culvert at Deagon.
The Gateway Upgrade North project was awarded an ‘excellent’ design rating by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) - the first major road project in Queensland to gain this rating. An ‘excellent’ rating assures the community that the project’s contribution to sustainability goes beyond visible features to include less obvious features like the selection of sustainable materials, superior management systems and responsive community engagement. Two examples of project innovation include the use of sustainable asphalt, EME2, and the load testing of motorway bridges being deconstructed to make way for new structures. This bridge testing - an Australian industry first - was designed to build greater understanding of the behaviour of aging bridge structures.
Pavement innovation The pavement for the Gateway Upgrade North project includes a 1700m section of EME2 high modulus asphalt on the southbound lanes of the Deagon Deviation. Devices have been installed to allow TMR to monitor its performance.
This is a demonstration project; and a joint initiative by the Australian government and TMR, in collaboration with TQ, LLE, the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), and Boral Asphalt. EME2 has become available in Australia in recent years following technology transfer from France. Previously, it was only used in limited volume applications and demonstration trials in Australia. The Gateway Upgrade North project marks the first time that EME2 has been used on a major road project nationwide, and within a design and construct project. McMillan said the use of EME2 on the project provided an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of the product and gain an improved understanding of how EME2 asphalt is produced and placed during construction. “It is intended this project will promote the increased use of EME2 in Queensland and across Australia,” she said. EME2 is renowned for its high stiffness and durability, especially rut and fatigue resistance, which enables
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WASTE MANAGEMENT There has been an 89% recovery rate for construction and demolition wastes, with initiatives including: ++ a packaging take-back arrangement with suppliers; ++ recycling metals through Sims Metal Management; ++ recycling of concrete and asphalt at an offsite Alex Fraser recycling facility; ++ recycling paper through Shred-X; and ++ mulching vegetation on site and using it for erosion sediment control.
cost and sustainability improvements. It is a stronger alternative to ‘conventional’ asphalt for heavy duty asphalt pavements. Its high modulus (stiffness) means that, for such pavements, traffic loads can be carried by a thinner pavement than would be required if using conventional asphalt. The use of EME2 provides a reduction in total asphalt thickness of up to 25%. Part of the EME2 pavement incorporates 15% Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) materials. The use of RAP has two major
benefits: it is a sustainable product and reduces the overall cost of the EME2 pavement. Asphalt supplier Boral manufactured and laid about 9000t of EME2 on the Deagon Deviation, with the work completed at the end of March 2017.
Acknowledgment: Inside Construction would like to thank a Transport and Main Roads spokesperson for providing detailed information on the Gateway Upgrade North project. APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 11
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Inside Western Australia
Optus Stadium Perth’s new venue with integrated transport planning BY GREG KEANE THE recently opened Optus Stadium in Perth is a multi-purpose venue with the flexibility to host a range of events. It highlights the growing importance of high capacity, multi-purpose venues with integrated transport options in attracting high profile sporting and entertainment events, particularly when there is competition between cities to attract these events. Ron Alexander, co-chair of the Optus Stadium Steering Committee, outlined the planning requirements to Inside Construction. “Optus Stadium is a multi-purpose venue with the flexibility to host AFL, cricket, soccer, rugby union and league and entertainment events. In addition, Optus Stadium can also accommodate a 400m athletics track and field, consistent with the requirements of the Commonwealth Games and international athletics events,” Alexander said. “The Rectangular Sports User Group was established in 2012 to ensure Optus Stadium met the requirements for rectangular sports. The User Group, which included representatives from Football West, Perth Glory, Rugby WA and NRL WA, focussed on the pitch and the rectangular reconfiguration progress from oval shape. “Whilst the Optus Stadium field of play is oval shaped and consistent with the requirements for AFL and cricket, rectangular sports such as soccer and rugby will be accommodated with up to 5000-tiered drop-in seats added; increasing the total capacity from 60,000 to 65,000 seats. “The front row of seating (in oval mode) is raised approximately 1.2m from ground level, which allows the drop-in seats to be added and positioned on all four sides of the playing surface, providing an exceptional viewing experience for fans in rectangular mode. The drop-in seats replicate the quality and viewing angles of the permanent seats. A 12-hour turnaround time is all that is required to install or remove the drop-in seats. 12 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
“For entertainment events, a range of stage locations can be accommodated. The maximum capacity in concert mode is 70,000 fans; when the stage is in the centre of the pitch.”
Services In terms of service location, the Optus Stadium site was relatively benign for one so close to the CBD. Alexander outlined the process as: “Due to the historical uses of the Stadium site, most recently as the Burswood Golf Course, there were limited underground services present. It was primarily a ‘green fields’ site. “The State Project Team worked with the various public utilities to arrange the provision of utility services to the site. “Services were available to the former Burswood Gold Clubhouse, which is located to the south of the Stadium structure; but they required a major upgrade to respond to the needs of a 60,000-seat Stadium. “The State Project Team worked with a number of state government agencies including Water Corp, Western Power and Atco Gas over the course of the project to deliver these new or upgraded services to site. “Telecommunication services were also required, and involved a prime service installed by Telstra (for Television Broadcasting), as well as fibre services from other carriers, and a NBN connection. Upgrades to the mobile phone services to the Stadium site were also implemented.”
Pre-construction site works (June 2013 – March 2014) If the services aspects of the site were relatively benign, then the ground conditions were not. Alexander explains: “The site for Optus Stadium provided the State Project Team with unique geotechnical challenges to overcome, not least its location on the Swan River, Perth’s largest waterway. “Historically, the land was an Aboriginal meeting place where the Swan River estuary met the river. After the early settlement of Perth, the land
was used soon as a market garden, then as Perth’s first golf course (for around 10 years), then as a horse race track (for around 40 years), then as a landfill facility (for around 30 years) and most recently (for around 28 years) as the Burswood Golf Course. The Burswood Golf course closed in April 2013, and Optus Stadium site works commenced soon thereafter,” he said. “The project definition planning in 2012 identified that an early works package would help ensure delivery of the Stadium by the 2018 target set by government. A pre-construction site works (ground treatment) package commenced in mid-2013, after the environmental and Aboriginal heritage approvals had been obtained by the State Project Team.” A key challenge for the ground treatment works contractor involved the insertion of 55,400 vertical wick drains (at 1.2m spacing) through the underlying layers of industrial refuse (largely comprising concrete rubble and steel obstructions), and then through the Swan River Alluvium layer to solid ground (the Sandy Channel Deposits). The thickness of this ‘refuse’ layer varies across the site, ranging from around 4m to over 8m of rubble sinking slowing into the Swan River Alluvium. The Swan River Alluvium layer varies from 5m to 22m across the site. A range of techniques was developed by the contractor to prepare a path through any obstruction for the installation of the wick drains. These techniques largely comprised differing forms of vibration or impact driven probes, similar to a pile driver operation. Sand surcharging comprised 740,000t (26,000 truckloads of sand) placed in layers up to 6m thick across key parts of the site. Surcharging close to the Swan River also presented environmental challenges. It was essential that any water within the refuse layer that was compressed by the surcharge and moved laterally during the settlement process did not contaminate the Swan River.
This was managed by installing a 400m line of water extraction spears between the surcharged areas and the river. The extracted ground water was then treated by a water treatment unit established on site and the water was then reused across the site for dust suppression and ground compaction purposes. In addition to the surcharging with wick drains, an extensive amount of the site (over 90,000m2) was treated with dynamic compaction, which comprised dropping a large block of concrete weighing up to 27t approximately a dozen times, across a 5m grid, from a height of 10-20m. This dynamic compaction was used to collapse any voids (such as rusting car bodies) within the refuse layer. Alexander concluded: “A successful early works outcome was achieved through thorough planning, extensive site investigations and analysis by the Project Team. The Team prepared the scope of work, chose an appropriate procurement model, developed sound contract documents, and appointed a very competent contractor (the Ertech-Keller JV) that carefully planned and managed the design and construction risks. These ground treatment works were successfully completed ahead of schedule (in March 2014) and enabled the construction site to be ready for hand over to the Westadium consortium immediately after the Design Build Finance and Maintain (DBFM) contract award in August 2014.”
Construction (Dec 2014 – Nov 2017) As part of the construction of the Stadium, builder Multiplex (one of four lead organisations of the Westadium consortium) utilised Controlled Modulus Columns (CMCs) as an innovative solution to the ground treatment immediately around the Stadium structure. This ground treatment is required to avoid the vertical and differential settlement that otherwise would occur, causing damage to pathways and servicing. The use of CMCs rather than dynamic compaction and sand surcharge (as was
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Inside Western Australia +
A successful early works outcome was achieved through thorough planning, extensive site investigations and analysis by the Project Team. The Team prepared the scope of work, chose an appropriate procurement model, developed sound contract documents, and appointed a very competent contractor (the Ertech-Keller JV) that carefully planned and managed the design and construction risks.
Turf being installed, August 2017.
Piling, January 2015.
Tower and crawler cranes building the stadium structure, August 2016.
used in the pre-construction site works phase) enabled the structural piling to proceed immediately in the adjacent stadium substructure areas. CMCs were installed in a grid pattern using a specially designed hollow drilling rig which displaced
the soil laterally as it descended into the ground. Once the rig reached the required depth, concrete was pumped through it to form the CMC. The drill rig then slowly withdrew to ‘build’ the column until it reached ground level.
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Due to the displacement of the soil, once the grid pattern was completed, both the soil and CMCs share the load of the weight above - differing from piles, which carry the weight alone. Construction of the Stadium commenced in December 2014 with
eight tower cranes (the highest crane had a height of 61.5m and the lowest stood at 50m) utilised; and positioned on the outside of what would be the future stadium structure. The tower cranes were assisted by three crawler cranes and 10 mobile cranes to lift pieces of the stadium structure into place. The cranes were collectively used to install 14,000t of structural steel to create the stadium frame, 22 structural cores including nine lift cores, over 4000 concrete seating platforms upon which the Stadium’s 60,000 seats are affixed, and the 50 steel roof trusses, which each weigh 25t and have a span of 45m. All cranes were progressively demobilised and removed from site commencing May 2016, ahead of works commencing on the playing surface in late November 2016. Initial works on the playing surface involved the installation of drainage equipment, irrigation systems, power cables and below ground surfaces including soil and gravel. Installation of the turf onto the playing surface commenced on August 1, 2017 and was completed by the end of that month. The turf is a combination of natural couch grass woven with artificial turf, which provides outstanding durability and stability. The same turf is successfully used at other stadia in Australia and APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 13
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Inside Western Australia
overseas including the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Eden Park in Auckland and Perth’s own nib Stadium. A total of 18,000m2 of turf was grown at a local turf farm in Serpentine and was delivered to site in 10m x 1m sections. The turf was installed using a 3t roller and was trimmed to fit the Perth Stadium playing surface.
Use of BIM on the project State-of-the-art Building Information Modelling (BIM) was also utilised on the project incorporating 4D (programming) and 5D (cost) aspects into a 3D design of the Stadium. Traditionally, 2D drawings are produced first and the design would be visualised from those, which has led to
Work on the rail station required a shutdown of the Armadale line from July 1 to July 10, 2016.
problems on sites that were not picked up during design development. With BIM, the 3D model was created first, and the drawings were extracted from the model. This allowed designers to clearly see and resolve problems in 3D before construction commenced. At the centre of BIM is the Federated Model, a ‘single point of truth’ made up
by over 50 BIM model pieces built by design consultants and sub-contractors working for the builder, Multiplex. This Federated Model was updated weekly, so that all designers and building subcontractors working on the project had the latest information. BIM was also used to showcase components of the design with the sports that will use Optus Stadium (through regular meetings) and was also used by the various design consultants to refine their designs, for example by reviewing shop drawings in the BIM model. It is a requirement of the DBFM Contract that an ‘as constructed’ version of BIM be provided by Multiplex to the state (at the end of the Design and Construct Phase). This will enable BIM to be used during the 25-year Operating Phase (e.g. for ongoing access to as-built information, and for life cycle maintenance planning).
Integrated transport An integrated public transport solution for Optus Stadium, incorporating rail, bus and pedestrian options, will allow the safe and efficient movement of 50,000 people, or 83%, of a capacity crowd, within an hour of an event finishing. Public Transport Authority (PTA) managing director Mark Burgess said: “A key component of the strategy was the redevelopment of the existing Belmont Station into a new sixplatform station, and construction of the associated rail yards to hold up to 112 railcars, making the train system capable of transporting 28,000 people within one hour on event days.
Work around the stadium rail station, August 2016.
14 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
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Inside Western Australia +
Bus station, with the completed stadium in the background.
How the Matagarup Bridge will look when completed. Temporary causeways were built on each side to provide a stable platform for construction.
“It is important to note that the station was constructed in the middle of an operating railway - the Armadale Line - so there was a requirement to stage the project in a way that would allow trains to continue to operate most of the time.” The rail station, which is 130m from the Stadium’s ticket gates, is the second largest in Perth. The Stadium’s Bus Station, located in Stadium Park (the area of land surrounding the Stadium), will complement the rail operations and transport over 8000 people to areas of Perth currently not serviced by rail. A total of 600 bike racks located throughout the Stadium Park will provide further flexibility and encourage year-round use. Burgess concluded: “The transport solution for Optus Stadium has been a huge undertaking for the PTA and Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA), who have undertaken bridge, road and intersection improvements around the Burswood peninsula. As part of the delivery of the world class public transport solution, PTA has planned and carried out several bus and rail testing events; allowing its customer service and security staff, train and bus
drivers and other key event staff to practice the train and bus operations as they would run on game day.” Peter Woronzow, acting managing director at MRWA, outlined other aspects of the integrated transport planning. “As part of the integrated public transport solution, pedestrian access to the Burswood Peninsula is vital. The existing pedestrian linkages to East Perth, namely the Windan and Goongoonup bridges, were inadequate to cope with the anticipated demand on event day,” Woronzow said. “A new pedestrian bridge over the Swan River (now known as Matagarup
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Bridge) was required to improve the connection between East Perth and the Burswood Peninsula. It will cater for an expected capacity of 14,000 people on event days; and create a spectacular entry statement to Stadium Park.” Matagarup Bridge will stretch 370m from bank to bank, have a width of at least 9m, and a steel cable-stay span of 160m at the centre. It will have a centre structural arch, with an expressive apex that will rise 72m above the river. The bridge has two piers driven into the river bed to reduce the impact on the river, and two piers on either shore. It will have a 40m wide vessel
navigational channel, with a clearance of 8m between the water and the base of the bridge deck. Woronzow also pointed out further details: “The design also includes two landscaped pause points and decorative lighting across the bridge to the stadium, approaches at both ends of the bridge, eight bus stands on the East Perth foreshore that will transport approximately 6000 people to inner city car bays on event days, and full landscaping to both foreshores.” The bridge construction is expected to be completed by May 2018. APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 15
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Training
Scaled down construction: scaled up practical education BY GREG KEANE CONSTRUCTIONARIUM is a UK concept aimed at addressing a perceived gap between the theory of academic institutions and the practical requirements of industry through bringing late year engineering students together to construct a scaled down version of a prominent piece of infrastructure over a five-day construction period, with training taking place before that and participants presenting their project at the conclusion. This concept was brought to Australia in 2016. The local approach was slightly different, involving recent engineering graduates representing contractors, consultants and project owners; and saw this as a means of allowing mutual understandings to be built, along with a practical appreciation of on-the-ground issues involved in construction. The 2017 project was the first to use a scaled-down version of a local icon (Brisbane’s Story Bridge), and the first to see late year university students participating alongside recent graduates. The build sponsors, who also supplied participants, were: ++ Downer (five participants); ++ infrastructure specialist Transurban (two participants); ++ the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) four participants; ++ engineering consultant HDR (three participants); and ++ the University of Queensland (UQ) four participants. Additional to this, there were “in-kind” sponsors who did not have participants. These were: ++ Construction Training Centre (venue, facilities ongoing home for Constructionarium Australia); ++ WH&S More Skills (craneage services including an operator, a site office, training rooms); ++ RLG International (leadership and team building support); ++ DWW Engineering (quality assurance, delivering steel in line with the program); and ++ Struber (celebration event, marketing and communications). Participation involved three days of preparatory work and five days on site, 16 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
Attendees at the VIP function inspecting the completed bridge.
including a client presentation on the afternoon of the fifth day. There was also a VIP function to present the project to external industry people. Participants experience a range of aspects of construction - often well outside their comfort zone - and quickly learn the importance of acting as a cohesive team. Post-project surveys of participants indicate that there are significant ongoing benefits in the workplace. There is substantial behind-thescenes work to allow a Constructionarium event to take place; covering not just sponsorships but also selection of the subject and arriving at design of a scaled down version that is challenging but still constructible safely and within the allotted time. Ideally, the design should be deconstructed so that it can be re-used in the future, with the deconstruction process also providing a training opportunity. The original Story Bridge was built by Evans Deakin - Hornibrook Constructions Pty Ltd, a consortium of steel fabricator and shipbuilder Evans Deakin and contractor Hornibrook Constructions, between 1935 and 1940. The site of the Constructionarium project is the former Evans Deakin fabrication facility used for the Story Bridge. This project has significance for cosponsor Downer Infrastructure Services, as the Downer Group bought Evans Deakin Industries in 2001. For a time, the business was known as Downer EDI. Mitch McMullen is operations manager at Downer Infrastructure Services, and was heavily involved in the Constructionarium project, including the training of participants prior to commencement of site work, and acting as the client when the project was delivered.
An aspect that he paid close attention to in training was the presentation of the tender to the client, believing that it is necessary to “sell” the proposal, not just talk dispassionately about it. Mark Mackay, executive general manager, Downer Infrastructure Projects, said: “We were very pleased to partner with Constructionarium Australia to support our industry’s infrastructure talent of the future. The practical realities they were exposed to in the Constructionarium Story Bridge build is exactly the sort of environment they will be experiencing in major construction projects.” Downer supported this position in a practical sense by offering positions to two of the student participants, in addition to having recent graduates already on its staff participate in the project. Nelson Ganhao, structures team leader at HDR, produced the design and D2D deliverable drawings for the scaled down Story Bridge, and also played a role in the training of participants prior to construction. The original bridge was researched at the Queensland State Library to gain an understanding of its dimensions, and drawings for a roughly 1:20 scale bridge 24m long, with 2m clearance in the centre, were produced to match the surveyed topography of the site. A quick calculation of weight was done, with the figure of approximately 5t arrived at. Considerations were that the design had to remain true to the original bridge, fit the site and be constructible safely within the available time, while still providing a learning experience for participants. The resulting design was a three-section design comprising
cantilever truss sections on concrete piers on either side, with a centre boltin span. Each of the sections comprised welded sections that were delivered to site, bolted together to form a 3D structure and then craned into position. A professional dogman/rigger and crane operator were used for this work. As part of his involvement in training of the construction team, Ganhao paid particular attention to building understanding of reading plans, and understanding notes attached to plans. DTMR was a returning sponsor of Constructionarium Australia and provided, in addition to participants, extensive assistance in surveying, including education of participants in surveying-related matters and production of 3D models; and a 3D laser scan of the completed structure. Transurban was a first-time sponsor and adds a new element to the previous sponsor delineation of the consultant, contractor and project owner. Ian Sinclair, Transurban general manager delivery Queensland, outlined its involvement as: “At Transurban, we are committed to investing in our future leaders and this initiative is a great opportunity for some of our up-and-coming engineers to gain hands-on experience delivering a successful project. “The confidence they gained from this valuable initiative will no doubt help to prepare them for the challenges they will face as they progress in their careers.” Transurban has a number of development programs for undergraduates and recent graduates, including: ++ a tailored 24-month graduate development program, providing learning opportunities across four rotations in different areas of the business, with regular opportunities for personal development and networking with senior executives; ++ an Undergraduate Engineering Program; and ++ a Females Excelling in Engineering and Technology (FEET) mentoring program, offered twice yearly and involving a 35-hour work placement to introduce potential career paths and opportunities. Each year, Transurban invites applications from recent graduates to join its tailor-made, two-year graduate
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Training +
development program. Over the course of 24 months, graduates experience a range of graduate roles include engineering, technology, business and finance, marketing and human resources. Transurban also offers the FEET program twice per year and it is targeted at high-achieving female students who are either enrolled in a technology or engineering degree
The original THE original Story Bridge was built by the Evans Deakin - Hornibrook Constructions Pty Ltd consortium between 1935 and 1940 and the site of the Constructionarium project is the former Evans Deakin fabrication facility used for the Story Bridge. The Downer Group bought Evans Deakin Industries in 2001 and for a time, the business was known as Downer EDI. In a further coincidence, a participant in the Constructionarium project is a grandson of a founder of DWW Engineering, who had previously worked for Evans Deakin in fabricating steel for the Story Bridge. Sydney Harbour Bridge engineer John Bradfield recommended the design of
or who have a genuine interest in learning more about a career in technology or engineering. The program provides students with a 35hour work placement, where students come to site and work closely with a professional from the business. Inaugural sponsors BMD and Aurecon have maintained involvement with Constructionarium Australia through
the Story Bridge and consulted to the project, and the bridge forms part of the Bradfield Highway. The bridge was largely constructed above water, but divers operated in two-hour shifts to excavate up to 40m depth inside caissons for the pier foundations. Work took place simultaneously from both sides of the river, with the cantilever structures meeting in mid-river. Giant steam-powered rail-mounted stiff leg derricks built by Hornibrook in its Bulimba yard erected the steel for the structure, and the long approaches on the northern (city) side were built by a hammerhead tower crane working on rails.
Thoughts from project leader Emma-Lee Wood EMMA-LEE is a Transurban graduate engineer and nominated to lead the project. On her prior experience: As a Transurban graduate I have had exposure to a range of great projects and mentors, which has helped me develop project management and leadership skills, however this was the first time I had led a team. On mentoring: The mentoring provided to me by Downer supervisors was really beneficial. They gave me leadership feedback and created a very strong safety presence. Main learnings in the three-day preparation: Many of the team members had limited experience with understanding technical drawings. We
Emma-Lee Wood speaking at the Constructionarium VIP function.
had to figure out a way to create a culture where team members could openly admit to not understanding a concept. We did this by asking specific questions about how they were feeling about the project. This gave them space to raise their concerns, which resulted in higher productivity
the continued involvement on its board of Peter Anusas (BMD) and Neil Barr (Aurecon). Nicky Vaisey (nee Milsom) continues as a very enthusiastic secretary and director of Constructionarium Australia and advises that there will be two projects in 2018 (tentatively in June and October), with a deconstruct of the Story Bridge in April.
These will be in Brisbane, with the aim being to build up project kits that can be used to expand Constructionarium to other states in 2019. Those interested in supporting or participating in Constructionarium, or simply finding out more about it, can view the website (www.constructionariumaustralia.com.au) or contact Nicky Vaisey at nmilsom@bigpond.net.au or 0438 336 544.
The original Story Bridge used cantilever construction, with steel erected by rail-mounted stiff leg derricks. (Image credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, negative 168343)
In many ways, the construction method was similar to Bradfield’s Sydney Harbour Bridge, which used cantilever construction from each pier,
meeting in the middle. The cranes for the Sydney Harbour Bridge travelled on top of the arch whereas the Story Bridge cranes travelled at deck level.
and engagement. Toolbox meetings: Each morning, our day started with a leaders’ meeting where I allocated a list of the day’s priorities to the team leaders. We then held full-team briefing sessions where we discussed the priorities and each team would plan their activities. They would then write them on the board to track accountability and progress. Following our briefing sessions, full safety toolbox meetings were completed on site. At the end of each day we held full-team debrief sessions. The team leaders would allocate one of their team members to present on their team’s progress and lessons learned. This enabled everyone to practice their communication skills and celebrate success as a team. On team diversity: The diversity of our team definitely worked to our advantage. We had participants from
client, contractor, consultant and university backgrounds. This meant we were able to draw on a variety of knowledge, perspectives and experiences in order to deliver the project successfully. On the attitude of the participants: All of the participants had fantastic attitudes throughout the project. They worked really hard and were enthusiastic and engaged. Working with the team made me proud to be an engineer and excited about the future of the construction industry. Advice to future participants: The Constructionarium Program was incredible. It definitely raised my level of maturity in construction engineering, leadership, and communication. I would highly recommend the Constructionarium Program to other early-career engineers in the future.
Cranes were used to assemble and place the three truss elements that made up the steel superstructure.
Final bolting of the centre span to a cantilever truss section.
The build
Forming and pouring the concrete footings for the steel bridge.
Reading plans to determine how to transform the steel delivered by DWW Engineering into 3D truss sections.
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APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 17
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Technology in Focus
The LX1 electric hybrid wheel loader can deliver up to a 50% improvement in fuel efficiency.
Is there a future for autonomous vehicles in construction? BY JAN ARREZA VOLVO Construction Equipment (CE) has its eye firmly fixed on a future where autonomous industrial vehicles are the norm, not the novel. And it is well placed to turn that vision into reality through its Electric Site research. Understandably, what goes on in their innovation incubators are often not communicated to a larger audience but three Concept labs prototypes are the exception, the LX1 hybrid wheel loader, the HX1 load carrier, and the EX2 compact excavator, for which field testing continues through 2018. “Our research engineers develop and test new concepts through different levels of prototypes all the time to explore their potential and inspire others. Most of the time we do not communicate those concepts to a larger audience, but with the Concept labs prototypes, we want to share what we believe in to influence and inspire others in the industry. We also want to be able to have dialogues about these concepts to build knowledge for the future,” Jenny Elfsberg, director for emerging technologies at Volvo CE, told Inside Construction.
A work in progress At the moment, these three conceptual prototypes will aid Volvo CE’s research in a bid to create better iterations. And this process has been quite a unique one. 18 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
“These prototypes have not been developed incrementally from previous generations. Instead they are the results of simulation-driven design optimising CO2 reduction, productivity and total cost of operation,” Elfsberg said. “Of course, these fully functional conceptual prototypes are not finetuned and optimised for durability and reliability yet, but we can learn whether they live up to the performance expectations or not and how to adjust the next iteration.” Volvo CE’s ultimate aim through the creation of these autonomous vehicles is to “electrify” quarries and the potential benefits in doing so are compelling - up to a 95% reduction in carbon emissions and up to a 25% reduction in the total cost of quarry ownership. How can Volvo CE make this a reality? Already, the LX1 electric hybrid wheel loader is able to deliver up to a 50% improvement in fuel efficiency in addition to a forecasted reduction in emissions and noise pollution compared to its conventional counterparts. The LX1 is a hybrid that incorporates a driveline consisting of electric drive motors mounted at the wheels, electric hydraulics and an energy storage system, a significantly smaller diesel engine, and new machine architecture - all of which allow for the fuel efficiency improvements. The prototype, which has 98% new
parts and a fundamentally new machine design, is capable of doing the work of a wheel loader that’s one size larger. Volvo has partnered with US-based environmental services and recycling company Waste Management to conduct field-testing of these prototypes and to date, valuable feedback has been received. “We reached our fuel efficiency targets and the uptime was better than expected. We also learnt that the customers appreciated the silence and the visibility backwards more than we expected,” Elfsberg said.
“What we learned is now shared internally for the following electro-mobility machine concepts. We are certain electric hybrids and fully electric machines are the way forward. “This collaborative project was a great success and confirmed to our company that such collaborations are needed when we prepare for exponential technology shifts in our industry.” Meanwhile, the HX1 concept machine is an autonomous, battery electric load carrier specifically designed for Volvo CE’s Electric Site quarry research project. New technology encompasses
The HX1 concept machine is an autonomous, battery electric load carrier.
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Technology in Focus +
The new EX2 compact excavator, which the company believes to be the first fully electric compact excavator.
machine and fleet control systems, and logistic solutions for electric machines in quarries. In researching how to create a quarry site that relies primarily on electric power, Volvo CE took a hard look at how aggregate is moved in today’s quarries. They were particularly interested in what it says is an inherent vulnerability in relying on large haul trucks to carry these loads. Volvo CE is proposing an alternative - a fleet of these smaller unmanned carriers that will still be able to move the same amount of aggregate as one large haul truck but with one major benefit: if one carrier does go down, the impact on production downtime will not be as severe compared with the haul truck going down. But there are considerations to bear in mind. “We do believe downsizing our haulage will be a fact when we automate and we do believe that the loading tools need to be sized to
work well with the haulage solutions,” Elfsberg noted. “Our team always develops concepts that will drive reduction of total cost of operation but often, that means the product cost increases. However, energy costs will go down so the total cost of ownership should be reduced to make the concept viable. At the moment, there is no timeline on when the LX1 and HX1 will become commercially available as they are still in the research stage but because Volvo CE firmly believes in these products, the plan is to engage in joint collaboration projects where both investment and learnings are shared.
Blue-sky thinking Then, there’s the EX2, which Volvo CE said is the first fully electric compact excavator prototype. While the machine is part of the company’s vision for the autonomous and electrified quarries of the future,
The HX1 and the LX1 working on Volvo CE’s Electric Site quarry research project.
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it is, at this stage, purely a proof of concept and there are no immediate plans to manufacture and put the machine on the market. For now, the EX2 will be used for research projects, such as durability testing. The EX2 is powered 100% by electricity. Two lithium ion batteries delivering 38kWh replace a combustion engine and provide eight hours of power to the machine in what the company calls “an intense application, such as digging compact ground”. The machine is also without a hydraulics system. Instead, an electric architecture incorporating electromechanical linear actuators power the boom and implements, and “help to optimise the transmissions chain”. In addition to delivering a zeroemissions machine, Volvo CE said the removal of a combustion engine and hydraulics also means the EX2 is 10 times more efficient, has 10 times
lower noise levels and reduces the total cost of ownership compared to conventional counterparts.
A valuable effort It is companies like Volvo CE that will propel the industry into a future where companies can do more with less, while protecting the environment and future-proofing operations. The road may be long and sometimes arduous but as Elfsberg aptly puts it: “In order to learn the most, we cannot only incrementally improve existing solutions. Instead, we start from the most optimal solutions based on simulation-driven design - and see what we can achieve. “Of course, we will then get a gap between existing machines and these entirely new concepts, which can be challenging, but we do learn if our radically new innovations are desirable and viable and we can then take them further to influence the industry towards more sustainable solutions.”
The HX1 was specifically designed for Volvo CE’s quarry research project.
APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 19
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Cranes, lifting and specialty transport The hard-working WGC Liebherr on its current bridge project.
When duty calls BY GREG KEANE WGC Cranes is probably best known to the construction industry for its early adoption in its dry hire fleet of hydraulic boom cranes that have become firmly established where there are head room restrictions, restricted work hours that require fast set-up and pull-down, or site pick and carry requirements. However, WGC has a further string to its bow that is perhaps lesser known but is at least equally important on the right project, and that is the availability of duty cycle cranes in its lattice boom crawler crane
20 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
fleet. A duty cycle crane has closed circuit hydraulics and heavier slew bearings and winches than a standard crane, making it better equipped to handle the rigours of long periods of operation under high load. This fleet combination, along with more conventional crawler cranes, has made WGC something of a pioneer in providing specialist cranes to projects. The credentials of the duty cycle cranes were established on a past tunnel project, where a 100t capacity Liebherr HS 855 HD lattice boom crawler crane was set up inside an acoustic shed to remove spoil through a shaft.
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Cranes, lifting and specialty transport +
Conventional thinking was that a crane of around 300t capacity would be required, and roof panels would need to be removed from the shed to allow the crane to operate from outside the shed. This would have limited the hours of operation as the integrity of the acoustic shed would have been lost. WGC proposed that the HS 855 HD crane be configured with a 14m boom, allowing it to operate from inside the shed, and thus work around the clock. A further advantage was that the proposed crane was fitted with two 25t line pull winches whereas the winches on a 300t crane had only a 15t line pull. This meant that the smaller crane could operate with a single fall of rope to handle the required kibble load, whereas the larger crane would require three falls of rope, making its cycle times significantly slower. An overhead gantry was also considered by the principal contractor, but the cycle time advantage over this option was even more pronounced. The only concession to longevity for the tunnel project was that WGC proposed that the crane operated at a little less than its rated load, demonstrating that the faster cycle times would ensure productivity was not lost, but reliability would be boosted. The end result for that project was that the crane did not miss a beat in 10,100 hours of operation (5000-plus hours completed on Northconnex, with 5000 on the clock at the start of the project), by which time it was due for a major service. The crane was still in perfect condition at the completion of the job: there were no abnormal requirements during that service, and the crane then moved on to other projects, where its reputation for reliability has been maintained. WGC Group dry hire manager Rob McInnes readily concedes that while the tunnel work was demanding in its round-the-clock requirements, its kibble work is not at the high end of work that duty cycle cranes can be called on to perform, with dynamic compaction work (dropping weights to compact difficult ground) being at the high end because of the dynamic loadings. However, this does not detract from the contribution that the crane made to overall project productivity. Not all experiences are like this, and McInnes and WGC recently had a different experience with a second Liebherr crane of the same model, which was bought for another tunnel spoil project. It was initially to be an
... And on its earlier tunnel project.
interim solution while a gantry crane used for this work was repaired. Relatively early in its working life, WGC operators reported a knock coming from the engine bay, causing concerns to both WGC and the principal contractor. A prolonged stoppage in tunnel spoil removal could bring all tunnel operations to a halt, significantly impacting a project. The problem was diagnosed as relating to a drive shaft, which required removal and replacement of the complete engine, with the normal timeframe for this being a couple of days to both remove and install. Compounding this was that the problem was so unusual that Liebherr did not carry a replacement part in Australia, with the nearest stock being in Hong Kong. Needless to say, the principal contractor was very concerned by the implications on production. WGC and Liebherr fitters worked together to remove the engine and
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
driveshaft, while WGC devised a plan to get a replacement part as quickly as possible. Air freight was ruled out because of the delay in clearing customs, so WGC was prepared to fly a staff member to Hong Kong to return with the required part and have it cleared immediately as hand luggage. As a back-up, WGC ordered a second part for delivery by air freight. It was not necessary for WGC to send someone on a return flight to Hong Kong as Liebherr was fully on board with getting the crane up and running as soon as possible, once the implications of downtime for the contractor were explained. The Liebherr Hong Kong after sales manager flew out with the part, and the end result was that the crane was up and operating again within 36 hours - well ahead of the indicative time for this work. The principal contractor was relieved, but happy with the commitment of both WGC and Liebherr in addressing
an issue that was not the result of poor design, planning or maintenance but just one of those things that can happen from time to time. A further element of Liebherr’s response was that it bought the redundant air freighted component from WGC to hold in stock in Australia, with WGC just covering the air freight component. The nature of construction is such that breakdowns are inevitable, as it is a hostile environment for any equipment. Good machine design, use of quality components and good maintenance practices, including machine monitoring and preventive maintenance, are ways to manage this; but the real crunch point is what happens when something inevitably breaks down. WGC and Liebherr provide a good case study of how to work together to minimise the impact on the party most impacted by the breakdown. APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 21
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Demolition +
A tale of control and precision BY JACQUELINE ONG MILEY Cyrus, American teen idol and daughter of Achy Breaky Heart singer Billy Ray Cyrus, may have made the wrecking ball a symbol of popular culture (if you’re a kid of the 90s that is) but we all know that the humble wrecking ball has become more of a myth at construction sites. As these sites become more regulated, demolition methods have had to evolve. In Singapore, one specialist demolition firm has made the small city-state proud, taking home the New Entrant Award at KHL’s 2017 World Demolition Awards for its innovative demolition methods. Founded by Tommy Lim in 1993, Ginlee Construction prides itself on being a specialist in controlled demolition. Lim, who has “worked in this industry for quite some time”, told Inside Construction that he was driven to set up shop when the Singapore government began reducing the ratio of carpark spaces to tenants in buildings in a bid to encourage the uptake of public transportation. As a result, numerous projects came online where demolition of these carparks, several underground, were required to convert them into other commercial uses, such as food courts. The work however, needed to be undertaken whilst the offices in the buildings were still being occupied. “As carparks in the vicinity [of the project site] and offices were still in operation, normal hydraulic breakers were not allowed because of vibration, noise and other issues. At the time, between 1991-1993, the main contractors of these projects approached the company I was working for and we proposed what we called saw cutting at the time, which is cutting slabs into pieces to reduce the impact on existing structures,” Lim said. “I decided then to come out and focus on these types of demolition works, what we call controlled demolition.”
The Singapore scene Situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore is known for a few things, its national airline, the Singapore Sling and more recently, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands. Since its independence in 1965, the small island has been on an extensive land reclamation expedition, having so far increased its total size by some 23% to accommodate its growing population. And land is undoubtedly premium real estate. “Singapore is a small island so areas that can be developed will be used to build residential areas. Singapore also has many preserved buildings and heritage buildings meaning with commercial buildings, project developers cannot do much. They can only undertake additions and alternations (A&A) work where the building that is being developed can continue operating. This is the main reason why controlled demolition is a widely accepted concept in Singapore it ensures less dust, noise, and so on,” Lim said. Ginlee has worked on a number of A&A projects where their brief includes maintaining the façade of the existing structure. One example is the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, a recognisable landmark in Singapore established in 1862. In 2010, a four-year refurbishment of the national monument was undertaken to restore its neo-classical façade whilst implementing state-of-the-art amenities and facilities. “The building was constructed using bricks and there was no internal structure so we had to create a hole and build support on the side. Then, we were able to take out whatever was inside the structure to construct a new one,” Lim said.
A controlled environment Lim is confident that there will be no lack of A&A work in Singapore, pointing to the upgrading of committee clubs and schools across the nation.
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Ginlee Construction has made a name for itself in Singapore as a specialist in the field of controlled demolition. It points to the Brokk, a compact hydraulic diamond saw cutter manufactured in Sweden, as one of the company’s go-tos.
APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 23
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Demolition
Ginlee Construction’s managing director, Tommy Lim (1st row, 1st on the right) travelled to London for the 2017 World Demolition Awards where the company took home the New Entrant Award.
“There are also the mass rapid transit [train] contracts which involve a lot of underground tunnelling. All these tunnels only have certain knockoff panels and limits and will require demolition related to the work we do,” Lim said. “Whatever and wherever we build, we are surrounded by residential areas, which is why there is a requirement in Singapore where within a 150m radius, the consortium must carry out controlled demolition,” Lim said. Work may be plentiful but Ginlee is known in Singapore for its niche and specialised services. However, the company is not complacent and will continue to take a methodical approach in each project because preparation is key to its success. “We have a system that we follow. 24 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
First, if there’s a new job that we want to tender for, I will get involved in the tender and submission process. We will then discuss amongst the team to determine the method that is most suitable to the job. Following that, we will come up with a plan and submit our price and proposal to the client,” Lim explained. “We will be completely ready for the project when we get the job and will have a toolbox meeting to brief every person involved, from the manager down to the workers on-site. Each of them will be briefed on what they need to look after and handle and we always have the drawings on-site to prevent mistakes or shortcuts.” Ginlee is also a big believer in investing in proper training of its employees. This may sound like a
given but in Singapore the profile of construction workers is quite unique, making this investment a far bigger one. The country has for decades relied on foreign workers to build the nation. In 2017, Singapore, which has a population of 5.6 million people, welcomed 1.13 million foreign workers of which more than half were involved in construction. “We train our guys from the moment they start in Singapore. Our experienced operators - those with more than 10 years of experience - will train the juniors so that overtime, our group of experienced operators on our machines grow,” Lim said. “There is a need to train up more workers but in Singapore, our operators can only stay with us for 20 years before they return to their home countries - it’s
a criterion as part of their visa. That is our difficulty and causes a headache because we have to re-train. The longer an operator stays with us, the more experienced they’ll be and that will be less of a headache for us.” Turning to the machines, contractors in Singapore largely use concrete breakers and crushers. For Ginlee, their machine of choice runs on electricity and can be remotely-controlled. While Ginlee does have a range of machines in its fleet, Lim touted the Brokk, a compact hydraulic diamond saw cutter manufactured in Sweden, as one of the company’s go-tos. “It’s a very small-sized machine but it’s quite powerful and it’s remote controlled so the operator can review the work carefully before carrying it out,” Lim said.
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Demolition +
were light, in order to meet the loading requirements of the project, to cut and crush structures close to the façade. There was also limited space for a clear pathway to remove the concrete debris from the site. Thus, Ginlee cut the structure into panels instead of hacking the concrete into debris. This allowed the panels to be lifted by two 80t mobile cranes. “We were given five months to complete the demolition work but our team did a good job and we completed the work one and a half months early by applying the right method. The client was very happy,” Lim said. Judges of the award were impressed by Ginlee’s response to “working in what was a certified conservation site, requiring the retention of a building façade.”
What’s next for demolition?
“It’s unlike normal hydraulic breakers where the operator has to sit in there. Nowadays, the cabin where the operator sits is air conditioned and sometimes it gets too comfortable and the operator may overlook certain things. With our machine, it’s remote controlled so the operator can go around to check before he continues.”
Kwong Wai Shiu While Ginlee has undertaken many a project requiring its controlled demolition expertise, it was its involvement in the S$96 million (AU$90.72) million redevelopment of the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital that won it acclaim at the World Demolition Awards last year. The hospital, a charitable organisation, was founded in 1910
by Cantonese merchants who wanted to provide Cantonese immigrants with free medical services. A six-acre piece of land with three colonial buildings erected in 1857 was parcelled off from what was then Tan Tock Seng Hospital and transferred to the organisation by the British government in 1910. In October 2015, construction began to transform the hospital into Singapore’s largest nursing home. Ginlee was tasked with demolishing the internal structure of the building while retaining the façade of the government-certified conservation site, work that had to be undertaken in the presence of live buildings and nursing homes in the vicinity. The company opted not to hack the entire structure but used Brokk hydraulic demolition machines that
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Ginlee is keeping an eye on opportunities in the region, Australia included, with Lim saying they will go wherever there is demand for specialised controlled demolition work. After all, many cities face similar challenges to Singapore, where land in a built-up environment is scarce and the minimisation of dust and noise is a top priority. “It also depends on the structure - is it vacant or in operation? If it’s still in operation, controlled demolition work will need to be carried out. It also comes down to the dollars and cents - the price that is acceptable to the client,” Lim said. “Our method can be applied anywhere. For instance, you’ll find many similar operations in Hong Kong because there is a lot of underground work happening there and buildings are close to each other. However, in countries like the US, there is enough space so they can simply blast a structure down,” Lim said. Because of the growing volumes of similar development sites, a flurry of new machinery has come on to
the market, particularly from China. However, Lim believes the equipment Ginlee currently uses is “good enough”. “But we are keeping an eye on the power supply so the next machine that we purchase needs to have power supply of course, but we are looking at whether we can reduce that power supply from the current 63MP. Reducing this would be better because there are sites that may not have a big power supply,” Lim said. “We’ve also discussed with machine manufacturers about how to transport these machines - to make them selfmoving using normal batteries instead of normal power supply.” Lim is also keen for the company to improve in other areas related to the work it undertakes. For one, the company is looking at the viability of using misting machines for dust control on-site and while in London for the awards, took the opportunity to speak to misting machine manufacturers. “Currently, we can solve the noise problem through controlled demolition but dust is another issue. But we can look at using misting machines to kill the dust. These machines are not common in Singapore where many companies continue to hire workers who will spray water on the site. This just means higher water consumption and labour cost. The use of that much water also causes ponding,” Lim noted. “Since we claim to be a specialist of demolition work, we should also consider everything related to demolition - the costs, the problems, and how to resolve those problems. People want an all-in-one package of solutions that solves the problems of noise, dust, and vibration. If you can solve their problems, they’re happy and that’s a win-win for the client and for us.” Ginlee is in the process of becoming agents for misting machines in Singapore and are currently in talks with manufacturers. APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 25
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Materials
A truck and dog being loaded with manufactured sand at RTI’s Waterfall Quarry
Rock Trade Industries aims for full resource utilisation at quarry BY GREG KEANE WHILE sandstone extraction for dimension block at Helidon (QLD) has a history going back more than a century, Scotbar Pty Ltd, trading as Rock Trade Industries (RTI), has a thoroughly modern approach to this, with a focus on sustainability. To achieve near-100% utilisation of the resource at its Waterfall Quarry, it has developed sustainable alternatives to traditional: ++ sand; ++ engineered road base material; ++ sandstone walls; and ++ tiles and cladding. The geology of the resource means that 60-80% of the stone does not meet export standards, and traditionally this stone has been wasted. The initiatives aimed at greatly improving utilisation of the stone resource involved extensive R&D that was supported by federal government incentives. In addition, RTI has hosted three consecutive tours of the quarry by a group from the UQ UConn Sustainable Business Program (a collaboration of the University of Queensland School of Business and its equivalent at the University of Connecticut). The sustainability picture extends to a planned final use of the site once the resource has been extracted, with work on this being done progressively. However, full utilisation of the resource means that the quarry has a current projected life of over 100 years. 26 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
Local recognition of this came recently in the form of the Environment and Sustainability Award at the Lockyer Valley Regional Council’s 2017 Business awards in October.
High quality manufactured sand After a period of research, a pilot plant was developed to release single quartz crystals that provided a clean medium-grained natural Lithic Quartzose Sand. Properties of the sand include: ++ total absence of organic material; ++ absence of clay materials, which contribute to cracking when the sand is used in concrete; ++ high silica content; and ++ intrinsic strength and durability. Unique properties of this material, namely the absence of any deleterious clay materials, are one of the primary
contributors to concrete cracking. Applications of the sand include: ++ graded asphalt (MRTS30); ++ aggregates in concrete (MRTS70); and ++ unbound pavements (MRTS05). The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads has approved its use as a natural sand, and has also approved its use in concrete and asphalt as a 2.36mm fine aggregate; with some outstanding results also achieved in high quality burnished floors. Despite its premium price, the sand is being used by a leading concrete producer, with its properties recognised as providing superior finish and reduced cracking. A pilot plant was developed initially to test this market, combining a wash plant with crushing and screening equipment developed or modified in-house. Gravel
is a by-product of the wash process, and it also has a market. The success of the manufactured “natural” sand trial is now seeing RTI develop plans to upscale to a full-scale production plant with a capacity to cater to the existing fast-growing market. The full production plant has already been redesigned to cope with the level of growth, and ensure that RTI has continuity of growth and superior quality and service. The high-quality sand also has application as a component of blended equestrian arena sand. The absence of clay reduces compaction, and the blended material can retain moisture while still being free draining. Inside Construction looks forward to sharing updates on this project on www.insideconstruction.com.au as it develops.
Pilot plant for producing manufactured sand.
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Specialists SuperCrane and SuperElevate options for the telecommunications industry.
Preston Hire: super service in specialist areas
28 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Specialists + SuperCrane option for handling large reinforcing cages.
Compact SuperCrane options for handling concrete kibbles.
Behind the principal contractors who garner most of the attention on a large infrastructure project is an army of specialist subcontractors with the know-how, equipment, people and service to professionally handle different aspects of the project while the principal contractor concentrates on project management and core delivery areas. The expertise of these specialists can - and should - be called upon in the planning stages where it is a key area of project delivery and can impact on timelines, costs, quality and safety.
BY GREG KEANE PRESTON Hire has been around since 1969. Its signature product, the SuperDeck retractable loading platform that significantly increases the productivity of cranes, has itself been around for many years. Despite this history, Preston Hire has not rested on its laurels and, if anything, has accelerated its pace of reinventing and refining itself in the past few years. In what is probably a tribute to the place of SuperDeck in the development of the business (it is still a core business area), the four more recent core business areas have been named: ++ SuperCrane (telescopic boom crawler cranes, 1t–70t; 13t City Crane, and now 60t mobile crane); ++ SuperElevate (wheel and tracked scissor lifts, tracked articulated boom platforms, side slope capability); ++ SuperSiteStorage (10’, 20’ and 40’ containers; GP, high volume and dangerous goods options); and ++ SuperPropping (range of prop sizes and capacities). While SuperDeck is clearly a product aimed at the medium- to high-rise construction market where tower cranes are used, the addition of four new core areas has broadened the industry exposure to civil and infrastructure construction and maintenance. Branches in Adelaide, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and the Gold Coast and also servicing Tasmania mean that national builders and contractors can expect the same product range and service wherever they are working in Australia. It is noticeable that Preston Hire has been selective in the business areas
that it has explored: it does not try to be all things to all people but aims to have a point of difference in the areas that it explores. This is particularly noticeable in the composition of the SuperCrane and SuperElevate fleets. The elevated work platforms (EWP) are generally track-mounted, with side slope compensation, and this makes them well suited to work on difficult sites. Preston Hire initially committed heavily to the mini crawler crane market that, in its early days, primarily serviced the building market because of the ability to access areas that no other crane could, or to work on slabs where other cranes were too heavy. The growth in size of mini crawler cranes, particularly with the emergence of cranes on a mini excavator platform, saw a significant civil construction market develop for these cranes for work in congested spaces, marine work from a barge and applications where a cab was a friendlier environment for an operator working long hours. Preston Hire followed these trends and its fleet grew in size and diversity, to the extent that it now has the fifth largest fleet of Maeda cranes in the world. When larger telescopic boom crawler cranes gained popularity in the market, Preston Hire followed that trend and it now has a substantial fleet of these cranes up to 70t capacity. In many instances, it is the first buyer of new models in this country so that it can offer the latest and best to its customers, and sufficient choice that a good match can be made between the hired machine and the work to be done. With the growth of the fleet comes
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
the need to maintain it so that it is reliable and productive for customers. Apart from choosing suppliers with a good reputation for back-up and support, Preston Hire has invested heavily in its in-house service, support, repairs and 10-year inspections under its new SuperService brand, for both its hire fleet and external customers, to reduce costs and improve productivity and more importantly, safety. To ensure reliability of drop-off and pick-up times, Preston Hire uses an inhouse transport fleet rather than rely on external transport providers. Safety is another core value, and it is a proactive rather than reactive one, e.g. anti-entrapment devices are fitted to some work platforms. All safety standards are met or exceeded, including site-specific requirements. While size and standardisation are important to ensuring that Preston Hire can handle the needs of projects - large and small - in a consistent, professional way regardless of location around the country, recognising the individual needs of a customer and tailoring the service package accordingly is another core value. Preston Hire’s group general manager David Serg says: “We take a solutionsoriented approach to our service, tailoring it to meet the specific needs of our clients, both large and small. “This starts with offering professional advice, and we encourage our customers to engage with us ahead of their project so that we can ensure that they have the most appropriate equipment at the time they need it, for as long as they need it.” An example is Preston Hire’s recent engagement with telecommunications contractors to ensure that there
was suitable equipment within the SuperCrane and SuperElevate fleets to allow the contractors to service installations up to 64m height. At the end of the day, a business is judged by its people. Preston Hire fosters expertise and knowledge from in-house training, starting with a twoweek induction. The start of this was a survey of customers to see how they saw Preston Hire, with the result being that customers felt that they could “count on Preston Hire”. This value is reinforced in the induction process, which has until recently included a personal talk by group managing director Markus Preston. The logistics of doing this in a timely manner now see this being done by video, but personal contact remains important. This sees regular sales conferences, where line managers are given the opportunity to mix informally to talk about issues prior to senior management becoming involved. All staff from all locations come together for the Preston Christmas party, and the human resources manager spends time with each staff member towards the end of each year. Personality profiling and tailored personal development are other elements of Preston Hire’s strategy for delivering a consistent service and message throughout the organisation, and helping its staff to grow with the business Preston Hire is also active in relevant industry associations, including the Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA – both national and NSW), the Self Storage Association of Australasia (SSAA), the National Portable Storage Association (NPSA), the Elevating Work Platform Association of Australia (EWPA), and the HRIA. APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 29
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Water/wastewater
Clough’s Mundaring Weir Dam upgrade project BY NEIL JOHNSON DESIGNED by venerable Irish engineer C.Y. O’Connor in a scheme to address water scarcity throughout the goldfields, the Mundaring Weir dam was completed in 1903, along with eight steam-driven pumping stations and an immense 557km pipeline to Kalgoorlie. The project posed an unprecedented challenge in the scope of WA engineering works, and widespread cynicism over its viability is thought to have driven O’Connor to take his own life in 1902, a year before his vision was realised. At its time of completion, the weir was believed to be the highest overflow dam in the world, with additional works to raise the walls (and hence increase capacity) taking place in the late 1940s through to the early 50s. Having been 22 years since the reservoir - retroactively named Lake C.Y. O’Connor in commemoration - overflowed into the surrounding valley, and to help ensure a stable future supply of drinking water amidst WA’s increasingly arid climate, it was decided by Water Corporation that A 280t crawler crane installing the steel liner on site.
30 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
a further upgrade to the weir was necessary. Accordingly, Clough was awarded an Engineering Procurement & Construction (EPC) contract to upgrade and refurbish the weir. Clough engaged with GHD to undertake the detailed design for the project. The overall purpose being to optimise the storage of water within the weir, it involved lowering the minimum operating level in the dam to minimise the inaccessible volume of water known as ‘dead storage’ by approximately 10.5 billion litres per year, reducing the surface area of the weir to mitigate evaporation by approximately 1.5 billion litres per year, extending the asset life of dam infrastructure and improving operational safety. To facilitate these objectives, the upgrade project required several distinct works, specifically, the construction of new downstream DN1000 MSCL pipework, valve pits and control systems, relining of DN610 cast iron pipes throughout the base of the dam wall, removal and replacement of the architectural external platform, refurbishment of the intake tower
roofing, demolition and removal of internal pipework and platforms from the intake tower, removal and replacement of existing intake structures and coring of the new DN900 inlet through the dam wall, and the designing, fabricating and installation of an internal structural liner for the intake tower. As per any construction project of this scope, there were many inherent challenges, which needed consideration. However, due to the sensitive nature of this undertaking specifically the importance of the weir as a source of drinking water and its status as a heritage listed site with daily tours - there were numerous additional risks, with little room for error. Heritage components such as the pump house roof and sandstone rock retaining wall were required to be salvaged, restored and reinstated upon completion of works in the given area. In addition to these environmental and communal management challenges, the diversity of the tasks involved would present various challenges from a safety management perspective. Such high-
risk construction activities entailing critical and complex lifts, complex concrete cutting and demolition works were often to be conducted at heights, above and underwater, and within confined spaces. Friday, November 3, 2017 marked a key milestone in the upgrade project, with the successful installation of a new stainless-steel liner into the weir’s intake tower after a six-month planning period. The originally 30m-deep intake tower was designed and built as a dry well; consisting of a large diameter central cast iron standpipe, fed via three 24-inch cast iron inlets protruding upstream through the concrete tower wall, and drained via two 24-inch outlet pipes running downstream through the toe of the weir. Each of the inlet and outlet pipes was fitted with a large cast iron gate valve, and was fully accessible for operation and maintenance via a series of ladders and landings. Over almost 100 years of constant operation as part of the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme, two large diagonal shear cracks emerged in the concrete walls, and have since inundated the tower.
WA’s Mundaring Weir Dam.
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Water/wastewater +
Preparatory activities to ready the intake tower for receipt of the liner began with dive works to cut, remove and isolate the three existing inlet pipes, and to temporarily patch and repair the diagonal shear cracks. Subsequently, the intake tower was completely drained and stripped of the existing pipework, valves, staircases, ladders, landings and disused equipment via rope access technicians. Once the tower internals were removed, approximately 9m3 of concrete was excavated from the base, and the tower was ready for insertion of the liner. The stainless-steel liner - essentially a 42t, 2.7m internal diameter, 36.75m-long, stiffened, grade 316L tube - was fabricated locally in Western Australia, at Taylors Engineering in Naval Base. The liner was manufactured and assembled for transport in two approximately equal length sections of different wall thickness; 16mm thick at the base, 12mm thick at the top, and consisting of a total of 13 no.3m long cans individually rolled and welded from single 8.6m long plates. Once delivered to site, the liner sections were unloaded from trucks via a 280t crawler crane, positioned and aligned on rollers for final circumferential welding, and fit out prior to lifting for installation. To install the stainless-steel liner to the intake tower, a 400t crawler crane was mobilised and partially assembled with 54t of counterweight, 40m back boom and 40m main boom, alongside the Clough offices on the northern bank of the Helena River. From here, the 400t crane traversed down a
temporary crane access ramp to the base of the weir wall where it received an additional 150t of counterweight. The 400t crane then slewed around and lowered its 40m boom into temporary supports pre-positioned down the riverway, before being reconfigured and raising its final operational boom length of 100m. The lifting operation was highlighted by four distinct events; horizontal lifting and relocation of the fully assembled liner from the site wielding location to the temporary crane access ramp within radius of both 280t and 400t cranes, upending of the stainless steel liner using the 400t and 280t crawlers to ‘top’ and ‘tail’ the liner respectively, vertical lifting, slewing and positioning of the liner above the round house, and finally the lowering of the liner into the intake tower and onto its final resting position atop three preinstalled concrete pedestal blocks. The initial relocation step was completed days prior in preparation for the upending lifts, and the entire operation was successfully completed within a timeframe of approximately three hours, during a period of low wind speed. The liner base was then concreted via a concrete line pump positioned at the toe of the weir, pumping through an approximately 60m long four-inch concrete hose running horizontally through the 24-inch cast iron outlet pipes. Liner annulus were grouted within the intake tower via a 60m concrete boom pump located at the toe of the weir, connecting to a series
Neil Johnson, senior project manager for Clough.
Neil Johnson is a senior project manager for Clough with 25 years’ experience in the Australian engineering and construction industry. Johnson commenced his career at Western Power as an apprentice fitter and machinist, and has continued to expand his experience and skills. Johnson has qualifications in mechanical engineering, project management and postgraduate business management and has a solid performance based record in delivering complex projects. He has built a reputation as a hands-on manager who strives to work collaboratively with his team and clients to deliver top quality results. of custom fabricated concrete hose fittings joining to two stainless steel sacrificial tremmie pipes preinstalled to the outside of the liner. A coring rig was then installed and operated, with which to bore a 950mm diameter, 1500mm deep core hole through the intake tower wall for installation of a water supply inlet. In replacing the previous platform, which partially encompassed the top of the intake tower, a new one was installed - capable of carrying a 4t remote operated spider crane for servicing the upstream end
of the newly installed inlet pipes and bellmouth. Finally, the heritage listed round house roof was reinstalled and minor finishing and commissioning works were conducted. Ultimately, these substantial upgrades will allow water - previously supplied to the dam yearly to maintain a sufficient volume - to be used elsewhere across the Integrated Water Supply Scheme (IWSS), and will be instrumental in allowing Water Corporation to realise its vision for Western Australia’s water supply.
Construction workers on-site at Mundaring Weir Dam.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
APRIL/MAY 2018 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION 31
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Innovation
Advanced manufacturing and civil construction BY GREG KEANE THE Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) is an industry-led, not-for-profit organisation which supports the development of a world-leading advanced manufacturing sector in Australia. It is one of six sectors of the Australian government’s Industry Growth Centres Initiative. While the AMGC supports a range of industries, there are many with a connection to civil and infrastructure construction. Michael Sharpe, director - NSW & ACT for the AMGC, is a former MD of a third-generation road contracting family business, and has been instrumental in providing Inside Construction with introductions to some of the businesses and institutions working with the AMGC. Many will be surprised to learn of the extent of technologies currently being developed for the industry, with the encouragement and backing of the AMGC.
LAING O’ROURKE ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE GROUP
Professor Nathan Kirchner (left) explaining the capabilities of 3D printing to AMGC director - NSW & ACT Michael Sharpe at Laing O’Rourke’s Engineering Excellence facility at Chippendale, Sydney.
LAING O’Rourke’s Engineering Excellence Group has its Australian presence in the unlikely location of a modest two-level brick building in the inner Sydney suburb of Chippendale. Professor Nathan Kirchner is a very enthusiastic future robotics lead of the Group, and straddles the divide between industry and the education sector by also being adjunct professor of intelligent systems at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), having previously earned a PhD in mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering there. Laing O’Rourke’s approach to engineering innovation is refreshingly different: it sees appropriate innovation as a means of achieving more profitable outcomes on its projects and, as a result, its policy is that projects need to make a business case if they do not wish to engage the services of the Engineering Excellence Group. The Chippendale facility houses information about projects as diverse
as a driverless water truck, use of virtual reality to visualise a proposed infrastructure project in its current environment, and use of 3D printing to produce moulds for architectural precast panels up to 30m by 3m. A gauge of the economics of the panel mould is that multiple nozzles allow the custom printer to pump out 600 litres per hour of a special resin, whereas a traditional pattern maker could take months to produce a complex special mould, at substantial cost and time penalty. Panels from a 3D printed mould would generally have a cost penalty of only 5-10% over a flat panel, with little additional time involved in producing the mould. This greatly changes the economics of architectural features. While the Engineering Excellence Group was formed primarily to service internal business, it does consult to external parties and professor Kirchner points out that this can be surprisingly economical.
UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG THE Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences (EIS) at the University of Wollongong (UOW) has developed a reputation for practical research and industry partnerships across a number of specialisations. Many of these relate directly or indirectly to infrastructure, including the: ++ Research Centre for Geomechanics & Railway Engineering; ++ Centre for Infrastructure and Mining Safety; ++ Australian Power Quality & Reliability Centre; ++ Centre for Intelligent Mechatronics Research; ++ Welding Engineering Research Group; ++ Sustainable Buildings Research Centre; ++ SMART Infrastructure Facility; and ++ Steel Research Hub. Cross-fertilisation of different areas of expertise has produced worldrecognised areas of expertise: UOW is defending the Solar Decathlon title that its team won in China in 2013 for its sustainable design expertise, with 32 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
the 2018 event being held in the Middle East. The 2018 entry, known as Desert Rose, encompasses consideration of the aging population and a design that can adapt to meet the changing needs of an aging population without the need to relocate from familiar surroundings. A visit to UOW in late 2017 hosted by research fellow Nathan Larkin and facilitated by professor Valerie Linton showcased robotic welding expertise that is being applied to a high-profile defence manufacturing project. The combination of 3D scanning, a robotic manipulator and a robotic welder was demonstrated, with the scanner able to identify the shape of a complex fabrication on the manipulator table, and then identify the location where the weld was to be applied, with the robotic welder undertaking the work. Success in this would assist the defence contractor to maintain a demanding production schedule where conventional fabrication methods would struggle to meet both production and quality requirements. While this is the highest profile
Researchers Nathan Larkin and Zengxi Pan testing robotic welding for the construction industry.
current project and is supported by the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC), a construction-related project was also being worked on in the laboratory, and demonstrated the ability of robotics to meet requirements for high volume repetitive fabrication involving cutting and welding.
There is a wealth of expertise in advanced technologies in Australian universities, and the AMGC addresses past disconnects in practical application of this expertise in business; including those that impact on infrastructure design, construction and maintenance.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Innovation + DANNAR MPS performs routine maintenance.
A solution for the changing environment BY GREG KEANE MUCH as marketers would have you believe otherwise, the development of off-road, heavy equipment is sufficiently mature that there are very few genuinely new concepts on the market. The DANNAR Mobile Power Station (MPS), a combination mobile energy platform and off-road work vehicle, is something that is truly revolutionary, yet it does this by combining existing, proven commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies in a new way, rather than reinventing the wheel. Gary Dannar is founder and CEO of DD Dannar, LLC (DANNAR) and inventor of the MPS. He has a long history of innovation in both the automotive and heavy equipment industries, starting with rough terrain forklift patents in the 1970s and including a stint leading the product development at New Holland of their innovative vertical lift skid steers. He also owns an award-winning roadside mowing system manufacturing company called Little Roadside Management, LLC, which has exclusive distribution agreements
with Caterpillar and AGCO Inc. When Gary Dannar spoke to Inside Construction recently, he emphasised that the MPS is not another electric vehicle, although it does use electric propulsion. It carries significant on-board energy storage and can both store energy supplied by a number of sources (e.g. the grid, solar and wind renewables, a generator, or another electric vehicle) and supply clean three-phase power to buildings, neighbourhoods, the grid and to other electric vehicles. In addition to this, it can function as a day-to-day work vehicle. With four-wheel-drive and both coordinated and crab steering, plus over 900mm of ground clearance, the MPS can work in virtually any environment, even deep water. With the ability to be a ZEV (ZeroEmission Vehicle), the environments include underground transit, mining, indoors and noise sensitive areas. A selling point, differentiated from comparable work machines, is the almost universal configurability on either end of the energy platform.
For example, there are lift arms at one end with a 3175kg lift capacity and a universal attachment hitch that accepts most standard Caterpillar, Bobcat and John Deere attachments; and a dump bed or scissor lift on the opposite end. The MPS also has a hydraulic tool circuit for use with most hydraulic tools, including chainsaws, breakers and impact wrenches. On top of this, there is a very useful 45,000kg towing capacity and the battery power to allow the MPS to work for full day on a single charge. The base model comes standard with two 33kWh BMW i3 lithium-polymer battery packs, but can scale up to four additional packs, which can be added to meet larger power demands. A 60kW Cummins generator with 190-litre fuel tank is also an option. Other proven components used in the MPS include Dana planetary axles, UQM electric traction motors and Parker Hannifin hydraulics. The modular approach extends to operation: the MPS can be remotely controlled or operated from either an open or enclosed cab, with
Dannar saying that “modern drive-by-wire technology makes these options feasible.” The remote-control feature is especially helpful when the operator’s safety is a consideration. The operator, always on site with the MPS, has that choice. Target markets are councils and utilities, where the MPS can be a daily work tool but, in the event of an emergency or maintenance on a utility, the MPS can be used as a backup power source, supplanting the need for a generator. Scaling up, the MPS can operate on its own or coupled to other MPSs where greater back-up power is required. At present, the MPS is only offered in the US, but its modular construction means that it could be readily configured to other markets with different power requirements, with licensed manufacture as an option. The MPS responds to a need that has been identified by the market for some time, but for which there has until now not been a viable solution. Dannar envisages that as the market matures, the MPS concept will develop into a range of machines.
DANNAR MPS configures and responds to disaster clean-up.
DANNAR MPS allows on-site operators to maintain safe distance, with remote control features.
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
DANNAR MPS working indoors as a ZEV (Zero-Emission Vehicle), cleanly and quietly.
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Equipment and services
An industry first
Leica’s new GS18 T rover promises to be the first true tilt compensation solution immune to magnetic disturbances.
WITH the Leica GS18 T surveying rover, there is no longer a need to hold the pole vertical to level the bubble, making it the first true tilt compensation solution immune to magnetic disturbances. The unit achieves this through the combination of GNSS and inertial micro units (IMUs). Without the need to watch and level the bubble, the surveyor can concentrate on the task at hand, saving time over conventional surveying practices. Uninterrupted, accurate positioning is possible even when surrounded by, or in close proximity to metallic objects, allowing measurements to be taken where they previously couldn’t. The GS18 T works directly out of the box without any calibration procedure, leading to Leica’s claim that it is the world’s fastest GNSS RTK rover.
The complementary Leica Captivate software facilitates management of complex data with simple touch control, and can be used with both GNSS and total stations. Alternatively, data can be transferred back to an office, where it is processed by Leica’s Infinity software. With integrated quality assurance, this GNSS RTK rover records how the pole was levelled during the measurement and stores the values, ensuring measurement traceability and complete quality reporting. The Leica CS20 controller and Leica CS35 tablet combine control and convenience with complete mobility, complementing the Leica GS18 T surveying rover. Leica survey equipment is distributed in Australia by CR Kennedy.
engineering review, ensuring that the machines meet the standards expected from Volvo products in their target markets and segments. Improvements include greater visibility and safety systems, along with Volvo technical support and branding. As a result of the launch of the Volvo-branded rigid haulers, production of Terex Trucks haulers will cease over time. The all-new flagship R100E delivers high performance and productivity,
low total cost of ownership, easy serviceability and good operator comfort. With its high capacity and hauling speeds, new V-shaped body, efficient hydraulics, intelligent monitoring systems, and operator environment, the R100E will help customers move more material in less time. The new Volvo-branded rigid haulers will be manufactured at the rebranded Volvo Motherwell production facility in Scotland and sold exclusively through the Volvo dealer network.
Volvo takes on rigid haulers VOLVO Construction Equipment is entering the rigid hauler market with a complete Volvo-branded range in the second quarter of 2018, consisting of four machines, starting at the 45-ton R45D and extending up to the flagship 100-ton R100E. The development of the new four-model range relies heavily on the longstanding rigid hauler expertise of Volvo CE’s subsidiary Terex Trucks, combined with the technological strength of the Volvo Group.
T E-Series R100E is a completely new Volvo CE 100-ton (95-tonne) rigid hauler that combines a wealth of market and customer knowledge with proven components and new technologies providing a cost-effective and productive solution to fulfil the needs of today’s mining and quarrying customers. Based on the existing and well-proven Terex Trucks TR Series, development of the D-Series R45D, R60D and R70D Volvo rigid haulers follows an in-depth
Volvo’s range consists of four new machines - from the 45-ton R45D to the 100-ton R100E.
34 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Equipment and services + Manitou’s new MC18 rough terrain forklift offers the option of switching from two-wheel to four-wheel drive.
Quiet and comfortable MANITOU’S new MC18 rough terrain forklift comes with an overall width of 1450mm and a height of under 2m in ‘Buggy’ version, yet has a ground clearance of 30cm. It maintains step-free entry for the operator by positioning drive components to avoid impact on entry/ exit height. Visibility is optimised during operations as a result of a new panoramic glazed roof (two tempered glass sheets separated by a plastic film, creating laminated glass) and the absence of a metal structure. This combination provides the operator with protection from falling objects, and ISO 6055 (FOPS) safety standards. A double-skin engine cover comprising a tough, rigid section and a flexible insulated section ensures that noise levels are managed, with a cabin noise level of only 79dB achieved. The MC18-4 offers the option of switching from two-wheel to four-wheel drive. Use of twowheel drive, where feasible, allows a speed of 25km/h to be reached and provides productivity and fuel economy benefits. An access cap behind the operator seat allows easy checking of fluid levels without the need to tilt the cab.
Enerpac’s RT-Series multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinders provides unparalleled sideload resistance and corrosion protection.
Enerpac launches multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinders ENERPAC’S RT-Series multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cyclinders has nitrocarburized surface treatment inside and out to provide unparalleled sideload resistance and corrosion protection for safe use in the harshest conditions. Telescopic cylinders feature a multistage rod built of a series of nested steel tubes of progressively smaller diameter. This long stroke, multi-stage telescopic cylinders are particularly suitable for extended lift heights when clearance is limited. All RT-Series telescopic cylinders include integral tilt saddles with maximum tilt angles of up to 5°. The longer stroke length of the telescopic cylinders will save the user time, simplify projects by moving a load a greater distance, and eliminate the use of temporary cribbing. Enerpac’s telescopic cylinders are available with two or three pistons, and can lift loads up to 24 inches in a single movement. All models also come standard with two lifting eyes for easy handling and positioning. Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
A922 a hit at AusRAIL LIEBHERR’S A922 Rail Litronic was exhibited at last year’s AusRAIL Plus - the southern hemisphere’s largest rail conference and exhibition - and it attracted plenty of interest from local and international visitors to the Brisbane event. The A922 wheeled excavator has an operating weight of 19.9t-22.8t and can be used as a railroader, either on the road or on railway tracks. As the rail travel drive is mounted on either side of the undercarriage, during re-railing, the rail travel drive brings the tyres to rail level so that the inner wheels of the dual tyres assume the travel drive on rail. The A922 Rail can be equipped with a rail guide for regular-width and wide tracks or friction wheel rail
guide for narrow tracks, depending on operating requirements, and sets the standard in its class for fuel efficiency and reliability. It is powered by the 110kW/150hp Liebherr diesel engine D 834 that complies with exhaust emissions stage IIIB. The engine drives a double hydraulic pump with a rated output of 2x215L per minute. Each pump can be controlled separately for trouble-free operation of tool attachments with an intensive power requirement, such as mulchers, trench cutting machines or hydraulic pile drivers. Among the standard safety equipment on the A922 Rail are braked track wheels and pipe-burst protection for the lifting, luffing and
stick cylinders. There are also standard cameras to monitor the areas to the side and rear of the machine with a separate display unit in the cab. A 3.4m-long luffing boom or a 3.6m boom that can be repositioned laterally are available as options. There are also dipper arms - 1.85m-, 2.05m-, 2.25m- or 2.65m-long - that have been specially designed for work below overhead wires. Two different counterweights can be selected for the railroader. The benefit of the heavy counterweight is the up to 15% higher lift capacity on the equipment side with only a slightly bigger swing radius. For the Australian market, the A922 Rail Litronic is equipped with a directional light on the undercarriage.
Liebherr’s A922 attracted plenty of interest at last year’s AusRAIL conference.
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State infrastructure report: WA
Sparks of recovery BY JACQUELINE ONG AT the end of last year, Civil Contractors Federation WA (CCF WA), in conjunction with BIS Oxford Economics, released its annual WA Infrastructure Report, which showed signs of recovery in the state’s civil construction sector, even noting that “the worst was now behind us”. It was welcome news following the unprecedented boom in mining construction activity that then led to the equally unprecedented decline. “I don’t think anybody knew what to do or to what extent the economy would be restored after an event like that. But there are now signs of sustained recovery,” CCF WA CEO Jeff Miller told Inside Construction. That’s not to say the state should expect a spectacular rise in demand and construction activity but that growth is rebalancing, with a forecasted rise in engineering construction through the next five years. This growth will initially be focused in key publicly-funded civil construction markets including 36 INSIDE CONSTRUCTION APRIL/MAY 2018
telecommunications, road and railway construction but will eventually extend to rising non-LNG mining and heavy industry construction. As the WA economy starts to recover, Miller warned that there were challenges to manage, particularly around skill and equipment shortages capacity which has left the WA market in light of the end of the mining boom. “The difficulty WA faces this time around is that other parts of Australia and the world are in much better economic times than they were back at the start of the resources boom - going back as far as 2009-10. At the time, Europe was an economic basket case, the east coast of Australia was flat economically, even New Zealand wasn’t in good shape. Fast forward to 2018 and the east coast of Australia is booming, New Zealand has a stronger economy and even Europe has surprised on the upside. So, we don’t have the same kind of labour force to call on,” Miller said. “The concern is, where are going to get the skilled labour that we need in
a globally competitive labour market? It’s a space that we’re watching with great interest.”
Steering infrastructure needs When the 2018 WA Infrastructure Report was launched in November, BIS Oxford Economics associate director construction, mining and maintenance, Adrian Hart noted the importance of government infrastructure spending as a driver of economic growth and diversity. “Public infrastructure investment can play an important role here to support economic growth in the short term, but it can also play a more vital strategic economic role in the long term by building on WA’s core strengths - affordable housing, low energy costs, and close proximity to Asian markets - which can stimulate business investment, employment and population growth,” Hart said. To drive greater investment, a planning system that is transparent and supported by the state government is key. And in a positive move
towards securing WA’s future, Premier Mark McGowan launched the muchanticipated Infrastructure WA on February 6, which CCF WA has been calling for for years. “An Infrastructure WA will create a more bipartisan approach to infrastructure and get a much longer pipeline of infrastructure projects planned and agreed by both sides,” Miller said. “Major infrastructure has a long planning and procurement process and with electoral cycles the way they are, we need to make sure we are not in a situation where we’d lose momentum every time we come up to either a state of federal election. “Infrastructure WA could tie very nicely into the work that Infrastructure Australia does in terms of prioritising projects and its role in assisting states to become better at cost-benefit analyses. “Ultimately, what we would like to see is a bi-partisan approach and a longer planning timeframe, ideally, a plan that’s 30 years into its future.”
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
State infrastructure report: WA +
CONTRACTS AWARDED
WATPAC CIVIL AND MINING Project: Construction of Milling Bypass Contract value: $21.2 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
COLEMAN RAIL Project: Construction of Ashton Avenue bridge replacement, over rail, with associated roadworks Contract value: $8.37 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
DECMIL AUSTRALIA Project: South Flank iron ore project initial works (WA) Contract value: $13 million Issuer: BHP Billiton
WBHO INFRASTRUCTURE Project: Toodyay Road, Roland Road, and O’Brien Road intersection improvements Contract value: $4.7 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
CARBONE BROS SRG CIVIL Project: Replacement of bridge with box culverts, City of Gosnells Contract value: $2.27 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
Project: Upgrade and bitumen seal 4.3km of River Road, Wellington National Park Contract period: 18 December 2017 - 23 March 2018 Contract value: $1.39 million Issuer: Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
CENTRAL EARTHMOVING COMPANY Project: Construction of widening and overlay Wubin Mullewa Road Contract period: 20 November 2017 - 18 December 2017 Contract value: $446,105 Issuer: Main Roads WA
ROB CARR Project: Relocation of water mains, York-Merredin Road Contract period: 20 November 2017 - 20 February 2018 Contract value: $363,076 Issuer: Main Roads WA
DENSFORD CIVIL AND MARINE & CIVIL Project: Road realignment and bridge construction, Albany-Lake Grace Road Contract period: 20 December 2017 - 23 May 2018 (final expiry: 23 May 2019) Contract value: $9.84 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
FULTON HOGAN INDUSTRIES Project: Provision of materials and services for the 2017-18 Midwest-Gascyne reseal program Contract period: 7 December 2017 - 19 February 2018 Contract value: $4.5 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
Project: Infrastructure planning commercial and economics advisory services (Metronet) Contract period: 22 January 2018 - 31 May 2018 Contract value: $149,875 Issuer: Public Transport Authority
STABILISED PAVEMENTS OF AUSTRALIA Project: Supply and delivery of low heat cement for Gibb River Road reconstruction project Contract value: $119,644 Issuer: Main Roads WA
IMMCO WA Project: Commissioning manager - Forrestfield-Airport Link project Contract period: 1 April 2018 - 31 March 2021 Contract value: $1.08 million Issuer: Public Transport Authority
WESTERN DRILLING Project: Construction of artesian bore, Muchea Ingham property Contract value: $92,680 Issuer: Main Roads WA
Daily news updates at www.insideconstruction.com.au
Project: Construction and testing of three water bores Contract period: 20 February 2018 - 14 May 2018 Contract value: $363,702 Issuer: Main Roads WA
AUSTRAL DRILLING SERVICES AECOM AUSTRALIA Project: METRONET Inner City Light Rail technical advisor Contract period: 11 December 2017 - 30 June 2018 Contract value: $100,000 Issuer: Department of Transport
Project: Road realignment and bridge construction, Albany-Lake Grace Road Contract period: 20 December 2017 - 23 May 2018 (final expiry: 23 May 2019) Contract value: $9.84 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
MAIN ROADS WA Project: Toodyay Road interstation improvements and passing lane works Contract value: $4.06 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
DRAINFLOW SERVICES
DIRECT DRILLING AUSTRALIA WIDE ERNST & YOUNG
DENSFORD CIVIL AND MARINE & CIVIL
Project: Provision of drilling services for the Pilbara irrigated agriculture feasibility study drilling program Contract value: $112,033 Issuer: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Project: Kwinana/Mitchell Freeway - bridge maintenance and remediation Contract value: $1.07 million Issuer: Main Roads WA
WESTRAC Project: Supply and delivery of one rubber-tyred 115kw wheel grader Contract period: 18 December 2017 16 March 2018 Contract value: $226,908 Issuer: Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
GP BRIDGE TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Project: Invest Framework - Infrastructure Contract period: 9 January 2018 12 February 2018 (final expiry: 12 April 2018) Contract value: $53,020 Issuer: Department of Communities - Child Protection and Family Support
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State infrastructure report: WA PANEL CONTRACTS FOR ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SERVICES (early tender advice)
TENDERS ALERT
PROVISION OF DESIGN GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES FOR MITCHELL AND KWINANA FREEWAY IMPROVEMENTS Details: Design verification and geotechnical investigation for improvements to the Mitchell and Kwinana Freeway between Loftus Street and Mill Point Road. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Flavio L’Abbate - (08) 9323 4364 or flavio.labbate@mainroads.wa.gov.au Closing date and time: April 20, 2018 at 2.30pm
CONSTRUCTION OF TWO BRIDGES AND CARRIAGEWAY UPGRADE, ALBANY HIGHWAY (early tender advice) Details: Construction of two bridges and carriageway upgrade on Albany Highway through Williams Town Site. To be eligible to tender, Tenderer must be prequalified to B2 or higher for Bridgeworks and must be prequalified for R3 or higher for roadworks or engage a R3 prequalified sub-contractor. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Brett Parker - (08) 96227747 or brett.parker@mainroads.wa.gov.au Estimated advertising date: April 23, 2018
DIARY
CORE 2018 | April 30 - May 2 International Convention Centre, Sydney The RTSA’s biennial Conference on Railway Excellence (CORE) has firmly established itself in recent years as the premier technical event in the Australasian rail conference market, with a reputation for high quality papers covering a wide range of rail engineering, operations, planning and management topics. These papers and presentations advance the body of knowledge on rail technologies and the sharing of the best practice in planning, implementation, operations and management of rail. www.core2018.org
MEGATRANS 2018 | May 10-12 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre MEGATRANS 2018 will be a key connection piece within the Australian and international supply chain, bringing together those who plan, implement and control the efficient, effective forward flow and storage of goods, services and related information from product inception to the end user. www.megatrans.com.au
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF UPGRADING REID HIGHWAY Details: The project includes the design and construction of a second carriageway on Reid Highway between intersections at Altone Road and West Swan Road. The project also includes at grade improvements to the Reid Highway - West Swan Road intersection and the construction of a duplicate bridge deck over Bennett Brook. Pre-qualification required: Roadworks R3 or higher, Bridgeworks B3 or higher and a financial rating of at least F75. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Jeremy Burkett - (08) 9323 4674 or jeremy.burkett@mainroads.wa.gov.au Closing date and time: April 24, 2018 at 2.30pm
ONSLOW ROAD UPGRADE (early tender advice) Details: Structural overlay of Onslow Road. Replacement/extension of culverts. Construction/installation of retaining walls. Upgrade of key intersections. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Allan Monaghan - (08) 9172 8865 or allan.monaghan@mainroads.wa.gov.au Estimated advertising date: July 31, 2018
Queensland Transport Infrastructure Conference 2018 | May 15-16 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre The Queensland government is injecting over $3.8 billion, 10.32% of the recent state budget, into the state’s roads and transport sector with an aim to optimise accessibility. The 9th Annual Queensland Transport Infrastructure Conference 2018 will examine both the government’s plans and privately funded projects that are set to expand Queensland’s transport networks. www.qldconference.com.au HIRE18 | May 30-31 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre The Hire and Rental Industry Association’s 50th Convention, HIRE18, will have a wider international perspective with delegates, speakers and partners bringing the best of the world’s hire and rental knowledge to Brisbane. HIRE18 is the only place to see the latest in access equipment, generators, mini equipment, tools, rental and GPS software, training, security and insurance services and much more all in one place. www.hire18.com.au
PANEL CONTRACT FOR THE PROVISION OF COST ESTIMATING AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (METROPOLITAN AREA)
Details: Provision of all types of engineering, technical, professional investigation and design services for rehabilitation and maintenance of bridges, roadworks, and associated works. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Kadija Siddiqui - (08) 93234719 or khadija.siddiqui@mainroads.wa.gov.au Estimated advertising date: March 30, 2018
Details: Cost estimating and commercial services on Main Roads projects typically for projects greater than $10 million together with specialist contract support services in resolving complex and/ or high value contractual claims. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Peter Sykes - (08) 9323 4929 or peter.sykes@mainroads.wa.gov.au Closing date and time: April 27, 2018 at 2.30pm
CONSTRUCT OF THE SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY ACCESS ROAD IN MURCHISON (early tender advice)
REPLACEMENT OF BRIDGE APPROACH SLABS IN THE PILBARA REGION (early tender advice)
Details: Upgrade road infrastructure, including three floodways and various stock grids on the access roads to the Square Kilometre Array Phase 1 Project, from Mullewa to the Square Kilometre Array Project on the Boolardy-Kallie Road. Pre-qualification- tenderers must be pre-qualified for R3 and higher at time of advertising. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Rebecca Greenaway - (08) 99561229 or rebecca.greenaway@mainroads.wa.gov.au Estimated advertising date: April 30, 2018
Details: Replacement of bridge approach slabs for bridges 1089, 1090, 1092, 1094 and 975 in the Pilbara Region. Also includes priced option for bridge approach slabs 1173, 1246, 1249, 1181 and 1182. Works to be undertaken in two stages, allowing the bridges to remain open to traffic. Issuing agency: Main Roads WA Contact: Danial Zubair - (08) 91728852 or danial.zubair@mainroads.wa.gov.au Estimated advertising date: April 30, 2018
Using technology to improve productivity | June 20-21 Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park The goal for the CCF NSW 2018 Technology Exhibition is to provide contractors across Australia the chance to see, in a highly time-efficient manner, the products and services designed to enable civil businesses to improve their productivity through technology. www.ccfnsw.com/NSW-State-Exhibition SA Major Projects Conference 2018 July 24-25 | Adelaide Convention Centre With a once-in-a generation infrastructure investment of $12.1 billion towards the delivery of major infrastructure projects for the state, the South Australian Major Projects Conference provides the perfect platform to get the latest project updates in addition to offering plentiful networking opportunities. www.saconference.com.au CeMAT 2018 | July 24-26 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre In 2018, CeMAT, the world’s leading trade fair for intralogistics and supply chain management, is set to explore Innovation and Industry 4.0; The Future of Intralogistics, Materials Handling and Supply Chain. In its third year, CeMAT AUSTRALIA will focus on the fourth
industrial revolution, sharing insights into how smart technology, efficient information management systems and data are enabling industry competitiveness through improved processes and timely decision making. www.cemat.com.au Vic Major Projects Conference 2018 September 4-5 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Over 200 senior level executives from public and private sectors will convene to hear presentations on major projects and infrastructure plans such as Infrastructure Victoria’s 30-year Strategy, Development Victoria’s Urban Renewal Projects, the Metro Tunnel Project and the Victorian Planning Authority’s East Werribee Employment Precinct. www.vicconference.com.au bauma China 2018 | November 27-30 Shanghai New International Expo Centre bauma CHINA is Asia’s largest and most important event for the construction industry. It attracts international buyers - a fact that guarantees a high return on your investment as well as sustainable success. Today, the show is both a platform for product presentations and a grand industry party for communication, cooperation and continued growth. www.bauma-china.com
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The Intersection of Infrastructure and Technology
Growing infrastructure demands around the world are creating tremendous challenges and opportunities. Topcon works to stay a step ahead, by creating solutions that incorporate technology advancements into the way you work today and tomorrow, transforming the way infrastructure is built. Our integration of high-accuracy positioning, high-speed imaging, cloud-based information management and down-to-earth simplicity creates higher productivity, enhanced quality and improved sustainability. With Topcon, you can stay ahead of your competition and meet the challenges of Infrastructure growth. Watch Topcon Positoning Systems President and CEO Ray O’Connor’s Bloomberg “NEXT INFRASTRUCTURE” interview: www.topconpositioning.com/Infrastructure.
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