ROAD SURFACING AND DESIGN
COLLABORATION LEADS TO LOWER-COST, QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE
Compared to ‘conventional’ asphalt, EME2 offers superior performance
Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads has partnered with the Australian Road and Research Board (ARRB) to research and develop solutions for improving the state’s roads and pavements. Here, Transport and Main Roads Director General Neil Scales runs us through some of the major developments occurring on our roads.
Foamed bitumen stabilisation is offering huge benefits
ueensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) invests billions of dollars annually building and maintaining the state’s road and transport network. Transport and Main Roads Director General, Neil Scales, said finding new and innovative
50
March 2018 // ISSUE 6
approaches to our infrastructure was critical to investing this money wisely. “The more frequent extreme weather events we are encountering, such as flooding, means our roads infrastructure needs to be built to be more resilient,” Mr Scales said. “Ensuring we get the best value for money, long term, out of every dollar invested is critical to delivering a network that serves the needs of Queenslanders now and in the future. “To do this we have developed a structured research and development program to help us deliver excellence and achieve real savings. “Through our partnership with the Australian Road and Research Board (ARRB), we have developed a National Asset Centre of Excellence (NACoE) to undertake targeted research and deliver practical applications of technologies that will deliver value for Queenslanders.” Now in its fifth year, the NACoE was established to improve the specialist capability and capacity of both TMR and ARRB Group through a sustained, collaborative program of challenging projects which unlock innovation and deliver superior technology and road transport solutions.
The program is diverse but has a strong focus on pavements, asset management and structures research. It targets international best practice, providing guidance to reduce excessive conservatism and allow the use of innovative materials, and translating new knowledge into best practice. “We invest more than $4 million each year in this program and it is already delivering important innovations and significant savings,” Mr Scales said. “We have already achieved outstanding outcomes in the areas of cost saving and performance, sustainability, safety, and reliability.”
SAVINGS AND PERFORMANCE: EME2 Mr Scales said the most significant return TMR had seen from the program was the wider use of high modulus asphalt, or EME2. “Developed in France in the early 1990s, EME2 has been used extensively in Europe on busy roads and airports with outstanding success,” Mr Scales said. Compared to ‘conventional’ asphalt, EME2 offers superior performance, 20-25 per cent thinner bases and improved productivity in construction. Time savings of 30-50 per cent have been www.infrastructuremagazine.com.au