Roads & Infrastructure May 2020

MAY 2020

& INFRASTRUCTURE

“WE’RE NOT STOPPING”

Federal Government Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack on the continued construction pipeline.

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MAY 2020 CONTENTS

& INFRASTRUCTURE

COVER STORY

14 “We’re not stopping”

Roads & Infrastructure’s exclusive interview with Federal Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack looks at vital construction projects across the country.

PROJECT REPORT

18 Echuca – Moama

The $323.7 million Echuca Moama Bridge Project will provide a second link between rural NSW and Victoria, to reduce congestion and improve reliability of emergency services.

AAPA

21 AAPA member profile

Mike Milne CEO and Founder of Synergy Group reflects on the challenges and advancements in the infrastructure industry.

22 AAPA: A history

NSW and ACT Executive Director Dougall Broadfoot looks back on the history of AAPA, and the 50 years since its formation.

24 Industry resilience

AAPA CEO Carlos Rial details the importance of infrastructure in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ASPHALT IN ACTION

26 Special agent SAMIbond

With the ability to perform under the high-stress of aircraft traffic, SAMI’s 007 emulsion is paving the way for next generation airport asphalt.

28 Asphalt for airports

To achieve high production rates on the Geraldton Airport project, Boral turned to Wirtgen to supply the Ciber iNOVA 2000.

30 Paver maintenance

Astec’s Jorge Boil explains the importance of daily paver maintenance and the processes that can limit costly downtime.

TECH & EQUIPMENT

31 The walking floor

For the past 45 years, KEITH Manufacturing Co. has worked to adapt its proven WALKING FLOOR technology, which is well suited to asphalt applications.

32 Ready to roll

Hastings Deering, have created ‘go-towork’ packs to service the essential road construction industry.

34 Single drum roller

Tutt Bryant are now offering the BOMAG BW 213 BCV-5 roller, capable of varying vibration levels for an array of projects.

36 TMA maintenance

Tim Eato from Innov8 Equipment discusses the importance of TMA maintenance requirements.

The new Hastings Deering CW12 pneumatic roller.

40 Precision profiling

Bestech laser sensors and scanners can be used to ensure surfaces are correctly and efficiently measured on any road profiling project.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS

42 Infrastructure Victoria

The organisation has laid out a multifaceted plan to tackle the state’s congestion and population challenges in the lead up to a new 30-year strategy.

46 Department of Transport

The Federal Government’s Office of Future Transport details what it has been working on to bring a cohesive and unified approach to emerging technologies.

EVENTS

49 Expotrade changes

In light of COVID-19 mass gathering restrictions, dates for many of Expotrade’s transport and infrastructure or major project conferences have changed.

CONTRACTS AND TENDERS

50 Contracts in brief

Roads and Infrastructure provides an update on the latest infrastructure contracts.

REGULARS 04 Editor’s note 06 News

38 Tokara Link

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& INFRASTRUCTURE

CONSTRUCTION SECTOR GETS PROACTIVE THE MESSAGE FROM INDUSTRY AND STAKEHOLDERS IS CLEAR: MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS SHOULDN’T BE DISRUPTED. However, there is one caveat: what tomorrow brings remains uncertain. In an exclusive interview with Roads & Infrastructure, the Deputy Prime Minister gave us a resounding “we’re not stopping”.

The salient point though, is that governments are rightly taking advice from medical experts as the COVID situation evolves day-by-day. No one can say concretely that every project will go ahead as planned, but reports indicate that major projects like the Level Crossing Removals in Victoria and Cross River Rail in Queensland are charging on.

For that matter, the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) confirmed it has been in talks with governments bodies across Australia that have all confirmed roads and associated roadworks are an essential service.

What this means in practice and how its legal interpretation affects the timeframe of major projects remains unclear. Nevertheless, the Federal Government remains committed to its $100 billion 10-year infrastructure program.

Additionally, state governments have indicated a strong willingness to move ahead with major projects. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said that when we get to the other side of this, the biggest construction boom in the state’s history will need to be even bigger.

Over in SA, the government is fast-tracking $120 million in new infrastructure projects as part of its $1 billion stimulus package. The NSW Government extended construction hours in April to operate on weekends and public holidays.

Indicative of the overall trend is the national crane index, which fell to a two-year low and by two per cent across Australia’s two largest cities. The risk may be more likely to fall to new projects should any supply chain disruptions occur.

Fortunately, the construction sector has been incredibly proactive in adhering to social distancing measures. Safe Work Australia is recommending physical distancing, hygiene and health checks and quarantine for workers returning from overseas. This is alongside cancelling non-essential visits for deliveries or contractors in the workplace.

In an interview for Roads Online, AAPA CEO Carlos Rial said in addition to many of these measures, controls are being implemented for external providers before they enter any sites.

Those with flu-like symptom are not permitted on-site and companies are also leveraging digital technology to restrict touch points while disseminating on-site documentation.

While there are a lot of unknowns at this point, the signs of proactivity are positive. With the right measures, the construction industry will no doubt emerge from this resilient and ready to support the economic recovery effort.

PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au MANAGING EDITOR Toli Papadopoulos toli.papadopoulos@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS Lauren Jones lauren.jones@primecreative.com.au Holly Keys holly.keys@primecreative.com.au DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR Blake Storey DESIGN Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Brad Marshall brad.marshall@primecreative.com.au CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER Justine Nardone justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au HEAD OFFICE Prime Creative Pty Ltd 11-15 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia p: +61 3 9690 8766 f: +61 3 9682 0044 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.roadsonline.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS +61 3 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Roads & Infrastructure Australia is available by subscription from the publisher. The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher.

ARTICLES All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

COPYRIGHT

Toli Papadopoulos Managing Editor, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine

4

ROADS MAY 2020

Roads & Infrastructure Australia is owned and published by Prime Creative Media. All material in Roads & Infrastructure Australia is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Roads & Infrastructure Australia are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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NEWS

AAPA CONFIRMS ROADWORKS ARE AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE AAPA CEO Carlos Rial said he is proud to see industry implementing best practice government advice.

The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) has confirmed, through discussions with government bodies across the nation, that roads and associated roadworks are essential services.

In a statement, AAPA CEO Carlos Rial highlighted that under many of the Essential Services Acts across the country it can be interpreted that roads and associated roadworks activities support the essential functions needed during emergent conditions.

The statement reads that safe reliable road access protects the community against the

interruption and dislocation of essential services, which is the purpose of many of these acts.

Mr. Rial noted that roads are the nations arteries and provide an essential service to support the following; • The needed freight that supplies business and consumers in critical times.

• The need for safe access for emergency services, remote and vulnerable communities as well as the mines, ports and farms that keep the economy functioning.

• The need to keep people employed as

roadworks provide a positive impact of additional employment for both skilled and semi-skilled workers in both regional and metropolitan areas.

• The need for well-maintained roads to help protect the lives of those using them.

To keep this essential service running, Mr. Rial noted it must be done in a safe manner and deliver the objectives of government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He said in the statement that he is proud to see the industry implementing best practice government advice through onsite directives that prevent the risk of transfering the virus.

Some of these measures include maintaining a safe social distance, maintaining good hygiene and having action plans to prepare for the event of flu like symptoms presenting on site.

“Our members do have contingency plans and business continuity plans with clear COVID-19 policies that are communicated to all staff and I commend them for this,” Mr. Rial said.

“COVID-19 is highly contagious, I am confident our industry will continue to implement best practice as defined by health authorities, to ensure our essential service can continue to be safely delivered for the community and also prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

ANOTHER SECTION OF PACIFIC HIGHWAY DUPLICATION COMPLETE A 12 kilometre section of the Pacific Highway between Tyndale and Maclean has opened, taking the project closer to completion. The new section of the four-lane divided highway takes the total of completed upgrades to more than 75 kilometers, as a result of the Pacific Highway upgrade project.

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the Pacific Highway duplication from Hexham to the Queensland border is the largest road infrastructure project in regional Australia.

“We’re already seeing travel time reductions 6

ROADS MAY 2020

of around two hours, and fatal crashes on this stretch of highway have halved since the project started,” Mr. Toole said.

“This is about keeping vital infrastructure work moving forward, infrastructure that keeps people employed and regional economies ticking and supports safer, faster journeys for freight operators at a time when it’s critical to keep essential goods flowing.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said vital infrastructure projects would go

ahead despite the COVI D -19 pandemic because of their long-term value to regional communities.

“We’re powering ahead with vital infrastructure projects like this because we understand just how important investments are to regional economies in this difficult time,” Mr. McCormack said.

“Contractors will be complying with all relevant health advice to ensure their safety.” The duplication of the Pacific Highway from Woolgoolga to Ballina is expected to be complete at the end of this year.

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NEWS

VIC PREMIER SAYS CONSTRUCTION WILL PLAY MAJOR ROLE IN COVID ECONOMIC RECOVERY Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says construction — which continues under current stage three restrictions — will play a major role in the state’s economic recovery post COVID-19.

“It’s probably too early to tell what the impacts of this coronavirus will be on a whole range of different projects: both government projects — level crossings, road and rail hospitals, schools — and also private sector projects,” Mr. Andrews told ABC political reporter Richard Willingham.

“When we get to the other side of this, the biggest construction boom in our state’s history will need to be even bigger. We will need to do more to protect jobs, to create new jobs, and to make sure that we bounce back from this as strong as we possibly can.”

According to Mr. Andrews, the state budget, which was due 5 May but has been postponed until later this year, will give the state government an opportunity to assess where the greatest needs are.

“There will be a massive rebuilding project, a big project to stand with workers and their families to look after the most disadvantaged, to repair that damage as much as we can,” he said. ies in this difficult time,” he said.

Daniel Andrews says Victoria’s construction boom will be bigger than ever post-COVID-19.

TRAFFIC TEST UNDERWAY FOR CRUMB RUBBER ASPHALT MIXES Four different crumb rubber asphalt mixes have been laid for a trial on a 1.4 kilometre stretch of road in Melbourne’s south east.

The project, funded by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) and the Victorian Department of Transport (DoT), will see the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) conduct a two year trial of the asphalt to monitor the performance of the mixes on high traffic roads.

TSA CEO Lina Goodman said Australia generates the equivalent of 56 million used car tyres yearly, and around 30 per cent of those end up in landfill or are stockpiled.

“Finding innovative and sustainable ways of 8

ROADS MAY 2020

using old tyres is vital, and crumb rubber asphalt roads are the perfect solution to a waste problem,” she said.

While spray seals incorporating crumb rubber are well used on country roads in Victoria and overseas, the aim of this project is to increase the opportunity for crumb rubber asphalt to be used on high traffic roads.

ARRB CEO Michael Caltabiano said tyre crumb, when added to an asphalt mix, not only assists with the reuse of a waste stream but can actually add value to the road structure.

“ARRB’s applied research findings show that a crumb rubber asphalt lasts longer, performs

better and delivers a better economic outcome for the community,” Mr. Caltabiano said.

The asphalt has been laid throughout March on a 1.4 kilometre section of East Boundary Rd in Bentleigh East, in Melbourne’s southeast. It is on the southbound carriageway between Centre Road and South Road.

The trial features four different crumb rubber asphalt mixes and two asphalt control sections.

Around 1600 car tyres will be used in the trial. Lab and field testing will be conducted at regular intervals, with a final report due by mid 2022.

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NEWS

WA PASSES NEW LAWS TO PROTECT SUBCONTRACTORS AND SMALL BUSINESSES Western Australia has passed new laws to protect subcontractors and small businesses in the wake of growing payment disputes in the construction sector.

Under the new laws, the Small Business Commissioner has greater powers to investigate improper behaviour such as price gouging and late or non-payments of insurance claims or denial of claims.

According to Small Business Minister Paul Papalia, the laws were put in place to respond to a growing number of insolvencies and payment disputes in the construction industry.

“At a time when small businesses confront incredible challenges, the likes of which have never been seen in modern times, it’s more important than ever that we provide greater powers for an authority that supports the little guy,” he said.

“They will also provide an extra layer of protection for small businesses as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In addition to the Small Business Development Corporation’s (SBDC) current dispute resolution service, the commissioner will now have the authority to compel government entities, companies and businesses to provide documents during the course of investigations.

“In the past, there were many highly publicised cases of insolvencies and disputes over payments owed to small

businesses, especially in relation to government projects,” Mr. Papalia said.

“Behind those headlines were the stories of real people with cautionary tales of mismanagement, deceit, intimidation and grief.”

Mr. Papalia said the Small Business Commissioner can now conduct inquiries based on industry and inter-agency intelligence and complaints from small businesses.

“A specialised investigations and inquiry unit within the SBDC is now up and running, and is aimed at improving corporate and government processes and identifying unfair practices,” he said.

“These new powers come after years of advocacy by both myself and the Small Business Commissioner, and strengthen the role of the SBDC in maintaining good business relationships throughout WA.” Small Business Commissioner David Eaton said the reforms will support the existing role of the SBDC, which has been operating for over 35 years.

“The SBDC is independent and impartial, so the legislative changes will not alter its service culture, nor will it compromise the voluntary nature of its highly successful dispute resolution service,” he said.

“In the current environment, businesses large and small need to work together to secure cash flow and employment.

However, if that does not occur, then these new tools allow my team to investigate poor behaviour and bring it to the attention of the most appropriate body.”

Once a complaint is lodged, Mr. Eaton said the SBDC will seek to validate it through robust investigations before pursuing or rejecting a claim.

“My objective is to establish facts and not target any particular company or industry,” he added.

“Ultimately my goal is a fair operating environment for all businesses across Western Australia.”

The reforms come into effect immediately.

The laws were put in place to respond to a growing number of payment disputes in the construction sector.

SA FAST TRACKS $120M IN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS New major infrastructure projects will be fast-tracked as part of the South Australian Government’s $1 billion economic stimulus package to support local jobs and businesses.

The state government has announced over $120 million in new infrastructure projects will be fast-tracked.

This includes $52 million for targeted regional road network repair, $35 million to rehabilitate and resurface the South Eastern Freeway and $15 million for Heysen Tunnel refits and safety upgrades.

A further $12 million will be brought forward for a higher capacity North-South Freight

Route by-passing Adelaide, with $6 million fast-tracked to seal Adventurer Way and Innamincka Airport Road.

According to Premier Steven Marshall, the state government has a strong plan to protect South Australians from the economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“By fast tracking infrastructure projects, providing tax relief for households and businesses and delivering business and community support funding, we are aiming to keep as many hard-working South Australians in a job as possible,” he said.

Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll said tenders had already been released for the $15 million Heysen Tunnel refit and $6 million Adventure Way and Innamincka Airport Road sealing.

“We are trying to get these projects out the door as quickly as possible to support more South Australian jobs and businesses as we deal with the impacts of the coronavirus,” he said.

“These projects will help fix hundreds of kilometres of roads and highways, improve road safety and help save lives on our country roads.” roadsonline.com.au

11

NEWS

CONTRACTORS BEGIN MAJOR CONSTRUCTION AT THREE MELBOURNE LEVEL CROSSINGS The new Mentone Station will open when trains resume on the Frankston line in mid-July.

Works are underway to remove three level crossings and build two new stations in Cheltenham and Mentone in south-east Melbourne.

A one week closure began on 20 March as major construction ramped up.

Cheltenham and Mentone stations are now closed until the new stations are opened in mid-2020.

The Lendlease, Acciona Coleman Rail,

WSP and Metro Trains Melbourne alliance were awarded the construction contracts for Cheltenham and Mentone stations.

The alliance were also awarded the level crossing removals in early 2019.

During the shutdown, crews will continue with piling, service relocation and other vital works in preparation for the twomonth shut later this year.

This major construction period will begin

on 24 May and run for eight weeks, during which time the rail trenches will be dug out and new stations will be built.

Works will go ahead with protocols in place to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, providing job security for workers on these major projects and ensure progress continues to deliver a better train network in Victoria.

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said, “we’re continuing work on these projects despite the COVID-19 outbreak – providing certainty to local workers and making progress on delivering a better train network for Victorians.”

There will also be increased cleaning across the public transport network as part of the fight against COVID-19, including rail replacement busses.

The new Mentone Station will open when trains resume on the Frankston line in mid-July, and Cheltenham Station will follow in August.

ARRB DETAILS SUPPORT FOR VICTORIA’S RECYCLED FIRST PROGRAM The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) is committed to supporting the Victorian Government’s push to boost the amount of recycled materials used in major construction projects. Recycled First, a new initiative from the Victorian Government, will prioritise recycled and reused materials that meet existing standards for road and rail projects – with recycled aggregates, glass, plastic, timber, steel, ballast, crushed concrete, crushed brick, crumb rubber, reclaimed asphalt pavement and organics taking precedence over virgin materials.

According to an ARRB statement, the organisation has significant involvement in research and trials of recycled and alternative materials in road construction.

“Changes to tender processes mean projects such as the $16 billion North East Link in Melbourne may include roads made of partly discarded rubber,” the statement reads.

12

ROADS MAY 2020

ARRB is involved in a number of recycled content infrastructure trials, including trialling the use of crushed glass in asphalt.

“ARRB’s state-of-the-art research labs in Port Melbourne offer world-class testing facilities for the use and specifications for recycled and alternative road construction materials.”

Examples of ARRB’s work in the recycled materials space include a trial of recycled crushed glass asphalt on local roads with Brimbank City Council in Melbourne’s west.

“ARRB is also involved in an important new trial – alongside Tyre Stewardship Australia and Victoria’s Department of Transport

– involving using crumb rubber on East Boundary Road at Bentleigh East,” the statement reads.

According to Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, the state’s Recycled First program brings a uniform approach to the existing ‘ad hoc’ use of recycled products on major transport infrastructure projects.

“We’re paving a greener future for Victoria’s infrastructure, turning waste into vital materials for our huge transport agenda and getting rubbish out of landfills,” Ms Allan said.

“Recycled First will boost the demand for reused materials right across our construction sector – driving innovation in sustainable materials and changing the way we think about waste products.”

Recycled First is overseen by the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority, and will include strict quality standards.

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“We’re not stopping,” says Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.

MAKING ROADS ALL

THEY CAN BE

ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE CAUGHT UP WITH FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTER MICHAEL MCCORMACK TO DISCUSS THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO INFRASTRUCTURE DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS.

W

Construction crews lay asphalt on the Pacific Highway. Credit: NSW Government.

14

ROADS MAY 2020

hile no industry sector is immune from facing some kind of COVID-19 impact, some industries are hurting more than others.

The road construction sector conversely, while undoubtedly facing challenges, is charging on with critical nation-building infrastructure projects. For example, Cross River Rail, the largest infrastructure project in Queensland’s history, continues, with April seeing the announcement of a new priority. One of Victoria’s most congested level crossings in Toorak was also removed in April, with the Victorian

Premier proclaiming that work looks a little different on the big build, with extra physical distancing precautions in place to protect workers from coronavirus.

Over in South Australia, the government is fast-tracking $120 million in infrastructure projects as part of its $1 billion economic stimulus package. Although the future remains somewhat uncertain, the message of governments is one of resilience.

The discussion of continued projects was symbolically expressed through the finalisation of the Pacific Highway duplication between Woolgooga and

COVER STORY

Ballina, which is on track for completion at the end of 2020. This comprises an additional 12-kilometre section between Tyndale and Maclean. The new section of four-lane divided highway supports more than 75 kilometres of completed highway delivered through the project.

In an exclusive interview with Roads & Infrastructure, Federal Government Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack in early April shared his enthusiasm to see much-needed projects continue as normal, highlighting the government’s commitment to its existing 10-year pipeline.

The Federal Government’s Infrastructure Investment Program will see $100 billion flow to major projects over 10 years from 2019-20. Through its continued initiatives, the government is supporting critical road projects like the Pacific Highway and Western Sydney Airport in NSW, Bruce Highway in QLD, METRONET in Perth and Monash Freeway in Melbourne.

“We’re not stopping. I’ve had discussions generally twice a week every week since the start of March with transport and infrastructure ministers from throughout Australia,” Mr. McCormack explains.

He adds that ministers have been talking about bringing projects forward and what can be done to help the transport infrastructure sector get through the crisis.

When announcing the final steps on the Pacific Highway duplication between Woolgoolga and Ballina, Mr. McCormack highlighted how important investments like this were to regional economies during this difficult time. Speaking to Roads & Infrastructure, he says the safety benefit is huge.

“When the Pacific Highway is complete from Hexham to the Queensland border, that’s a saving of two and a half hours effectively of what the Pacific Highway once was,” he says.

He points to the Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail as an example of making a difference in the community, creating hundreds of jobs with businesses built in and around it. The section is one of 12 projects for Inland Rail, with works completed on a 5.3 kilometre of new rail near Parkes to link Inland Rail with the existing Broken Hill rail line to Perth.

Spanning more than 1700 kilometres, Inland Rail aims to provide a transit time of

Once complete, Mr. McCormack says motorists will save two and a half hours driving along the Pacific Highway. Credit: NSW Government.

“IT’S CRITICAL THAT THE SUPPLY CHAIN, LOGISTICS, CONSTRUCTION, THAT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSPORT AND INDEED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT…ARE ALL THAT THEY CAN BE AT THIS TIME.”

24 hours or less for freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, NSW and QLD. An Inland Rail Regional Opportunities Report produced

by Ernst & Young found the total project will see a boost of up to $13.3 billion in gross regional product.

Mr. McCormack says that with borders closed to a large degree and international routes shut off, it’s important to get food, fuel and medical equipment moving across the country.

“It’s critical that the supply chain, logistics, construction [and] everything to do with infrastructure transport and indeed regional development…are all that they can be at this time,” he says.

He adds that in one sense supply chains are freed up as there are not as many people on the road during this time.

In keeping the supply chain ticking along, he says that construction companies are also quite forthright in adhering to social distancing and safety – a commendable effort.

“That’s one advantage of the construction industry, sometimes those workers and builders are not as such in close quarters with their colleagues,” he says.

The COVID-19 lockdown has led to a discussion, with a range of variances at a state and territory level, on what services

are “essential” versus non-essential. The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association recently confirmed – through discussions with government bodies across the nation – that roads and associated roadworks are essential services. CEO Carlos Rial recently said he had been in talks with government bodies from across Australia and all have confirmed roads and associated roadworks are an essential service.

“Under many of the Essential Services Acts across the country it can be interpreted that roads and associated roadworks activities support the essential functions needed during emergent conditions,” he said.

Because jurisdictions will vary as to what as essential service means legally, on questions of whether there should be an amendment to any of the acts, Mr. McCormack says it comes down to “common sense”. He says that with parliaments largely in recess, it might be something for a future Council of Australian Governments to look at.

In its response to COVID-19, the Federal Government progressively rolled out three packages – its initial $17.6 billion stage one package, $66 billion stage two and $130 billion JobKeeper support package. Stage one included changes to the instant asset write-off from $30,000 to $150,000 which roadsonline.com.au

15

Spanning more than 1700 kilometres, Inland Rail aims to provide transit times of 24 hours or less for freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane.

supports road construction purchases, with a multitude of other benefits across the three packages relevant to a variety of businesses.

On questions of whether Mr. McCormack would rule out a stage-four related infrastructure package, he says he doesn’t “rule anything in our out”.

He adds that COVID-19 has caused uncertainty and it remains to be seen how bad it will be for the health of the nation and economy, pointing out that the government has tried to slow and contain the virus as best as it can.

“We can take advice from the chief medical officer Dr Brendan Murphy and others as to what the likely outcomes might be of COVID-19 on the workforce and construction transport industry,” he says.

“If a number of their workers go down with the virus and have to either be hospitalised or self-isolate or indeed be quarantined that’s an issue.”

Likewise, on questions as to whether the current level of debt would affect future infrastructure funding, namely in the October budget, he says no one could put a figure on it, not even the most “learned treasury official”.

That said, he says he wrote to all local 16

ROADS MAY 2020

governments across Australia highlighting that he wanted to see them bring any maintenance projects they could forward.

While COVID-19 has dramatically changed our expectations for 2020, the issue has been overshadowed by what were some of Australia’s worst bushfires earlier this year.

Mr. McCormack highlights the government’s focus in this area, pointing to its Bridges Renewal Program, which opened proposals for another round earlier this year.

“Certainly infrastructure and inland rail is going to of course be a project that will continue to roll out. I’m very excited about the projects it will do, with goods to be carted between Melbourne and Sydney in less than 24 hours for the first time in more than a 100 years.”

With project overruns a continued issue, it remains to be seen what impact COVID-19 will have on existing timelines.

When asked whether he would encourage project proponents experiencing financial stress to provide some kind of guarantee, Mr. McCormack says he would encourage them to “sing out” well before it comes a major issue. He points out that project participants do their best not to have overruns but sometimes face issues such as weather.

Importantly, Mr. McCormack says there are a range of vital projects being explored, including the Outback Way linking QLD to WA and, Wheatbuilt road projects in WA and secondary freight upgrades.

Additionally, the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative continues to ensure key freight roads are efficiently connected to industrial hubs.

He comments that other projects such as Western Sydney Airport will generate thousands of indirect and direct jobs and is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the nation.

As far as future transport technologies goes, he says that organisations are working harder than ever despite disruptions to their working life, with many now working from home.

“I don’t wish or think at any stage we need to see a slowdown in our construction and infrastructure roll-out,” Mr. McCormack says.

“That said, it’s very early April 2 [at the time of interview]. This COVID-19 [situation] will potentially go for six months, we’re one month into that. I know all our planning and preparation has been for a six-month phase, hopefully it will be a lot shorter than that but at this stage who can tell.”

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An alternative route for Echuca Moama Bridge has been discussed for decades.

BRIDGING THE

STATE GAP

AS ONE OF THE LARGEST TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN NORTHERN VICTORIA, THE $323.7 MILLION ECHUCA MOAMA BRIDGE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A SECOND LINK BETWEEN RURAL NSW AND VICTORIA, REDUCING CONGESTION AND IMPROVING RELIABILITY OF EMERGENCY SERVICES.

M

ost construction projects have one set of state-based building specifications to adhere to, but when working across borders, the lines can be blurred.

Each state in Australia has unique construction regulations and when the time came to create a new crossing between Victoria and NSW, construction teams were faced with two different standards.

As one of the busiest border crossings in the country it was identified in the 60’s that an alternative route was needed for the Echuca Moama Bridge, built in 1878 and now over 100 years old.

Now, each day 25,000 vehicles use the river crossing between Echuca in Victoria and Moama in NSW. With the main link between the two states reliant on a 100-year-old bridge, authorities decided it was time for an upgrade. The $323.7 million Echuca-Moama Bridge project was conceptualised to create a new, alternative crossing over the Murray and Campaspe Rivers.

Construction began in 2017 and the project has been split into four stages. Stage Three is managed by Major Road Projects Victoria and Stage Four by Transport for NSW. Eric Shegog, Program Director Delivery and

18

ROADS MAY 2020

Continuous Improvement at Major Road Projects Victoria says communication has been key for a successful project that meets standards on both sides of the border.

“At one stage we were going to build the project with two different specifications, but we decided to go with one standard.

You have to build trust in the team and get a good collaborative approach,” Mr. Shegog says.

A memorandum of understanding was created to help the two parties manage their collaborative approach and understand that while there were two different jurisdictions, both of the systems and processes were designed around a joint goal.

Once the plan was hatched, the team turned to construction. Stage One and Two of the project involved preparing existing roads to feed into the new crossing.

Stage One was the Murray Valley Highway and Warren Street intersection upgrade, which was completed in June 2018. This involved the creation of a new roundabout in Echuca, which removed “Y” shaped intersections that the community had long voiced safety concerns over.

Warren Street also required an upgrade, and this formed Stage Two of the project.

Four new flood bridges were constructed along with a new roundabout at the Campaspe Esplanade, an extended righthand turning lane into Homan Street, a new residential service road and a shared path.

The Warren Street upgrade was completed in November 2019 and now Major Road Projects Victoria is looking towards its last and biggest stage of the project – Stage Three.

This will see the construction of the two main bridges over the Murray and Campaspe rivers. Additionally, a new twolane road with sealed shoulders north of the new roundabout on Warren Street in Echuca will connect to the Cobb Highway in Moama.

Two new flood relief bridges will be built in Stage Three alongside safety barriers, noise walls and a new safe and scenic shared walking and cycling path along the route and over the new bridges.

McConnell Dowell is the principal contractor for Stage Three and in late February the team were already doing early environmental works and setting up the site compound. Major works are planned to start this month.

The existing route delivers all of the

PROJECT REPORT

crossing traffic through Echuca town centre.

The extra crossing will help to divert heavy vehicles out of the town centre, reducing growing congestion.

“The new bridges will take 40 per cent of traffic off the existing bridge and a significant proportion of that will be heavy and oversized vehicles,” Mr. Shegog says.

It will also give another option to emergency services travelling in between towns, increasing their reliability.

Mr. Shegog says the closest crossing to the current bridge is over 100 kilometres away so there is a significant difference in response times for emergency vehicles.

He says this means there is a huge safety benefit, with access for emergency services in case there is traffic congestion on the existing bridge.

Stage Four involves upgrading Moama intersections to connect the Cobb Highway and the new Murray River bridge.

Construction of this stage began in early 2020 and is expected to take 18 months to complete.

To create the second crossing of the Murray River, a bridge with a 115-metre span will need to be constructed. Mr. Shegog says the team have chosen a balanced cantilever box girder bridge which will be cast on site.

“The Murray River Bridge will sit high in the air (about 15 metres high at the bank) and span 115 metres across the river, so the normal way of building bridges doesn’t quite suit those requirements. We had to The Echuca Moama Bridge Project includes several stages, with the bridge crossing expected to open in 2022.

choose between a balanced cantilever or an incrementally launched bridge and this was the one we decided on,” he says.

For the Murray River Crossing, the contractor decided that the piers were to be pulled back off the bank and out of the water. The bridge also needed to be of significant height to allow river boats and paddle steamers to travel underneath.

For this reason, a balanced cantilever box girder bridge was well suited to the project’s requirements. This is cast on-site and constructed by travelling forms from either bank, so the bridge grows progressively across the river and meets in the middle.

“The Campaspe River crossing and the flood relief bridges will all be constructed using precast concrete super-T girders.

The super-T design is a standard, very well practiced and efficient design,” Mr. Shegog says.

When planning the six flood relief bridges on the project, the team did extensive flood modelling to ensure the new alignment did not increase flooding risk in surrounding areas.

“The flood relief structures are based around making sure there are enough waterway openings, to guarantee a flood could behave no worse. We have done a lot of work with the councils in the area to fine tune flooding impacts,” Mr. Shegog says.

The Victorian Government’s Social Procurement Framework has lead to a focus on sustainability.

Mr. Shegog says in Stage Two, the

contractor Winslow, had all of their precast beams constructed in the local Humes factory,” Stage Two also saw around 95 percent of the timber cut down, provided to catchment management authorities for their river aquatic works to enhance fish and river health.

“We have a plan in place for any timber we might want to remove on the project to be reused. The Port of Echuca has taken delivery of long lengths of timber to restore their wharves and the Kyabram Fauna Park has used timber to improve its habitats for native creatures,” Mr. Shegog says.

As the project is situated over two state borders it had to obtain two environmental approvals, the Environmental Effects Statement in Victoria and a Review of Environmental Factors in NSW. “Through that process we commissioned a detailed tree mapping study and developed a vegetation database. We also developed a comprehensive understanding of what flora and fauna were across the site. From there we worked up plans to protect and care for those species,” Mr. Shegog says.

The Victorian Temperate Woodland Bird Community and squirrel gliders are the main species in need of protection on the project.

To increase liveability for the surrounding communities, shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists will be a significant addition to the project.

“We’ve already built two kilometres of shared path on Warren Street and we will be joining that up right through Victoria Park and onto the NSW side,” Mr. Shegog says.

WHAT’S NEXT? Once major construction has begun on Stage Three, the Echuca-Moama bridge crossing is expected to be open in 2022.

Over the next two years crews will work hard across both sides of the border to deliver the project on time.

“So far we have delivered two stages with an impeccable safety record with no recordable injuries and no lost time injuries. Stage Two was also finished a month early. We have set a high benchmark for the team and will endeavour to maintain similar behaviour for Stage Three, right through until completion,” Mr. Shegog says. roadsonline.com.au

19

19th AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference & Exhibition 2021

Roads going full circle 16th -18th August 2021

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Our i n d u s

COVID-19 ond bey try

Our ind u

ID-19 V O C d n o y e b ts ry

AAPA MEMBER PROFILE: MIKE MILNE CEO AND FOUNDER OF SYNERGY GROUP Q. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? A. I am the CEO and founder of Synergy PaveSmart, a specialist technology and surveying business focused on automated construction and surveying of roads, airport runways, geospatial CAD design and high -speed measurement of asphalt pavements.

We have sought to bring together the old and the new through highly experienced and traditional industry professionals and the latest technologies.

Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AAPA MEMBER? A. I remember with great clarity my first participation in AAPA. It was nearly 20 years ago where I attended my first BiAnnual AAPA conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast. My new company Synergy had a small exhibit of our asphalt paving technology and surveying services. I had the pleasure of meeting with many colleagues and industry professionals from all over Australia, New Zealand and around the world. I enjoyed being immersed in the common language of our industry and was very kindly given the opportunity to make a presentation on some of our technology.

Q. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS? A. Our clients, our people and technology are the best things about our business.

Our business model is to provide onsite surveying and automation support, consultancy services, quality analysis and CAD design services to the asphalt paving, road making and infrastructure industries.

We live for the challenge of assisting our clients with technically complex and stringent conformance specifications through our range of advanced measurement and automation technologies and our great depth of practical industry experience. Our goal is to deliver a service that provides

time of great uncertainty but also a time for courage and for us to reach out to the most affected.

Mike Milne says now is a time for courage and to reach out to those most affected.

for simple and efficient processes giving the best possible result and protecting the financial integrity of our clients large and often challenging infrastructure projects.

Q. WHAT IS A RECENT CHANGE YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ARE YOU/THE COMPANY PREPARED FOR THAT? A. After my first AAPA conference nearly 20 years ago I remember returning to Brisbane feeling very happy and satisfied with my week, networking with like-minded colleagues from Australia, New Zealand and all around the world. However, in an instant everything changed. The date was 9.11.2001, and the world was never quite the same. Yet again nearly 20 years later we find ourselves thrust into another significant global challenge with COVID-19.

As our scientists, health professionals and governments guide us at this critical time, it’s important to acknowledge and thank the dedicated professionals who are placing service above self during this crisis.

As in 9/11 and at other times in the past, the infrastructure industry is ready to do its part to help and assist in kick-starting the economy to help ensure financial stability upon which we all rely. This is a

Q. WHAT INDUSTRY ADVANCEMENTS DO YOU THINK WILL PLAY A STRONG PART IN THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION? A. Over the years and in common with other industries, technology has played an increasing role in attempting to fill the gap between conformance and the need for ever-increasing productivity and maintaining financial viability. Technology is critical but it’s also important to understand that technology merely for its own sake will not always improve business processes.

You need a proper business model and associated competency.

So while things have changed and technology has presented great advantages to our world, it has also made it more complex and it needs to be used in the right way with the right personnel to make it beneficial.

Q. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE? A. Our business has recently invested in the US market with on-going projects in Kentucky, Colorado and Florida. We are also expanding our range of services here in Australia to include high speed road surface analysis and road design.

Our future plan is to continue to innovate and to grow. However, I still see the key to future success fundamentally the same now at it has always been, that is the benefit of working together with our clients what we call the Synergy effect, sticking to our core competencies, doing things well, doing them efficiently.

This difficult time in human history will pass and without a doubt these basic fundamentals of success together with the help from technology will see us recover and be stronger in the future. roadsonline.com.au

21

SURVIVAL OF

THE MOST FLEXIBLE

DOUGALL BROADFOOT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AAPA NSW AND ACT, REFLECTS ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT INDUSTRY AND ITS PEAK BODY ASSOCIATION OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, AS IT CONTINUES TO WORK ON INDUSTRY IMPROVEMENT.

A

t the ‘genesis meeting’ in April 1969, from which the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) would rise, the purpose of the body was stated, “to promote the economic use of asphalt on sound technical and commercial grounds.”

At the time it was said that the association would be drawn from companies in the bitumen premix industry, with the door left open for those in spray sealing at a later stage.

Fifty years later and the association represents an array of companies in bitumen, asphalt, spray sealing, equipment manufacturing, tollway operators, consulting firms, all Australian state road authorities, much of local government and beyond.

In the first meeting of the national council of AAPA, what would go on to become the association’s founding objectives were specified. The meeting was held in Melbourne on Monday, 25 August 1969.

Ken McKenzie, who later became the first Executive Director of AAPA, set out the first list of key objectives: to form state branches, reach out to state road authorities and publish technical specifications.

At the second national council meeting, held in Sydney in October 1969, members agreed the association would liaise with the National Asphalt Pavement Association in the USA and reach out to other kindred overseas bodies and to form a conference committee. This National Conference would be held with about 12, 30-minute technical papers and a workshop for contractors.

The relationships AAPA formed supported cooperative efforts by its members to make a difference to industry matters. At the association’s conception this included, stateof-the-art technology, safety, sustainability, 22

ROADS MAY 2020

training and technical specifications for industry performance improvement.

Over time AAPA and its members have built an enviable reputation for integrity across its wide range of activities as the peak body of the flexible pavements industry in Australia. The first ever national AAPA conference was held in Sydney at the Wentworth Hotel in 1971. In 1973 the AAPA Technical Committee was also denoted by members as the Environmental Committee.

This can be attributed as one of the driving forces behind the many sustainability initiatives undertaken by AAPA members.

Today, technical emphasis remains one of AAPA’s core activities. In the initial years there was a strong focus placed on elevating technical awareness of asphalt through training and handbooks. As a result, an Engineers and Supervisors training course began in NSW in 1972. By 1975, courses were happening in VIC, QLD and WA and these continue today, known as the flexible pavements principles and practices course.

In 1980 Ray Farrelly was appointed the next Executive Director and went on to serve with distinction for 27 years. During

The first ever AAPA National Conference was held at the Wentworth Hotel in 1971.

the 80’s, a series of long-term performance projects began in conjunction with state road authorities and the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB). This was driven by AAPA’s Technical Director at the time, Ian Rickards. These projects were re-visited for use within the Asphalt Pavement Solutions for life project, started by AAPA 30 years later. The resultant Perpetual Asphalt Pavement design principles, developed with Austroads and ARRB, has seen the Austroads Pavement Design Guide amended to yield significant reduction in structural asphalt thickness, providing savings in cost and raw materials.

Members of the organisation went on to complete the sealing of the 14,500kilometre Highway One around Australia – one of the world’s largest and connects people from ‘Sydney to the bush.’ It was completed in time for Australia’s bicentenary celebrations in 1988.

This was a great demonstration that the flexible pavements industry, represented

by AAPA, can connect all regions of the country and enable essential industry and commerce, safety and communications.

Working with Austroads in the mid 90’s the AAPA gained Austroads funding support for the development of tertiary training courses in pavement engineering. This was the beginning of the Centre for Pavement Engineering Education.

AAPA has long advocated for increased emphasis on sustainability and environmental matters. The introduction of warm mix asphalt technologies and its environmental, work health and safety, energy usage and field performance benefits was accelerated on an AAPA International Knowledge Transfer (IKT).

In a similar manner, the association has collaborated with Austroads and ARRB towards increasing the use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and in 2017 AAPA developed a RAP management guide. Many of AAPA’s other IKT visits have resulted in the transfer of technologies from overseas such as the use of crumb rubber in asphalt and spray sealing. EME2 technology, yielding enhanced durability and significant savings in raw materials and cost, was implemented following an AAPA IKT. Similarly, a model

P L A N T

.

AAPA and its members have built an enviable reputation for integrity across its wide range of activities.

AAPA EME2 specification is now available.

The practice of in-situ remediation of end-of-life rigid pavements was also enhanced through AAPA’s IKT visits.

AAPA has continually engaged with Australian state road authorities and others to enhance the safety, sustainability and productivity of road construction.

For example, the forward-moving aggregate spreader project with VicRoads

E Q U I P M E N T

.

P A R T S

.

(Vic DOT), highlighted by Peter Todd at AAPA’s 2017 Conference is now a reality in Victoria with a unit from Boral displayed at the 2019 Conference. While AAPA has come a long way in 50 years, one of the 2019 conference themes was continual improvement. As the association looks to its next conference in 2021, it will continue to work towards best practice outcomes for all.

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&

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ASTEC AUSTRALIA PAVING SOLUTIONS

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AN ESSENTIAL

INDUSTRY

THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DISRUPTIONS AS A RESULT OF COVID-19, BUT IS WORKING WITH GOVERNMENTS TO ENSURE ROADWORKS CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SAFE ACCESS TO OUR COMMUNITIES. AAPA’S CARLOS RIAL EXPLAINS.

A

s the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic become evident worldwide, the immutable message remains: if you can stay home, you must stay home.

While the infinite messaging of practicing social distancing is essential to “flattening the curve”, essential services like road maintenance and construction are not disappearing.

Supporting the continuation of this vital sector will ensure access for our communities is maintained during and post the pandemic.

Equally, minimising supply chain disruptions so drivers can deliver the goods and services we depend on is another consideration.

To that end, road construction businesses are currently in the throes of producing business continuity plans to navigate global changes in trade and economics.

While road construction is continuing across the country, the effects of the The road construction sector has been proactive in maintaining social distancing measures on-site.

24

ROADS MAY 2020

corona virus risk disrupting supply chains and threatening the health and safety of workers. This risk however is being managed through responsible actions from industry to maintain social distancing and good hygiene practices.

The flexible pavements industry is a major contributor to the Australian economy and has the capacity to support new jobs and stimulate the recovery effort.

While the sector is undoubtedly facing social and economic challenges, in the seed of every challenge comes opportunity.

The Federal Government remains committed to maintaining the existing infrastructure pipeline and state governments are also promising to prioritise and fast track infrastructure projects, meaning new opportunities for the sector may arise in the coming months.

Carlos Rial, Australian Asphalt Pavement Association CEO, says the association’s main concern lies with the health and wellbeing of its members and the broader community.

With most existing road maintenance and construction projects continuing to operate, keeping thousands in jobs, safety measures are being adopted to restrict the spread of COVID-19, keeping and creating safe jobs and critical community road access.

To keep the essential service of roadworks running, Mr. Rial notes works are being undertaken in a safe manner, with social distancing and hygiene practices implemented.

AAPA’s position on-site safety and social distancing is consistent with advice by SafeWork Australia. Looking ahead, Mr. Rial is confident existing government spend on infrastructure and maintenance will remain.

“Investment in maintaining vital infrastructure across the country is essential to underpin the economy and social wellbeing of our communities,” Mr. Rial says.

While he acknowledges the economy will take a hit in the short term and many businesses will be affected, he sees the roads sector supply chain partners as essential. He says without them, we cannot maintain safe road access in the field.

Mr. Rial has been in talks with government bodies from across Australia and all have confirmed roads and associated roadworks are an essential service. “Under many of the Essential Services Acts across the country it can be interpreted that roads and associated roadworks activities support the essential functions needed during emergent conditions,” he says.

As an essential service, Mr. Rial says roadworks that are delivered safely in line with government advice to restrict the spread of COVID-19, should and must continue to be funded.

In a letter written to the Deputy PM, AAPA CEO Carlos Rial outlined how industry was ready to create jobs if a rapid maintenance stimulus package is developed to address a backlog of works.

“We cannot have communities isolated from loss of road access and to maintain the crews that provide this service, roadworks must remain funded,” he says.

For example the Victorian Essential Services Act of 1958 declares transport as an essential service alongside any service specified by order of the Governor in Council.

The NSW Essential Services Act of 1998 also states that the public transportation of persons of freight, including the provision of rail infrastructure for those purposes is an essential service. Alongside this the act classes fire fighting, public health and ambulance services as essential, and these all use road transportation.

AAPA is continuing to approach all state and territory governments, to continue to recognise roadworks as an essential service under these acts.

Mr. Rial says roads are the nation’s arteries and the upkeep of the road network allows for the transportation of freight, access for other essential services and create safe jobs.

The Infrastructure Australia Report of August 2019 highlighted a need for the Federal Government to fund evergrowing road maintenance backlogs across the nation.

“With a maintenance backlog increasing across the country our roads are not in the best condition and are highly susceptible to damage. Now, when jobs are needed, this is the time for road maintenance funding which can hit the ground immediately.

Maintenance funding can be delivered immediately, without any red tape” Mr. Rial says.

In a letter written to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Mr. Rial outlined how industry is meeting the challenge to restrict the transfer of COVID-19, and is ready to create jobs if a rapid maintenance stimulus package is created to address the backlog of works.

The letter highlights that investing in transport maintenance will immediately help underpin the economy, with the governments spend hitting the ground without the lag and red tape typically associated with capital projects.

Mr. Rial points out in the letter that every dollar spent in maintenance creates immediate jobs where people can be rapidly repurposed across multiple sectors. This investment will also ensure communities remain safely connected to essential services during, and after, this time of need. Most state governments have flagged their intentions to continue to fund the infrastructure sector. The Deputy Prime Minister has also said in a statement that vital infrastructure projects would go ahead despite the COVID-19 pandemic because of their long-term value to regional communities.

South Australia has fast tracked $120 million worth of infrastructure projects including $52 million for targeted regional

road network repair, $35 million to rehabilitate and resurface the South Eastern Freeway and $15 million for Heysen Tunnel refits and safety upgrades.

The NSW Government put out a statement in March stating it was committed to continue the delivery of its vital infrastructure program.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrotte said with many sectors now facing unprecedented challenges, the record infrastructure pipeline will continue to sustain tens of thousands of jobs over the coming months.

“It will also continue to have critical downstream economic benefits, driving demand for materials and equipment from local and national manufacturers, and for goods and services in supporting sectors. The continuation of this economic contribution will be a lifeline for many in the months ahead,” Mr. Perrotte said.

“This is a time for the government and industry to work together to sustain our state and nation during this difficult time,” he said.

Mark Bailey Queensland Transport and Main Roads, in an interview with the Courier Mail, said it has never been more important to ensure the government keeps Queenslanders employed, and to explore opportunities to put more people to work on our roads and transport network.

“We are now actively considering all options, including fast-tracking projects, increasing investment, and focusing on projects with a higher jobs-to-dollar ratio,” he said.

While the road infrastructure sector is well poised as a key contributor to the rebuilding of the economy, Mr. Rial says it is essential all works remain safe.

“I trust all AAPA members are working with their staff to ensure we keep Australia running but our people’s health is maintained,” he says.

“COVID-19 is highly contagious. I am confident our industry will continue to implement best practice as defined by health authorities, to ensure our essential service can continue to be safely delivered for the community and also prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

With states now closing individual borders, AAPA is working with all levels of government to ensure crews that work over boundaries can continue, including material supply and works. roadsonline.com.au

25

SPECIAL AGENT

SAMIBOND

WITH THE ABILITY TO PERFORM UNDER THE HIGH-STRESS OF AIRCRAFT TRAFFIC, SAMI BITUMEN TECHNOLOGIES SAMIBOND 007 TRACKLESS EMULSION IS PAVING THE WAY FOR NEXT GENERATION AIRPORT ASPHALT.

A

s one of the world’s most iconic characters, James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953, possesses a number of unique and highly recognisable traits.

The Secret Intelligence Service agent, code number 007, is intelligent, cunning and fiercely independent. Mr Bond is also known for his penchant for flying, with his cinematic equivalent chancing down opponents in a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aeroplane in the 2015 film Spectre.

SAMIbond 007, a special trackless polymer modified cationic bitumen emulsion developed by SAMI Bitumen Technologies in 2019, possesses many similar characteristics: namely strength, agility and an ability to handle aircraft.

The emulsion, according to lulian Man, SAMI Technical Services Manager, was designed specifically for airport applications, with high rutting and fatigue resistance engineered into the material. He adds that the central role of SAMIbond 007 is to improve bond strength between asphalt layers.

“Due to its good bonding characteristics, SAMIbond 007 is expressly designed to withstand the high shear stresses that develop under aircraft traffic loadings,” lulian says.

“The material provides a strong bonding element between base and wearing courses, allowing the pavement to act as a monolithic structure under the very high stresses of airport traffic.”

Working at the forefront of next generation airport binder development for more than 15 years, lulian says the importance of airport asphalt strength is well understood by SAMI. “As a company, we are committed to 26

ROADS MAY 2019

SAMIbond 007 is designed to withstand high shear stresses that develop under aircraft traffic loadings.

improving airport asphalt technology, particularly in light of consistent growth in the global aviation sector,” he says.

Despite present-day disruptions, aircraft travel is projected to accelerate in coming years. Trends – Transport and Australia’s Development to 2040 and Beyond, a 2016 report published by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, for instance, predicts international air travel will grow strongly to 2030, with domestic

and international passenger movements through capital cities set to double.

The report suggests that growth at major airports is already testing the capacity of airport infrastructure during peak periods.

While the Trends report examines airport infrastructure as a whole, lulian suggests the same predictions can be applied to asphalt.

“Standard airport pavements, be they, runways, taxiways or parking aprons, have to withstand loads previously unimaginable,

ASPHALT IN ACTION

in traffic levels and the growing weights of new aircrafts,” lulian says.

“This was at the forefront of our minds when developing the engineering properties of SAMIbond 007, which builds on SAMI’s previous work with airport asphalts such as our SAMIfalt B380 binder and SAMIfalt Multigrade Plus.” lulian says SAMIbond 007 is designed to not stick on construction vehicle tyres after the emulsion has broken and cured on the pavement. This tracklessness, he adds, is a critical feature for contractors managing often tight project deadlines.

During the breaking process, lulian says the colour of the applied product changes from brown to black to form a non-stick glossy appearance.

“The trackless nature of the emulsion is of critical importance, as the residual binder does not pick up under the asphalt tipper or paver tyres during the paving process,” he says.

“This ensures that a strong bond is

formed between the new asphalt and existing substrate, which allows the pavement to act as a monolithic structure to ensure a longer service life.”

Iulian adds that the trackless nature of the freshly sprayed tack coat works to ensure that no fresh bitumen is carried onto the surrounding areas.

During application, SAMIbond 007 is handled and applied in a tightly controlled manner, at a temperature of maximum 60°C via specialised sprayer trucks. Iulian adds that SAMIbond 007 can be stored for up to seven days without stirring, while noting that it must be gently stirred before use.

“The main challenges in application are related to the weather conditions, considering that the product is water based and wet weather would delay its curing once it has been sprayed,” lulian says.

“However, due its intrinsic engineered properties, the product is able to cure very fast, enabling paving to take place after one hour in normal daytime conditions.

The benefit of the fast curing process is reflected in increased productivity in asphalt laying, especially considering the tight deadlines for most projects.”

Minimum pavement temperature at the time of application should be 5°C, lulian says, with a minimum application rate of 0.25 litres/square metre for both milled and smooth surfaces.

“The application rate is to be agreed on-site with the contract administrator following site trials,” he adds.

It’s worth noting, lulian says, that SAMIbond 007’s usage is not limited to airport pavements and is also ideal on high traffic roadways like motorways and arterials, car racetracks, concrete pavement overlays and bridge decks.

“Given the emulsion’s high strength characteristics, SAMIbond 007 is well suited to any high trafficked pavement, making the material a versatile go-to option for contractors working on major projects throughout Australia,” he says.

The Ciber iNOVA 2000 plant can produce up to 200 tonnes of asphalt per hour.

ASPHALT

FOR AVIATION TASKED WITH RESURFACING AND EXTENDING THE GERALDTON AIRPORT RUNWAY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA, BORAL TURNED TO WIRTGEN TO FIND A RELOCATABLE ASPHALT PRODUCTION PLANT WITH FLEXIBILITY AND A HIGH PRODUCTION RATE.

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our-and-a-half hours north of Perth sits Geraldton, a coastal city in the Midwest with significant port infrastructure and a strong agricultural industry, affectionately known as the windsurfing capital of Australia.

Geraldton City has a population of over 40,000 and Geraldton’s airport punches above its weight, servicing around 120,000 passengers yearly, bringing many visitors.

When it came time for a runway upgrade at the airport, contractor Boral was awarded the $24 million Geraldton Airport Upgrade Project. This included resurfacing the newly extended runway to 2.4 kilometres.

As the chosen contractor for the job, Boral came to Wirtgen looking for a high capacity, modular asphalt plant, that could be easily mobilised and suited to efficient production targets of more than 2000 tonnes each shift.

While expanding and resurfacing the runway, the asphalt plant was also required to supply mix for the airport’s main aprons.

This included a new parking bay which would provide necessary taxiway clearances for the operation of the larger aircraft.

For this job, Boral purchased the Ciber iNOVA 2000 asphalt plant. Greg Astill, General Manager of Mineral Technologies at Wirtgen Australia, says the main benefit of this plant is the combination of the ease of mobility and high material production.

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ROADS MAY 2020

“Ciber plants are compact and flexible and they are relatively fast to establish on site, which is ideal for an airport as there are tight restrictions around timings for airport projects,” Mr. Astill says.

When completing projects at airports, he says it is important the contractor can stick to tight timeframes and ensure the risks of production loss through breakdown and or lower productivity are minimised. There can be significant financial repercussions if airport projects run over time and it can be very difficult for the contractor when flights are disrupted by construction works.

“This is why the Ciber iNOVA 2000 plant was chosen by Boral. These plants are well suited to airport projects, with the main trailer featuring an integrated dryer and burner, baghouse and pugmill with a slat conveyor,” Mr. Astill says.

“The iNOVA is very fast to establish on site with only one mechanical connection required between the cold feeder and the mixing trailer. These features make the plant very reliable and excellent for high rates of sustainable and consistent production.”

He says all that is needed to set up the iNOVA 2000 is to drive to the site, set up the ramp, position the two main trailers and connect the power and the bitumen tanker.

After calibrating the feeders, it is possible to move straight into production.

“When producing a new surface for a

runway, it’s going to require an asphalt that is durable under heavy loads. With high levels of production quality, the plant needs to produce a consistent mix every day. If there are variations, this could affect the quality of the final product,” Mr. Astill says.

The Ciber iNOVA 2000 plant can produce up to 200 tonnes of asphalt per hour. It is also capable of producing mixes with 15 per cent reclaimed asphalt pavement to increase sustainability on projects.

The Geraldton Airport project was Boral’s first rural airport project using an iNOVA 2000 asphalt plant. The same model has been used in the past two years at other regional airports such as in Queenstown, New Zealand and Busselton, WA. Mr. Astill says all contractors have achieved excellent outcomes and performance from the operators of the Ciber iNOVA plants. For the Geraldton project, Boral were meticulous with planning prior to departure. Mr. Astill says Boral’s risk management plan was actioned.

Under the direction of Ronan Moore, General Manager of Asphalt, the Ciber iNOVA was delivered to Boral’s Welshpool facility to undergo a complete pre delivery and assembly. Technical and maintenance training for the Boral operations and service teams was also completed by the Ciber factory technicians. After completion of initial trial mixes, the plant was packed up

ASPHALT IN ACTION

and mobilised at the Geraldton Airport site.

Boral then dissembled and shipped the iNOVA 2000 to the Port Hedland Airport Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Similarly, this project involved upgrades to the taxi line and a new layer of asphalt on the airport’s runway.

Ronan Moore says the team excelled at the Geraldton Project and were well prepared for the planned relocation of the Ciber iNOVA to Port Hedland.

“The pre work completed as part of project management plan ironed out any issues and we were quite quick to be up and running at Port Hedland,” Mr. Moore says.

“Its quite a relief to know that an OEM such as Wirtgen are right there supporting the Ciber product and once we were up and running, we were able to handle most issues with our own team.”

Mr. Astill says Wirtgen received great feedback from Boral about their support for the transfer of the asphalt plant and the quality training provided for the crew.

He says Wirtgen customers come to expect the right performance from any products sold in Australia and New Zealand.

He says there is definitely some comfort among customers that dealing directly with an OEM, which can support both the customer and the product, is highly valued.

“It’s exactly the same with our Ciber iNOVA plants. We are there on the job site and in the office, working with the factory to make sure it works properly straight out of the box.”

He says even the control system for Ciber

iNOVA plants is very intuitive and simple for an experienced operator.

“This new control system is excellent. It’s a very stable control system with a human interface that mimics the simplicity of working on an iPad or tablet. This control system is very strong,” Mr. Astill says.

Matt Schokker, Boral’s Production Manager of Mobile Asphalt Plants, says the touchscreen control system was simple.

“It displays a main plant overview screen, which shows the operator a detailed overview of all components synchronised from input aggregates to output of finished product asphalt,” Mr. Schokker says.

“Easy onscreen tabs help examine, in detail, individual process control operations to customise the plant for a variety of mixes such as dense grade, open grade, stone mastic asphalt, red laterite, and reclaimed asphalt product mixes. These all cater for local government, Main Roads WA and project specified mixes.”

He says Ciber’s PLC constantly monitors all inputs and outputs of the asphalt plant

and makes adjustments autonomously to constantly keep parameters tight and keep the asphalt mix within specification.

“This consistency is evident through onsite laboratory production testing magnifying the exact process control achieved throughout the production process of the plant.”

Mr. Astill from Wirtgen says the plant is also well designed for other asphalt productions such as highways or freeway work in metropolitan or regional areas.

“All three airport project teams that have worked with the iNOVA 2000 had exceptional results with the plant.

Operators identified consistent mix production and lower than expected production costs,” “We see that the iNOVA 2000 operated

by Downer has been relocated for the second time back to Queenstown for more work. Proving the point that the Ciber plant is very quick to relocate or mobilise, of course in these challenging times contractors need every advantage.”

Geraldton Airport was Boral’s first rural airport project using an iNOVA 2000 asphalt plant.

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ASPHALT IN ACTION

SMOOTH

RUNNING ASPHALT

PAVERS ARE A KEY COMPONENT IN THE CHAIN OF WORKS ON ASPHALT PROJECTS. ASTEC’S JORGE BOIL EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF DAILY PAVER MAINTENANCE AND THE PROCESSES THAT CAN LIMIT COSTLY DOWNTIME.

Astec’s Jorge Boil says it’s best to keep the machine moving continuously in asphalt paving.

D

owntime can be unavoidable, but on projects where it could have been prevented, it becomes a costly mistake. Working with asphalt presents some risks to the machinery if it is not cleaned properly after use, especially when the asphalt begins to cool down and set onto machine parts. According to Jorge Boil, Astec Australia’s Business Line Manager, there are ways to effectively minimise those risks and maintenance is the place to start.

“The simplest form of maintenance is cleaning. As one of the most important components of the asphalt production line, a paver should be thoroughly cleaned after each use,” Mr. Boil says.

Daily machine maintenance doesn’t generate direct profits, so it can be easy to lose sight of its importance. But preventing downtime can be priceless for paving jobs.

“If a paver breaks down, the entire asphalt supply chain comes to a halt. Downtime means everyone on site has to stop work, the trucks supplying asphalt are stopped, the asphalt plant production is affected.”

“Some companies doing major highway paving projects or road maintenance jobs will have a back-up paver sitting there in case 30

ROADS MAY 2020

of a breakdown. That’s because the machine is such an important part of the works.”

He says at the beginning of each shift, it is important for the operator to inspect the machine with everything turned off. This is the time to check for any visual damage, missing parts or oil leaks.

“Once you’ve walked around the paver, start the machine to warm it up. Make sure it can perform basic paving functions, such as the heating of the screed,” he says.

“Check the engine oil levels, hydraulic oil levels, fluid levels and tyre inflation. If the paver has Autolube capability, the operator should check to make sure it’s working.

Autolube pumps grease onto the bearings and you want it operating well.”

At the end of the day’s work, the essential job of cleaning the paver begins.

“If a paver is not properly cleaned at the end of a shift and asphalt is left on the screed or anywhere else, it will cool off and harden like rock. Then when the machine is turned on again, parts such as the auger, chain or pump are at risk of breaking stopping the entire production,” Mr. Boil says.

The complete clean of a paver should take only about 10 to 15 minutes, and

most machines now have a built-in tank containing a solvent spray that helps remove the asphalt.

“It’s critical that cleaning is done straight after the paver has finished production.

Everything must be kept running because it’s much easier to remove the asphalt when it’s hot rather than when it has cooled and dried,” Mr. Boil says.

“The screed is the most important component to get clean, but other areas such as augers and conveyors need to be thoroughly cleaned, too.”

Preventative maintenance efforts such as daily checks and cleaning not only help prevent the significant costs associated with downtime, but can also enhance the quality of the paving job.

‘Safety, quality and productivity as a means to ensure success,’ is one of Astec’s core values and helping customers limit downtime is a key part of that. Educating operators and technicians about best practice care for their machinery is a high priority for the company.

“For every paver that goes out the door, we perform a total machine handover over five working days. In that time, we ensure the operators and service personnel are well trained in maintaining and servicing their machine,” Mr. Boil says.

As with most of the company’s machines, Astec pavers are equipped with the Guardian system, a telematics program that alerts owners, through their computer or mobile device, if components on the paver are not performing as expected.

The Guardian system will send an alert if a pump on a machine is showing high pressures, something that could indicate imminent failure. “Prevention is the key.

If you wait until something goes wrong, you’ve lost control of your schedule.

But when you’re in control you can keep maintenance up-to-date, and that means higher productivity and increased profits.

And that’s something we all want to see.”

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

TECHNOLOGY WALKING

THE TALK

KEITH MANUFACTURING CO. FIRST CREATED ITS WALKING FLOOR TECHNOLOGY NEARLY FIVE DECADES AGO. TODAY, THAT TECH HAS BEEN ENHANCED TO INCREASE WORKSITE PRODUCTIVITY AND EASE OF USE FOR OPERATORS.

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hen transporting asphalt, temperature is an important factor as this can change the characterisation of the product being laid once it arrives on-site.

The longer the material is transported, the greater the chance there is of the temperature cooling. For this reason, having a trailer capable of quickly and accurately dispensing the asphalt is key to ensure the mix is not compromised.

For the past 45 years, KEITH Manufacturing Co. has worked to adapt its proven WALKING FLOOR technology to operators’ needs, resulting in a safer, more efficient and versatile trailer.

The V-FLOOR slats are designed for higher impact and abrasion and are suitable for asphalt, demolition material, scrap metal, aggregates and specialty waste products such as fly ash.

Operators can make the most of a trailer by backhauling, which is reported to double the efficiency of a fleet. Recent improvements to the V-FLOOR design work to increase the versatility of the unloading system, which results in rapid material discharge.

The WALKING FLOOR system serves as the flooring of a trailer and is a selfunloading system. This ‘moving floor’ unloader is made of a series of floor slats, which are powered by a hydraulic drive. As the floor cycles through its phases, material is conveyed or unloaded without having to move the trailer.

During the final phase, all slats move in unison conveying the material. The friction of the load on the two sets of slats that remain in place keeps the load from moving while the single set of slats moves.

Zyggy Reinoga, Keith Walking Floor Australia Manager, says the rugged V-Floor slats are teamed with the Keith RFII_DX

Drive, which is the next generation of the reliable Running Floor II drive technology.

The RFII_DX Drive is a hydraulic system that divides the moving forces between both ends of the drive frame in the trailer, minimising mechanical stresses and enabling faster unload times.

“The horizontal unloading action of a moving floor system means Keith Walking Floor trailers can safely unload on uneven ground, providing a precisely controlled material discharge, and are certainly not affected by windy conditions,” Mr. Reinoga says.

Other major advantages include an increase of the floor area that actually moves the load, resulting in a significant reduction in the weight of the slats. The new WALKING FLOOR design is up to six kilograms lighter per metre, compared to the original design.

WALKING FLOOR technology can enable operators to have a more efficient

unloading process on an incline, better performance in freezing conditions and the ability to haul and unload a greater variety of materials.

Added bearing support on the WALKING FLOOR also helps to increase the life of both the bearing and the slat.

Designed to handle a variety of bulk products, KEITH WALKING FLOOR systems offer many benefits over conventional tipper trailers.

“All up, the flexibility to unload in situations that may not be practical or safe with tipping trailers provides operators using Keith Walking Floor equipped trailers with added versatility to their scope of operations,” Mr. Reinoga says.

For more information on KEITH WALKING FLOOR systems, visit www. keithwalkingfloor.com You can also contact Zyggy Reinoga at 0404 041 833 to discuss your material handling needs.

The WALKING FLOOR system serves as the flooring of the trailer and is a self unloading system.

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READY

TO WORK

HASTINGS DEERING, HAVE CREATED ‘GO-TO-WORK’ PACKS TO SERVICE THE ESSENTIAL ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND ENSURE THAT PROJECTS CONTINUE AS NORMAL. ACCESS TO ITS MACHINERY IS BEING SUPPORTED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S INSTANT ASSET WRITE-OFF SCHEME.

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he road construction industry is one of few sectors still in operation across Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To support economic development in industries such as construction, the Federal Government has increased the instant asset write-off threshold to $150,000. This will allow many of the industry’s small to medium businesses to claim a tax deduction and help drive their business and the economy forward.

For this reason, Hastings Deering, as the primary Cat supplier for Queensland and Northern Territory, are creating ‘go-to-work’ packs for their equipment and machinery to allow for quick delivery and turnaround.

Ryan Van Den Broek, Sales Manager of Road Construction and Infrastructure at Hastings Deering, says the company are ordering in machines in a business as usual fashion to keep up with demand.

“Hastings Deering is actually getting an increase in engagement and interest from the road construction sector during this time, especially after governments are indicating that road and infrastructure projects will continue,” Mr. Van Den Broek says.

As the instant asset write-off increase is helping the industry to access quality equipment, Hastings Deering are communicating with customers to ensure they select the right machinery for the job. The company places high importance on features such as machine versatility, simplicity of operation, and machine uptime to build, repair and maintain road infrastructure.

To that end, Cat compactors are designed for all compaction operations. Often working in tandem, the CW12 and the CB7 compactors are centric to the asphalt industry.

Mr. Van Den Broek says that while these

Hastings Deering are ordering in machines to keep up with demand in a business as usual fashion.

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ROADS MAY 2020

machines are designed for compaction efficiency, the biggest benefit to these compactors is the operating position and safety features.

“The way Cat have designed the operator station is so that operators have better visibility by always working in the forward position, which reduces any potential blind spots.”

“The big feature for both of these compactors, is that they are on the same platform and offer a 358-degree seat which allows the operator to always be working in the forward direction. No matter what direction you sit in, the machine controls change accordingly,” he says.

“If the pavers are always moving in a forward direction it reduces two sets of beeping signals from the construction site, making other reversing machines more noticeable and further increasing safety.”

During the design process for the CB7 and CW12, Cat wanted to have minimal modifications to the frames on both machines. This resulted in both compactors having an identical operator console, including the 358-degree seat.

“When you go from the CW12 to the CB7 the only difference is the CB7 has a vibration button. This way, operators can move between the two machines with ease,” Mr. Van Den Broek says.

While the two operating stations are the same, the features of the compactors are tailored to each machine’s primary function.

“The CW12 compactor is a seven wheel pneumatic compactor, weighing 8.8 tonnes.

It has the bigger square profile tyres suited to asphalt. Its 2.09 metre compaction width excels on asphalt and granular materials with a higher overlap between the tyres,” he said.

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

“Having the oscillation between each tyre gives better contact to the ground, and therefore better compaction as a result of the contact.”

The square tyres are important for asphalt applications as Mr. Van Den Broek says normal rounded tyres can create ridges in the asphalt as the compactor progresses over the surface. The square tyres aid in ensuring the asphalt holds a flat profile.

“The CB7 has a lot of features that go above and beyond. At Hastings Deering we offer some great service features for this one, including a pod-style vibration system on the drum with 3000-hour service intervals.”

Another key element to the CB7 is speed control, which allows the operator to set a speed limit. Mr. Van Den Broek says this is great to ensure compaction crews achieve consistent impact spacing and therefore smoother surfaces.

Mr. Van Den Broek stated one of the key benefits of owning these machines is having the support of the Cat service network across Australia.

“These compaction machines are being used heavily in many road and infrastructure projects around the country. The Cat product and extended offerings around the service network can help control owner operator costs over the long term. The Cat service network is a huge advantage.”

While road construction businesses are facing challenges around continued job certainty, the Queensland Government announced a stimulus package in March to help the economy withstand and recover from the impact of COVID-19. The package

Hastings Deering has a number of machines in stock built to its ‘go to work’ pack.

will help ease the pressure on business owners in the road construction industry.

Part of the $4 million package includes two months’ worth of payroll tax refunds for businesses impacted by COVID-19, three month paryroll tax holidays for small and medium businesses and a further six month payroll tax deferral for these Queensland businesses.

“Even though it’s a difficult time right now, the one thing that will always be a constant is that roads will always need to be fixed, we will always have infrastructure growing,” Mr. Van Den Broek says.

“The stimulus will help increase the amount of roadworks, repairs and maintenance to infrastructure. Having this

Hastings Deering’s ‘go to work’ pack includes a fire extinguisher, rotating beacon, registration and seat cover.

stimulus is going to support our customers to get the machines they need in order to keep up with the demand that will be coming,” he says.

He says that everything about Hastings Deering is business as usual.

“We have got a big line up of things like rollers and small equipment to ensure we can best service the industry,” Mr. Van Den Broek says.

The new Hastings Deering CW12 pneumatic roller and the CB7 tandem vibratory rollers fall within the increase in the instant asset write-off, which is up from $30,000 to $150,000.

“We have a bunch of machines in stock built to the ‘go to work’ pack,” Mr. Van Den Broek says.

“This ‘go to work’ pack includes all the pre-delivery, fire extinguisher, rotating beacon, registration, seat cover and all the bits and pieces customers need; without the being put through the workshop.”

“The machines are prepared, they are ready! All that is needed is quick detail and paid registration and they’ll be out the door.”

The higher threshold provides cash flow benefits for businesses that will be able to immediately deduct purchases of eligible assets each costing less than $150,000.

The threshold applies on a per asset basis, so eligible businesses can immediately write-off multiple assets.

This proposal applies until 30 June 2020, for new or second-hand assets purchased and delivered within this timeframe. roadsonline.com.au

33

ALL IN ONE

COMPACTION SINGLE DRUM VIBRATORY ROLLERS ARE AN ESSENTIAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION. TUTT BRYANT ARE NOW OFFERING THE BOMAG BW 213 BCV5 ROLLER, CAPABLE OF VARYING VIBRATION LEVELS FOR AN ARRAY OF PROJECTS.

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s single drum rollers prepare the soil for the application of asphalt, they play a crucial part in road construction projects.

However, depending on the location for construction, the method to compact material changes due to vibration requirements. Towns and populated areas therefore often present increased risks for vibratory compaction compared to rural locations due to surrounding infrastructure.

The fifth generation of BOMAG single drum rollers feature different weight classes, and vibration levels to suit a wide range of compaction requirements.

As the primary distributor of BOMAG equipment in Australia, Tutt Bryant are releasing the BOMAG BW 213 BCV-5, which it believes will change the way equipment hirers choose rollers for projects.

BOMAG National Business Development Manager, John Glossat says one significant feature of the new BOMAG BW 213 BCV-5 is its ability to adjust the amplitude manually or automatically depending on the job.

This enables operators to achieve flexibility by using the machine in a variety of different compaction environments.

“The vibration can be increased when working with typically tough soil to compact, or it can be reduced when working in residential areas where increased vibration may pose a risk to the surrounding utilities or buildings,” Mr. Glossat says.

The BW 213 BVC-5 is a single drum roller suitable for compaction of a wide range of earthwork materials and helps operators to transit maximum energy on each application to ensure productivity.

Mr. Glossat says in the equipment hire business the availability of the right piece of equipment at the right time is crucial.

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ROADS MAY 2020

To ensure Tutt Bryant has a high standard of customer service, it prides itself in the availability of this equipment for its customers.

“For the single drum rollers in the hire market in Australia, the models we have found to be most in demand are in the 13, 16 and 19-tonne weight class. These can be working on anything from roadbase construction to general bulk earthworks,” he says.

There are three new BOMAG single drum vibratory rollers and when comparing the specifications between the three, Mr. Glossat says it’s clear the BW 213 BCV-5 is punching above its weight class.

“It is able to do the same job as the 16-tonne weight class and also comparatively the 19-tonne class depending on the material type,” he says.

“The ability for the BW 213 BVC-5 to adjust its amplitude makes it well suited to an even larger range of projects and then its high centrifugal force acts as another proponent to increase compaction quality.”

The manual feature of the roller means the operator can switch to an oscillation mode with the touch of a button. On automatic mode it can compact to a target E-VIB value ensuring uniform compaction across the whole project.

All BOMAG BVC models come equipped with the TERRAMETER measurement system that continuously calculates the dynamic soil stiffness as a vibration modulus E-VIB [MN/m2].

This measuring technology allows single drum rollers to become rolling pressure plates, calculating the surface area coverage in real time.

The E-VIB values are computed based on the compression paths of contact forces

versus the drum displacement curves.

The E-VIB values grow with an increase in roller passes.

This is presented as a line diagram on the machine’s integrated display through

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

the instrument panel. A printout of the compaction pass can also be obtained from a printer on the dashboard with all parametres documented.

“Essentially this means the roller is smart enough to calculate when the desired compaction is achieved and will notify the operator,” Mr. Glossat says.

“Once the target value is achieved, the exciter adjusts the amplitude position automatically to suit the current soil condition, giving the operator optimum compaction results.”

The machine also features BOMAG VARIOCONTROL, a new technology developed by the original equipment manufacturer which causes the drum to vibrate in a linear trajectory instead of a circular path.

The VARIOCONTROL technology is smart and adjusts the amplitude to the ground

conditions. The direction ranges from horizontal oscillation for highly sensitive compaction of surfaces in oscillation mode, to vertical oscillation for maximum depth effect.

“This means the roller can easily work on compaction jobs on bridge decks or close to buildings and sensitive installations such as heritage or conservation areas,” Mr. Glossat says.

The system is operated using a rotary switch in the operator cabin. The driver can set the required target E-VIB value for compaction and the system will automatically control this throughout the job.

During works, the VARIOCONTROL system will indicate when compaction has been achieved and no further passes are required. This helps to prevent overcompaction of the soil.

The BW 213 BVC-5’s exciter system is able to generate vibration with directed oscillation. This is due to the fact the exciter system consists of counter-rotating eccentric weights.

As a result of the counter rotation, the centrifugal forces overlap and the compaction force is produced on a single plane. This can create directed vibration, which can be changed by slewing the complete exciter unit.

“The drum is able to vibrate in a vertical or horizontal direction, or any angle in between. This change in vibration direction is equivalent to a change in the vertical amplitude and therefore to the compaction energy transferred into the material,” Mr. Glossat says.

The BOMAG BW 213 BCV-5 and other BCV models will be available in Tutt Bryant’s hire branches in NSW, QLD, VIC, WA and SA.

The BOMAG BW 213 BCV-5 and other BCV models will be available in Tutt Bryant’s hire branches in NSW, QLD, VIC, WA and SA.

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INNOV8 TMAs test to the Australian standard and other standards such as the NHVR and MASH.

PERFORMANCE, MAINTENANCE

AND COMPLIANCE AS THE ONLY ROAD VEHICLE DESIGNED TO BE CRASHED INTO, IT IS IMPORTANT TMAS RECEIVE REGULAR MAINTENANCE TO HELP IN PROVIDING SAFETY TO VULNERABLE ROAD USERS. TIM EATO FROM INNOV8 EQUIPMENT DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF TMA MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS.

T

he National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) recognises the use of Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMAs), in the road construction and maintenance sector, is now a regular part of ensuring the safety of vulnerable road workers.

To keep traffic flowing during maintenance and other roadworks, it is important for asset owners to keep as much of the road open as possible.

However, traffic flowing in close proximity to workers presents safety risks. These are commonly reduced with safety features such as cones, lower speed limits, TMAs and sometimes physical barriers.

As TMAs act as the last line of defence between a car and a road worker, in many cases they are placed at the front of a worksite in the way of oncoming traffic.

In the event a TMA is hit, while the attenuator catches the oncoming vehicle, the brakes and tyres on the truck stop the oncoming vehicle from progressing too far into the worksite.

It’s for this reason that Tim Eato, Innov8 Equipment Business and Compliance Manager, believes brakes require regular 36

ROADS MAY 2020

maintenance as he says they are the most important feature of a TMA. His belief is they should be tested beyond the registration stage, recommending tests every three months thereafter. As many TMAs use a compressed air braking system, not conducting regular maintenance of this system could increase the risk of brake failure.

“Without regular maintenance and checks to the compressed air system, the risk of brake failure is imminent. Our TMA’s have a regular maintenance check at heavy vehicle inspection stations every three months. As we hire out our vehicles it is important to ensure they are performing safely,” Mr. Eato says.

Hand in hand with the brakes, tyres play an important part in ensuring the truck’s roll ahead distance is safe for workers. It is for this reason Innov8 implements periodic inspections of both brakes and tyres instead of a kilometre-based service.

The NHVR Standards Guide (VSG-12) states that when designing the installation for a TMA, it is important to take into account the position of the attenuator unit

on the vehicle.

This ensures when the unit is deployed, in any position, the minimum front axle load is suitable to allow effective steering and braking.

The NHVR guide cites the Performance Based Standards (PBS) steer tyre friction demand standard as a reference for suitable steer axel loading.

To ensure road worker and vulnerable road users are protected and the TMA is compliant with Australian standards, INNOV8 Equipment’s Blade TMA comes standard with weight distribution.

Mr. Eato says this is a crucial factor for safety. Moreover, if the weight distribution between the front and back axel on the TMA is too large, when the TMA is hit, it may force one end of the vehicle up into the air, compromising the vehicle’s safety benefits.

Another important obligation to be considered for the operation of TMAs is the disengagement of the automatic brake system. Stationary TMA’s have an automatic brake system that activates in the event that another vehicle crashes into the attenuator.

The NHVR G6 checklist, when certifying

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

the fitting of air operated accessories, specifies the additional method of brake application on a truck or trailer mounted attenuator must be disengaged when the vehicle is travelling faster than 45 kilometres per hour.

For quick brake engagement, it is important to mount the automatic brake impact box as close as possible to the park brake.

“The unit has to be tested to ensure the automatic brakes are disengaged, but also to ensure the brakes will engage over 45 kilometres, especially if the TMA is covering rolling works. A key factor in ensuring quick brake engagement is for the air to travel the shortest path possible,” Mr Eato says.

“On Innov8 TMAs, the air travels roughly four inches out of the brake system and back in, so when the TMA is hit it reacts almost instantaneously,” he says.

Innov8 Equipment stresses that rear underrun protection is imperative to the safety of vulnerable road users. In 2018, it was federally mandated that, under section seven of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989, with some exceptions, every ‘semi-trailer’ must be provided with

a continuous rear bumper.

“The Blade TMA has a rear underrun protection device so that when the truck is stowed or travelling to its next location, and it gets hit, the oncoming vehicle will hit the rear underrun protection,” Mr. Eato says.

The Innov8 Equipment Blade TMA also features G force reduction technology, to slow the impact down and reduce the liklihoood of injuries and fatalities to the driver of the errant vehicle.

“Innov8 TMAs use steel and aluminium to cause friction and heat upon impact, so the aluminium starts melting into the steel and melts it down, dissipating the energy rather than storing it and therefore reducing the G force,” Mr. Eato says.

He says it is important to note that for each of the MASH G force tests, the Blade TMA was not bolted to the ground.

“It’s imperative the product is tested in the conditions under which it would be used every day, then we can be sure the brakes and tyres will act the same when they are used in the field, which would not be bolted,” he says.

All of these safety factors work together

on the Blade TMA to provide the best possible protection to vulnerable road users.

INNOV8 Equipment tests to the Australian Standard (AS/NZS 3845.2:2017) and other standards such as the NHVR and MASH, while completing regular maintenance to ensure quality performance.

“We are using proper engineering practices and independent engineers to test our TMAs. A TMA is the only device on the road that is designed to be crashed into and you want it to be working at 100 per cent, all the time,” Mr. Eato says.

INNOV8 Equipment are confident in the performance and quality safety features built in the Blade TMA. While also testing the Blade TMA to the highest standards in Australia and fulfilling legal obligations, the company is working towards building traffic management equipment for the future, with the aim of protecting more vulnerable road users and road workers on Australian roads.

INNOV8 Equipment are business as usual at this time, with their team ready to discuss specific project needs to provide any project with a traffic solution.

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REMOTE REPAIR

REASSURANCE REMOTE ACCESS TO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT ENABLES CONTRACTORS TO SOLVE MACHINERY ISSUES, UPDATE DESIGN FILES AND MORE, WHILST MAINTAINING SOCIAL DISTANCING. POSITION PARTNERS’ TOKARA LINK GIVES WORKERS ACCESS TO MACHINES WHETHER THEY ARE IN DIFFERENT STATES OR DOWN THE ROAD.

S

ocial distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic mean sites and contractors need to adjust the way they work to keep everyone on site safe.

In some cases, this means switching to electronic systems to avoid unnecessary contact.

In an effort to provide technical support to any site across Australia efficiently,

Position Partners created Tokara Link, an Australian-designed construction equipment telematics solution.

The solution is designed to improve efficiency and productivity in earthworks and civil construction projects and is useful to help with the upkeep of social distancing practices.

Another important benefit of using Tokara

Position Partners created Tokara Link in an effort to provide technical support to any site across Australia efficiently.

38

ROADS MAY 2020

Link is the opportunity to avoid downtime.

In the construction industry downtime has no price limit and the industry is well versed on its costly impacts.

For example, if crews are working on a job two hours north of Perth and a machine goes down, it’s likely the entire crew will cease production until the machine can be fixed.

As technicians are not often based on

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

Tokara Link provides access to Position Partners’ technical support and links the user to any GNSS/GPS network required for the job.

remote sites in which equipment can be operating, machine failure requires them to travel in order to solve the problem.

In these cases, the best person to solve the issue may not be available to travel to the site, eventuating in longer delays.

This is the picture Aaron Krenske, Networking Solutions Manager at Position Partners, paints as he explains the importance of remote machine access.

“Travel to construction sites in Australia, especially Queensland and Western Australia, might mean sourcing accommodation and flights due to the sheer size of the country,” Mr. Krenske says.

For equipment with Windows or Android machine control systems, Tokara Link can connect all machines on site to the office. This enables remote access to each machine through a central web portal.

“With Tokara Link we can locate the machines on site, determine what job files each one is using and issue new ones to those machines, control and configure machines remotely and identify hardware issues as well,” Mr. Krenske says.

“Our technicians are now working from home to maintain social distancing, continuing to support customers as usual and keep everyone safe,” he adds.

Tokara Link enables project managers, surveyors and other key stakeholders to login to a web portal to track and manage their machines and survey instruments or send design updates to the field without leaving the office.

By eliminating the need to physically visit each machine or survey rover, manually transferring design updates through a USB, Tokara Link removes the unnecessary machinery contact and helps with social distancing requirements.

As Tokara can be used anywhere with an internet connection, there is also the option to work from home and maintain productivity.

“Project managers can see their entire job, all the devices on site with a map and know where they have to go to if they need to visit the devices. They can also send or retrieve files with those devices whether they are online or not,” Mr. Krenske says.

When new files are sent to a device, even if it is offline Tokara Link system is set up to update as soon as possible meaning as soon as the machine is turned on again it will retrieve the correct files.

“We have an alert for when a machine comes online so if it’s getting a new engine or working out of a cellular range, we can send an email alert. Then when that device comes online next, we will get an email with the message we sent when we set it up,” Mr. Krenske says.

He says the most important feature of Tokara Link is its ability to save time on civil projects.

“The first project we deployed the Link on, it was estimated two full time people would be needed to visit the machines and upload the job files,” Mr. Krenske says.

“It’s important for people in the office, so if a worker remotely accesses a machine and makes a change that is discovered to be incorrect, they can go back and work out who did it and train them accordingly,” Mr. Krenske says.

Tokara Link also provides access to Position Partners’ technical support and links the user to any GNSS/GPS network required for the job.

Mr. Krenske says Position Partners has been able to develop its Tokara suite through the unique set of skills and expertise built up by the company over many years.

“Our unique blend of experience and industry knowledge means that we are ideally placed to deliver a single industrywide solution. We understand the business, our customers, and what they want to achieve,” Mr. Krenske says.

Tokara Link can be used on machines that have Windows or Android based systems; it does not have to be specific to Position Partners technology.

“WITH TOKARA LINK WE CAN LOCATE THE MACHINES ON SITE, DETERMINE WHAT JOB FILES EACH ONE IS USING AND ISSUE NEW ONES TO THOSE MACHINES, CONTROL AND CONFIGURE MACHINES REMOTELY AND IDENTIFY HARDWARE ISSUES AS WELL.” “By using Tokara Link it automatically sent the files to each machine and effectively, over the period of two years, two full-time wages were saved on that project. Then there are the safety benefits associated with not having those people driving around the site,” he says.

Time savings are also noticed in situations where Tokara Link can eliminate the need for a technician to travel to site.

“The best person to diagnose a machine issue might be based in Victoria but the project could be in Queensland. The right technician can be virtually on site by clicking a button through the link. It’s a collaborative approach, so companies can have more than one technician trying to work through a complex issue,” Mr. Krenske says.

“At Position Partners we have always prioritised timely and efficient support because we know that if your machine control system isn’t working then you’re not making money.”

In addition, Tokara Link keeps a record of the history of people that have connected to each machine.

Once in use on site, the solution can be easily transferred between machines if needed.

“The Tokara Link modem can selfconfigure depending on what system it’s plugged into so you could move between android or windows systems and will understand how to reconfigure itself,” Mr. Krenske says.

“Tokara has been developed in Australia, using Australian skills and programmers. It is based around customer requirements and has been extensively tested with contractors and end-users throughout the country.”

Mr. Krenske says the solution is used widely by the civil construction industry from major infrastructure projects to residential developments. He says Tokara is a trusted and relied upon service to help customers keep projects running efficiently with minimum downtime.

“Now, more than ever, it is a service that can assist contractors, project managers, surveyors and technicians by removing the need to interact in person and maintain social distancing measures,” he says. roadsonline.com.au

39

The laser profile scanner comes with a powerful interface software that can be configured individually.

PRECISION

PROFILING

WITH A BACKLOG OF ROAD MAINTENANCE JOBS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, LASER SENSORS AND SCANNERS CAN BE USED TO ENSURE SURFACES ARE CORRECTLY AND EFFICIENTLY MEASURED ON ANY ROAD PROFILING PROJECT.

O

n 26 February Infrastructure Australia released its priority list, a list that helps government and the private sector determine the country’s most important infrastructure projects.

The latest edition presented 147 infrastructure proposals of national significance, the largest number since the list’s inception.

This year, the list introduced five new high priority national initiatives, one of which was road maintenance.

Infrastructure Australia recognised the cost to maintain roads in Australia is growing and the overall maintenance backlog is increasing.

One of the major road construction activities that will be used in an effort to deplete the maintenance backlog is road profiling.

Depending on the level of damage, profiling can be used to remove layers of the road and in preparation for new products to be laid. With road construction materials varying across Australia, every road profiling job is different.

Wirhan Prationo, Bestech Marketing 40

ROADS MAY 2020

Engineer, says project managers need to be informed with the correct data of the pavement’s condition before profiling begins, and this can be done using sensor technology.

“Sensors provide measurements of the distance to the road which can be translated into roughness, depth and other datasets. This data can then be applied by engineers and operators to schedule proper maintenance when planning projects,” Mr. Prationo says.

Bestech Australia is a an Australian-based sensor, instrumentation and technical

transport industry.

Specific for road profiling applications, Bestech offers two different types of noncontact displacement sensors from MicroEpsilon, the laser triangulation sensors and laser profile scanners. Mr. Prationo says these sensors are the most popular technologies in this field as they are easy to apply to road profiling projects.

“The single point laser or laser triangulation sensor, optoNCDT, is suitable for applications where the operators need to obtain only the rough profile of the road. Multiple single point laser triangulation sensors can be

“SENSORS PROVIDE MEASUREMENTS OF THE DISTANCE TO THE ROAD WHICH CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO ROUGHNESS, DEPTH AND OTHER DATASETS. THIS DATA CAN THEN BE APPLIED BY ENGINEERS AND OPERATORS TO SCHEDULE PROPER MAINTENANCE WHEN PLANNING PROJECTS.” training company that supplies and supports a wide range of sensors and instrumentation for test and measurement applications, such as in the road and

mounted on mobile and moving vehicles to get a rough estimate of the full-width road profile.”

The measurement results from laser

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

triangulation sensors can be displayed in the computer system or in a digital display through an analogue C-Box interface.

While laser profile scanners can measure road profiles in 2D, which Mr. Prationo says is a more detailed measurement compared to the single point laser triangulation sensors. sensor, it is also more expensive to apply. The scanning range of the Bestech laser profile scanners generally could not cover the full-width of the road.

“Multiple laser scanners can also be mounted and programmed for synchronous data acquisition to obtain the detailed profile of the road,” he says.

“The laser profile scanner, scanCONTROL, comes with a user-friendly and powerful interface software that can be configured individually to evaluate different types of road profiles such as depth, groove and gaps.”

He says contractors will generally decide which laser solution is best suited to each individual project.

“Usually road contractors will prefer to use laser scanners as this technology can give the complete profile of the road.

However, using multiple laser scanners to measure the entire width and profile of the road can be costly,” Mr. Prationo says.

In some cases, single point laser sensors are an option to get a rough estimate of the road profile. Mr. Prationo says multiple single-point laser sensors are needed to get the rough profile and this is a more economical option if exact measurements are not required.

One of the challenges with road profiling he

“AS PROFILING WORKS ARE COMMONLY DONE DURING THE DAY, A HIGH-POWERED LASER IS REQUIRED TO ENSURE THE SENSORS CAN GET AN ACCURATE READING. THE SCANCONTROL SCANNERS ARE AVAILABLE WITH A CLASS 3B LASER WHICH IS SUITABLE FOR THIS MEASUREMENT.” says, is that the sensors used need to be able to sample the profile data at a high speed. A sampling speed of 4kHz is generally sufficient to ensure accurate profiling.

For real time processing, both sensors also feature a ‘Real Time Surface Compensation’ function. This will automatically compensate for the amount of reflection from the target surface during continuous exposure and in real-time. It enables the laser to read accurately, even with rapidly changing surface types.

“As profiling works are commonly done during the day, a high-powered laser is required to ensure the sensors can get an accurate reading. The scanCONTROL scanners are available with a class 3B laser which is suitable for this measurement,” Mr. Prationo says.

However, he says operators running these lasers will need to exercise safety precautions when the laser is in use as it can be harmful to both eyes and skin, in close proximity.

“Alternatively, contractors can use a high-resolution laser sensor that can also provide accurate measurement results, which is a distinct feature of both our optoNCDT and scanCONTROL sensors,” Mr. Prationo says.

Bestech’s laser triangulation sensor is available with high resolution measurements.

“Bestech’s laser triangulation sensor optoNCDT series are available with high resolution measurements and are adaptive to fast changing surfaces during profiling measurements.”

For increased accuracy the scanCONTROL laser scanner is also available in a SMART version that enables intelligence in the sensor heads and integrated controls.

“Engineers can program the scanCONTROL to automatically calculate any values such as gaps or edge angle through programable logic controller integration,” Mr. Prationo says.

“The SMART scanCONTROL with an integrated controller is preferred where the users have requirements to measure more complex profiles such as gap, edge angle, groove, and so on.”

If users want to know only the raw profile of a surface, the general scanCONTROL sensors are more suitable.

In Australia, there has been interest from the road construction industry in the Bestech laser sensors, one specific project looked at measuring the heights of a road curb.

“An application like this could be done by mounting the scanCONTROL on a mobile vehicle to scan the road as it moves. The laser scanners can automatically calculate the height of the curb through the userprogrammable integrated controller and give the readings to the operators,” Mr. Prationo says.

Other than laser sensors, Bestech also supplies a wide range of wireless sensors such as accelerometers and inclinometers for structural health monitoring applications and a range of other instrumentation and data acquisition systems for measurement of physical parameters.

For all applications, Bestech complements its products with technical support from factory-trained application engineers and product specialists.

“Our engineers can assist customers to identify and solve any test and measurement requirements that may arise from complex road profiling applications,” Mr. Prationo says. roadsonline.com.au

41

THE ROAD

AHEAD

INFRASTRUCTURE VICTORIA HAS LAID OUT A MULTIFACETED PLAN TO TACKLE THE STATE’S CONGESTION AND POPULATION CHALLENGES. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE EXPLORES HOW THESE PLANS ARE EXPECTED TO SHAPE UP IN 2020 IN THE LEAD UP TO A NEW 30-YEAR DRAFT INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY.

M

anaging the state’s congestion issues, infrastructure and transport planning may not be front of everyone’s minds during this time, but the issues are still very much on the agenda.

Independent advisory body Infrastructure Victoria (IV) has been continuing its work to produce a draft 30-year infrastructure strategy. Expected in October this year, a final version is planned to be released in mid 2021 and tabled in parliament.

Released in 2019, Growing Victoria’s potential: the opportunities and challenges of Victoria’s population growth set the scene for the strategy update by highlighting the key talking points tipped to manage a state on track to become Australia’s most populous city.

Some of the initial conversation starters were the need to increase population

Jonathan Spear says Infrastructure Victoria is examining how we deal with change.

42

ROADS MAY 2020

density to accommodate growth, targeted regional investment to address challenges and opportunities and planning and delivering infrastructure in a manner consistent with how people want to live and work.

While Melbourne will continue to be a low-density city, the report highlights that increased densification could help improve the level of infrastructure and services governments can provide to the community.

Jonathan Spear, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at IV, says that in addition to the focus on regional Victoria’s needs, making use of infrastructure better and improving on its delivery, a timely focus is: how do we deal with change?

“There’s some well-known changes that we have to deal with over time, [including] climate change and some of the known technology changes like increased automation, and changes in the energy system,” Mr. Spear says.

He adds that IV is also looking at the role infrastructure plays in building resilience.

“Classic examples at the moment are both the bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic and the role of infrastructure there.”

He says this is what stakeholders have told IV and what it has subsequently been working on. Mr. Spear says that IV has been thinking about the role of infrastructure in facing challenges such as climate change, population growth or technology.

“There will be lots of lessons to be learnt from both bushfires and the current pandemic that we will be reflecting on when we can, when we release the draft strategy later in the year,” Mr. Spear says.

“A key theme of IV’s work is integration of land use and infrastructure planning. Because

a lot of the benefits that you get: socially, environmentally and economically are when you get that right,” Mr. Spear explains.

When it comes to the regions, IV’s 2019 report developed profiles for each of the reasons to understand their needs. The report highlights a focus on leveraging existing rail and road infrastructure, improving transport links and fit-forpurpose infrastructure. Conversely, it appears to caution against using the regions to relieve pressure on Melbourne.

“We don’t think moving a large number of people through Melbourne to the regions say through a fast rail is going to make much of a difference to Melbourne’s growth challenges or necessarily help those regional cities,” Mr. Spear says.

“There are a range of reasons why you give regional cities good transport connections to Melbourne, but we don’t think that reducing population pressure in Melbourne is one of them.”

One of the models that Infrastructure Victoria is looking at to reduce congestion is transport network pricing – a focus detailed in its Good move fixing transport congestion report. This means a shift away from fixed upfront charges such as registration towards usage-based charges, focusing on distance travelled, time of day and mode of travel.

Mr. Spear points out that while there’s not much congestion now on the roads and on the public transport system (for obvious reasons), he highlights the risk of returning back to where we were previously.

“Unless we make a change to our behaviour we are going to back to the sort of congestion we saw before this pandemic,” Mr. Spear says.

“That’s why we think it’s a really good time

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – CONGESTION

Editorial credit: Shuang Li / Shutterstock.com

Infrastructure Victoria research shows up to 85 per cent of people could pay less than they do today for transport.

“A KEY THEME OF IV’S WORK IS INTEGRATION OF LAND USE AND INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING. BECAUSE A LOT OF THE BENEFITS THAT YOU GET: SOCIALLY, ENVIRONMENTALLY AND ECONOMICALLY ARE WHEN YOU GET THAT RIGHT.” to be thinking about, do we make a change in our behaviour to have at least a little bit of that reduced congestion and public transport crowding for the long run?”

As a behavioural change model, the desired result of usage-based charges is to see demand for transport spread evenly through the day. This aims to lead to reduced travel costs and more predictable travel times by encouraging people to shift to other modes of travel. Additionally, it may postpone the need for additional large-scale infrastructure projects as we make the best use of what’s already there.

Infrastructure Victoria research shows up to 85 per cent of people could pay less than they do today for transport, with modelling showing up to 168,000 car trips could be taken off Victorian roads each day.

More than 40 per cent of those who would drive to the cordon area would make the shift to public transport, modelling shows.

Mr. Spear says that if we don’t make a change in our behaviour, in the next 10 years there will be millions more trips on the road each day, resulting in delays, frustrations and reductions in economic productivity. Its report into this issue

finds a business-as-usual approach would lead to an additional $5.6 billion in time, operating costs and pollution by 2030 when compared to 2015 numbers. Congestion is expected to cost Melburnians an extra $1700 per year by 2030 on average. The research shows that it has worked well in areas such as Stockholm, London and Milan, with Stockholm citing sustained reductions in the cordon of around 20 per cent.

“People have told us that they’re willing to accept that change and we’ve actually polled people and about one in four have told us previously they could change the time that they do a journey if they were actually forced to think about it.”

In terms of whether an increase in people working from home will have some kind of indefinite reduction in congestion, Mr Spear says it’s too soon to tell. roadsonline.com.au

43

Editorial credit: Vladimir Waldin / Shutterstock.com Stockholm has experienced sustained reductions in the cordon as a result of a move to a new pricing scheme for congestion.

“It is really unknown if what we’re currently facing is going to roll through to ongoing behavioural change,” he says.

“What we do know is that with congestion we’re seeing big congestion reductions at the moment and we’re not going to retain that level of journey reduction and nor should we, because of the restrictions it has on people’s movement and freedom and the economic effects.”

In response to issues such as population growth and climate change, IV has completed extensive work on the increased uptake of automated and zero emissions vehicles.

As part of this broader focus on usage based charges, Mr. Spear proposes that relieving motorists of registration in favour of the new model could be trialled on electric vehicles to lower the barriers to entry and make their usage more attractive.

Another area of focus as part of this is a new approach is pricing parking, with parking prices varying over time and across locations. This could be beneficial where demand for provided parking fluctuates considerably. He says like other vehicles, EVs should pay for kilometres travelled, but this should reflect their contribution to congestion.

“We want people to not be cruising around for parking and that space and road is really quite valuable and so having a dynamically changing price that reflects demand over different times of the day is a really effective way of matching the level of demand for parking.”

44

ROADS MAY 2020

“WE WANT PEOPLE TO NOT BE CRUISING AROUND FOR PARKING AND THAT SPACE AND ROAD IS REALLY QUITE VALUABLE AND SO HAVING A DYNAMICALLY CHANGING PRICE THAT REFLECTS DEMAND OVER DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY IS A REALLY EFFECTIVE WAY OF MATCHING THE LEVEL OF DEMAND FOR PARKING.” Concepts such as mobility as a service could hold potential to further free up the road network. While Mr. Spear acknowledges mobility as a service will potentially reduce the need for parking, there could be other implications.

“What they do bring in is more pick-up and drop-off spaces are often required and so our work on automated vehicles also found the need for that as something we plan for in the future,” he says.

“The other part of mobility as a service

is the great thing about that is it gives you all your travel choices. How to get to A to B, on a menu with the journey, planning of pricing ahead of time, and so you could certainly include parking as part of that package of choices that you make.”

And with the draft report not due until the end of the year, Mr Spear says some of the areas of infrastructure needed to support the management of growth areas range from schools to energy and waste management.

In response to population growth and climate change, Infrastructure Victoria has completed extensive work on automated and zero emissions vehicles.

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ARRB has been working with the Federal Government’s Office of Future Transport Technology.

OFFICE OF FUTURE TRANSPORT

TAKES SHAPE

SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 2018, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S OFFICE OF FUTURE TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN WORKING TO BRING A COHESIVE AND UNIFIED APPROACH TO EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, BUT WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED SINCE THEN AND WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

I

n late 2018, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced the Office of Future Transport Technology would be established within the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities.

The new office will help prepare for the pending arrival of automated vehicles and other transport innovations. The initiative is made possible through a $9.7 million investment by the Federal Government.

With automated vehicles on the verge of becoming commercially available, the Federal Government is taking steps to manage the associated challenges and opportunities within the evolving and future transport landscape.

In an address to a Roads Australia event in late 2018, Mr McCormack had signalled that governments and industry needed to collaborate effectively to develop the right policy, regulation and infrastructure to adapt to future technology.

“The Australian future transport and mobility industry is expected generate more than $16 billion in revenue by 2025,” Mr McCormack said.

“While representing an emerging business opportunity for the national economy,

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ROADS MAY 2020

these technologies also have great potential to reduce the $27 billion cost of road crashes in Australia each year.”

Mr McCormack highlighted that he expected the Office to collaborate across governments to ensure automated vehicles are safe, consider future infrastructure needs and that cyber-security safeguards are in place. He said this would ensure businesses can take advantage of new commercial opportunities.

The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has been providing its expertise and support to the Office since its inception.

In an interview with Roads & Infrastructure in early April, Mr. McCormack reiterated he was working closely with ARRB through the office.

The work of the office is consistent with ARRB’s main streams: intelligent roads; the future of asset management; disruptive journeys, platforms and services; smart journeys, the human factors of transport and sustainability.

More recently, ARRB is continuing to monitor the impact of COVID-19 and recently released the latest transport research from Victoria. As expected, there’s already been major reductions in

congestion and foot-traffic, with ARRB believing this trend will likely be similar in most capital cities.

ARRB Chief Executive Officer Michael Caltabiano says the COVID-19 shutdown offers a critical opportunity for Victoria to understand and deal with its transport issues before life eventually returns to normal.

“We need to take this opportunity to reimagine now what a post-COVID-19 backto-work should look like. Do we take the opportunity to change the way in which are freeways are used?”

To that end, the research and testing underpinning the acceleration of future transport technologies is not going anywhere. It remains in line with the Transport and Infrastructure Council’s National Land Transport Technology Action Plan 2020-2023. The council brings together Commonwealth, state, territory and New Zealand ministers responsible for transport and infrastructure issues, as well as the Australian Local Government Association.

In acknowledging that transport technology is changing rapidly, the 20202023 action plan highlights how new and innovative technologies could bring about

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – FUTURE TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY

improved productivity; more efficient use of existing infrastructure; reductions in congestion and avoid fatalities and injuries.

Preparing for connected vehicles, roadside infrastructure and supporting devices requires significant planning and an agreed approach to policy, regulatory and investment-decision-making.

The action plan therefore outlines a number of priorities. These include exploring technology in the freight sector, low and zero emissions vehicles, mobility as a service and the role connected and automated vehicles (CAV) will play in influencing future infrastructure and land use planning.

The supporting areas of future focus cover safety, security and privacy; digital and physical infrastructure; data; standards and interoperability; and disruption and change.

SAFETY, SECURITY AND PRIVACY Since 2016, a regulatory framework has been established for testing automated vehicles and Australian jurisdictions have committed to removing barriers. This means ensuring manufacturers can safely test automated vehicles in real-world conditions. Likewise, stakeholders have investigated the costs, benefits and deployment models for automatic crash notifications.

Ongoing work comprises the development of national operational guidelines to support on-road use of automated vehicles as well as the

development of a national deployment plan for security management of CAVs. Austroads continues to guide the planning of national operational guidelines, aided by its 2017 assessment of key road operator actions to support automated vehicles.

Moreover, the development of a national deployment plan for security management of connected and automated vehicles also continues. Federal, state and territory governments are piloting systems for managing CAVs and connected infrastructure, with a view that higher levels of automation may significantly reduce the road toll by as much as 90 per cent.

Over the next three years, the National Transport Commission will work with the states and territories to develop a regulatory system that facilitates the safe deployment and operation of automated vehicles in Australia. This includes implementing regulatory arrangements like Australian Design Rules so automated vehicles are safe at the point of first supply in Australia. Likewise, reviewing the approach to in-service safety for automated vehicles, including consideration of

end user can’t get a reading from it.

“When you talk about automated vehicles you’ve got sensors, redundancies and key redundancies, but when the redundancies fail – what happens?” Mr. Leow explains.

In ensuring the systems are safe, he says its important to follow a minimal risk manoeuvre. Where a vehicle has possible issues, it will be critical to stop the vehicle at the side of the road and then dial in for assistance.

“If the vehicle is already in place – , depending on how severe the situation is, it can call for a tow truck or emergency vehicle.”

DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Its no secret that new technologies will need new types of infrastructure which may influence the existing infrastructure that form the basis of our contemporary transport system. Governments are therefore investigating what digital and physical infrastructure will be needed in the future and how to provide it effectively.

Austroads in 2018 led an international scanning exercise on the costs and benefits

“WE NEED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REIMAGINE NOW WHAT A POST-COVID-19 BACK-TO-WORK SHOULD LOOK LIKE. DO WE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THE WAY IN WHICH ARE FREEWAYS ARE USED?” institutional arrangements and road traffic and driving laws is on track for mid-2020.

Dickson Leow, Chief Technology Leader, looks after Future Transport Systems at ARRB as part of its six main streams.

He says that when it comes to issues like cyber-security, a system is only as secure as the weakest link.

“For example in a traffic intersection everything is localised but there is that transmission sent back to the traffic management system in the back-office,” he says.

“You can have the most robust cybersecurity redundant file or IP addresses, but if someone has managed to get in from the backdoor because they have access to a localised unit then all your security measures can be compromised.”

ARRB is part of an ISO Committee drafting additional standards for CAV. Some of the issues that Mr. Leow says could be looked at for example, if a sensor is broken and the

of traffic management technologies, helping governments understand which technologies were mature. Australian governments developed CAV test-beds and funded the development of satellite-based augmentation system.

To that end, Intelligent Transport System trials continue, including Transport for NSW’s CAV trials in Armidale and Coffs Harbour, Victoria’s Towards Zero CAV Trials and ACT’s two-year CANDrive automated vehicle trials.

“ARRB has been quite fortunate that we’ve been engaged with road authorities at varying levels of jurisdictions at the different states to look at aspects of the different road infrastructure with all these new vehicles,” Mr. Leow says.

Mr. Leow says ARRB has also undertaken a study within the freight sector looking at CAV integration, mobility as a service and how CAV will influence the future of infrastructure. roadsonline.com.au

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Enabling interoperability of equipment and services in a rapidly changing technological environment is no easy task.

He says that as autonomous vehicles get smarter with automated features like adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency brakes, lane keep assist and active steering, these features will need to meet Australian Design Rules.

“We’re doing a study on what are the impacts or benefits if we were to regulate some of these features,” Mr. Leow says.

“From preliminary studies there are a few key features that could be beneficial, but having said that, there are other regulatory requirements from Europe that will need to be applied to an Australian context.”

“We should learn and harmonise as much as we can to progress the advancement of technology as best and as fast we can.”

DATA According to the action plan, transport systems are generating more data than ever before that can be used to improve services and streamline decision-making. Ongoing work comprises looking at telematics and other intelligent transport systems in planning such as ports and improving the availability of open data in transport.

Over the next three years, CAV data will be used to support network efficiency and safety, supported by trials that guide government decision-making.

Better data is not just beneficial for CAVs, but more broadly streamlines decisions.

An investigation by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) found a variety of different datasets were being collected without a central or consistent source.

“BITRE has done a great job in trying to get as much of the information and 48

ROADS MAY 2020

cleaning it up so there’s consistency, including our accident report,” he says.

He says that better data governance, including hosting and disseminating that information, is important to informing improved information sharing between state road authorities.

Mr. Leow says that state agencies are currently looking at crash data to inform better decision-making.

“We will investigate the crash data that we received from different jurisdictions that is inconsistent,” he says.

“Some collect some information, some don’t so there’s an element of policing and recording of the event and that makes it difficult. If you don’t have a baseline, you cannot build on it and I think that is the first step to get consistency.”

Mr. Leow says that some of the key pain points involve basic information not being collected, with make and models often collected missing information.

While there are multiple factors that will shape a better understanding such as the speed of the driver and weather, he says that without fundamental information such as the make and model, it’s difficult to remedy the situation.

“This is part of what we call the safe system approach. As part of our safety team we’ve been looking at the four factors: education, people, vehicles, road designs,” he says.

ARRB is also looking at blameless investigations. In other countries, crashes are investigated using a “blameless” model, to frankly (and without bias) evaluate what role the road, the vehicle and the user played in the crash.

This means that when a crash occurs, it’s about understanding if all the necessary steps have been taken, whether it be better design of the vehicle or its age.

Mr. Leow adds that the Office of Future Transport Technology is working towards real-time data on our roads which could support CAVs in the future. ARRB is taking some of the lessons where automation has been tried and tested, including in the banking and aviation sectors.

“Before vehicles are automated if vehicles can actually understand the messaging and get it early enough send it to the driver, the driver can actually pre-empt any issues whether it be 500 metres, 100 metres or a kilometre away,” he says.

STANDARDS AND INTEROPERABILITY Enabling interoperability of equipment and services in a rapidly changing technological environment is no easy task. Therefore, the development of a Cooperative Intelligent Transport System infrastructure roadmap is ongoing, in addition to publishing a statement of intent on supporting standards and deployment models.

Over the next three years, it will be important to evaluate deployment models and associated costs and benefits of Cooperative Intelligent Transport System vehicle technologies.

Likewise, the changing environment on our roads has implications for the freight sector. Identifying and facilitating emerging technologies that improve freight outcomes can increase the efficiency of the network, improve supply chain visibility and decrease risk to other transport users.

“It’s about how we integrate the holistic perspective not just automated vehicles, not just heavy vehicles but how does it interact with vulnerable road users, motorcyclists and cyclists,” he says.

While a number of issues will continue to be worked through, Mr. Leow jokes that arguably one of the greatest challenges is federation, and a key reason why the Office was set-up. Importantly, he says work continues to connect all dots through to 2023.

“As with all technological advancements we take a multifaceted approach. We don’t just look at the problem, but we look at how the problem is solved and what are the other elements that contribute to future problems by solving that problem,” he says.

EVENTS

EXPOTRADE

CONFERENCE DATE CHANGES EXPOTRADE IS THE EVENT ORGANISER BEHIND AUSTRALIA’S MAJOR PROJECT AND TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE YEARLY CONFERENCES. IN LIGHT OF EVENT RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS, NEW DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR THESE CONFERENCES ACROSS AUSTRALIA. 3rd Tasmanian Major Projects Conference - 16th & 17th June 2020 The Tasmanian Major Projects Conference returns to Hobart on the 16th & 17th of June 2020 to condense opportunities in the roads, rail, irrigation, social and tourism industries. The conference will aim to equip attendees with best-practice knowledge on effective project delivery. Representatives from Hobart Airport, TasWater and Tas Networks will be in attendance.

11th NT Major Projects Conference - 27th & 28th October 2020 Roads, resources, transport, tourism and defence opportunities will all be highlighted at the Northern Territory Major Projects conference. The Northern Territory government has allocated nearly $1.5 billion to advancing infrastructure over the 2019-20 period. This is expected to create a pool of opportunity for the local economy and the conference will aim to connect businesses to projects.

11th QLD Major Projects Conference - 22nd & 23rd July 2020 Over 20 speakers will unpack the ins and outs of Queensland infrastructure projects including Cross River Rail, Brisbane Metro, Inland Rail, Cairns Shipping Development and CQ Inland Port. The conference will also present the latest research in transport and how this can be applied to best-practice project delivery for highquality, well-maintained Queensland transport infrastructure.

12th NSW Major Projects Conference - 18th & 19th November The NSW Major Projects Conference attracts around 250 delegates each year, who come to find out the latest information on the states pipeline of works. With representatives from the WestConnex, Sydney Metro, Infrastructure NSW and Transport for NSW the delegates will hear from some of the biggest names in infrastructure. With a state budget that allocates $55.6 billion for road and transport projects in 2019/20, the conference will wrap up the best opportunities for the sector.

13th SA Major Projects Conference - Postponed to 2021 The South Australian Major Projects conference has been postponed to 2021. For the next four years the South Australian Government has committed $11.3 billion towards infrastructure.

With a strong pipeline of activity scheduled the conference will aim to bring delegates the latest information on the biggest projects in the state.

12th VIC Transport Infrastructure Conference - 19th & 20th October 2020 Following the unveiling of the Suburban Transport Blitz, the Victorian Government is investing $27.4 billion to streamline Victoria’s transport network, creating thousands of job opportunities while enhancing transport accessibility across the state. The Victorian Transport Infrastructure Conference will present attendees with the latest updates to these projects, alongside networking sessions with key stakeholders and investors.

Events published in these listings indicate the dates set at the time of writing in late April.

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CONTRACTS TENDERS & TENDERS CONTRACTS

CONTRACTS -- IN BRIEF

ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE CONTRACTS AND TENDERS RECENTLY AWARDED OR PUT TO MARKET ACROSS THE AUSTRALIAN INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR. QUEENSLAND McConnell Dowell sign ECI contract for major shipping project McConnell Dowell has signed an Early Contractor Involvement contract with the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance for their Shiploader 2 and Berth 2 Replacement project (SABR), at the Hay Point Coal Terminal near Mackay in Queensland.

The SABR project involves the complete replacement of one of the three berths and shiploaders at the Hay Point Coal Terminal. Both the wharf and shiploader are being replaced as they have reached end of life. The SABR project will see the replacement of these facilities and will improve operability with a berth extension as well as improving storm immunity through raising the berth.

VICTORIA $679M contract awarded for Cranbourne Line duplication in VIC Two alliances will work in partnership with the Level Crossing Removal Project on a $679 million contract to duplicate the Cranbourne Line. An alliance of McConnell Dowell, Arup, Mott MacDonald and Metro Trains Melbourne will duplicate the line between Dandenong and Lynbrook. They will also remove the Greens Road level crossing in Dandenong South.

The second alliance, comprising Laing O’Rourke, Jacobs and Metro Trains Melbourne, will complete the remaining duplication between Lynbrook and Cranbourne. This alliance will also build a new Merinda Park station and expand the Lynbrook station with an additional 135 spaces. Duplication of the line will allow for peak hour services every ten minutes.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Two consortia shortlisted to build $852M Bunbury Outer Ring Road Two consortia have been shortlisted to design and construct Western Australia‘s $852 million Bunbury Outer Ring Road project. The shortlisted consortia are the Forrest Alliance, comprised of CPB Contractors, Carey MC, Densford Civil, GHD and BG&E, and Southwest Connex, comprised of Acciona, NRW Contracting, MACA Civil, AECOM and Aurecon.

Western Australian Transport and Planning Minister Rita Saffioti said she expects an alliance contract to be awarded before the end of the year, with construction set to begin in 2021. Main Roads WA will also be calling for early tenders soon for the supply of an initial quantity of crushed rock road base. According to Ms. Saffioti, the project will deliver huge benefits for the economy, both during construction and once in operation.

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ROADS MAY 2020 2019

NEW SOUTH WALES Tender process begins for 50km of metro railway tunnels in Sydney The tender process for the build of railway tunnels between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, on the Sydney Metro West project, has started. Expressions of interest have been called by the NSW Government for the project’s first two major infrastructure packages. This includes the delivery of twin tunnels between Westmead and The Bays. The two tunnelling contracts will be from Westmead to Sydney Olympic Park and then from Sydney Olympic Park to the Bays.

Tenders open for $17M Cessnock Road upgrade in NSW Tenders have now opened to build the Cessnock Road upgrade at Testers Hollow in NSW. The upgrade will reduce the impact of flooding and improve connectivity across the region.

The project is expected to improve connectivity between the Maitland area, Hunter Expressway and for the broader community. Raising the height of Cessnock Road will provide a more reliable connection during floods. Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Roads and Infrastructure Chris Gulaptis said the upgrade included building a new two-lane road at a level about 1.5 metres higher than the existing road.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Major contractors awarded three SA regional transport projects The South Australian Government has selected the Regional Projects Alliance (RPA) to deliver three projects in Port Wakefield to Port Augusta. Aurecon Australasia, GHD and CPB Contractors make up the alliance. The group will work together with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure in South Australia to deliver the three projects. The projects include, Joy Baluch AM Bridge Duplication in Port Augusta, the Port Wakefield Overpass and Highway Duplication and the Augusta Highway Planning Project located between Port Augusta and Port Wakefield.

INTERNATIONAL Two major contractors secure LTA contract in Singapore The Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) has awarded the contract for the design and construction of three new stations and associated elevated rail viaducts to a McConnell Dowell, John Holland joint venture. The J108 contract forms part of the new Jurong Regional Line Mass Rapid Transit development. The 24-kilometre long Jurong Region Line will add 24 stations to the existing Singapore rail network to serve residents of Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay, Jurong and future developments in the Tengah area.

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