Roads & Infrastructure August 2020

AUGUST 2020

& INFRASTRUCTURE

WOMEN FOR CONSTRUCTION Employment opportunities for all in stimulus projects

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AUGUST 2020 CONTENTS

& INFRASTRUCTURE

COVER STORY

14 Women in construction

Roads & Infrastructure looks at the opportunities for women on infrastructure stimulus projects.

PROJECT REPORT

26 Bringing GB5 to Australia

Puma Bitumen and Effiage partner to bring a base course mix known as GB5 to Australia.

TECHNOLOGY AND TECH EQUIPMENT

16 Great Northern Highway

Norm Fox, Main Roads Program Director describes the latest projects taking place on the wheatbelt.

29 Structurally sound

Jeremy Bryceson details how Bestec sensors can be used to monitor the structural integrity of infrastructure.

AAPA

30 Blade TMA

Innov8 explains how its truck mounted attenuator dissipates crash impacts.

20 Sustainability framework

AAPA Executive Director of QLD/NT Robert Vos explains the associations new sustainability framework.

23 AAPA member profile

Zehra Kaya, National Business Manager Roads & Pavements at Huesker reveals her love for innovation.

ASPHALT IN ACTION

24 Plastic on the Wimera

Road Maintenance and Rich River Asphalt team up to use a spray seal containing recycled plastics on the Wimera Highway.

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

33 iNOVA recycling

CIBER details the recycling capabilities on its iNOVA asphalt plant.

34 Low viscosity crumb rubber binder

SAMI presents its new low viscosity crumb rubber modified binder for use on spray sealing projects.

36 Going green

Broadspectrum works in partnership with Downer to re-lay part of Duncans Road in Victoria using Reconophalt.

38 Le Sland

SLN Australia details its sand replacement product, a Ferronickel slag made using the by-product of the nickel manufacturing process.

EVENTS

40 Women in industry awards

Roads & Infrastructure details the nominees for the Women in Industry awards showcasing great achievements in engineering and construction.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS

42 NVC takes on apprentices

With a number of projects on the go NVC Precast has taken on three apprentices to kick start their careers.

44 Driverless vehicles

An Austroads report finds skills shortages for drivers of automated vehicles, we look at what needs to be done to increase safety.

46 Thompsons Road realignment

Major Road Projects Victoria talks through their decision to speed up works on the Thompsons Road roundabout from five months to just five weeks.

SAFETY

49 Safety on site

UAA’s George Grasso highlights the need for comprehensive and up to date safety practices on all construction sites.

ARRB THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

50 Big Data and Telematics

ARRB has answers for the many questions around using big data within roads and transport.

REGULARS NVC Precast has taken on apprentices for its precast projects.

04 Editor’s note 06 News

roadsonline.com.au

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& INFRASTRUCTURE PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au MANAGING EDITOR Melanie Stark melanie.stark@primecreative.com.au

BIG WHEELS KEEP ON TURNING FOUR MONTHS INTO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC and the construction industry has never been busier. Whether its planning, designing or hands on work, the opportunity for road construction in Australia is huge.

Over the past few months every single state and territory has announced infrastructure jobs packages in partnership with the Federal Government to fast track and stimulate jobs.

From major projects like the M5 Tunnels in Sydney to smaller works in councils throughout the country, construction continues to push forwards.

With many stimulus projects being funded and fast-tracked Roads & Infrastructure decided to investigate where the opportunities are for women on these projects.

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected women in work. We spoke to Chair of the Board of the National Association of Women in Construction, Kristine Scheul about the transferable skills women can use to help gain employment in construction.

With so many stimulus projects progressing, one thing has been evident in the past month and that is the industry’s commitment to continual improvement.

I attended a webinar run by Roads Australia and ISCA which covered the importance of creating resilient infrastructure and the tools that can aid industry in achieving this.

I have also seen brilliant examples of councils embracing new ideas, such as Wyndham City using asphalt with recycled plastic and Warrnambool City using recycled glass.

For the Western Roads Upgrade in Victoria, Broadspectrum and Downer have partnered to rehabilitate a road using Reconophalt, an asphalt mix which incorporates recycled soft plastics, toner and glass.

It’s certainly a time for experimentation and growth in the industry. It is exciting to see so many take the opportunity of an increase in projects to display new innovations and processes. Let’s hope this continues to the benefit of the environment and the communities driving on our roads.

ASSISTANT EDITOR Lauren Jones lauren.jones@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

Lauren Jones Assistant Editor, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine

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ROADS AUGUST 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

WORKPLACE MANSLAUGHTER LAWS NOW IN EFFECT IN VICTORIA Workplace manslaughter is now a criminal offence in Victoria, with laws introduced by the state government coming into effect.

Employers found to be negligent will face fines of up to $16.5 million and individuals face up to 25 years in jail. So far this year 25 people across Victoria have lost their lives in workplace incidents. WorkSafe Victoria will investigate new offences of workplace manslaughter using the powers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. The offence applies to employers, self-employed people and ‘officers’ of the employer. It also applies when an employer’s negligent conduct causes the death of a member of the public. State Government has also broadened the criteria that defines a workplace death.

From now this includes fatalities that occur on the road while working, suicides attributable to a workplace health and safety failure, deaths from industrial diseases such as silicosis, and workplace deaths resulting from a criminal act. All of these will be recognised in the WorkSafe toll. Changes mean more Victorians will be entitled to WorkSafe family support

services following the death of a loved one at work and broader reporting is hoped to bring increased focus to workplace health and safety issues. To help small and medium sized businesses prepare, the State Government has rolled out a wide ranging education campaign. The laws are supported by a $10 million package to improve investigation and enforcement of workplace safety laws, including a specialist WorkSafe team to lead investigations and prosecutions, and two additional WorkSafe Victoria Family Liaison Officers to give families more support. A Workplace Incidents Consultative Committee will be established to develop further reforms to provide support to those affected by workplace fatalities and serious incidents.

This will be supported with $4 million in funding and include people who have lost a family member at work or have suffered a serious workplace injury or illness.

Minister for Workplace Safety Jill Hennessy said if an employer’s negligence costs someone their life, they will be prosecuted and may go to jail – that’s now the law.

“We’re increasing the support available to

State Government has also broadened the criteria that defines a workplace death.

families who have lost someone at work, as well as establishing a new committee led by families who know the pain of such a tragic event, to drive further reforms,” she says.

“Broadening the definition of a workplace fatality will help better identify and address the true extent of workplace health and safety issues in Victoria.”

$382M FOR READY-TO-GO JOBS IN NSW’S FIXING LOCAL ROADS PROGRAM

$382 million to be made avalible for ready-to-go projects.

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ROADS AUGUST 2020

The Federal Government has committed $191 million on top of the NSW Government‘s $500 million Fixing Local Roads program. Funding will see $382 million be made available for ready-togo projects able to start in the next 12 months.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack and NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole met in Yass, NSW to announce the package.

Mr. McCormack said the Australian Government’s funding injection is about generating jobs, encouraging spending and stimulating local economies.

“This is money for small projects which

make a big difference in people’s everyday lives right across regional NSW,” he said.

Mr. Toole said the NSW Government was also accelerating its funding for the program to get more projects to seal, maintain and repair local roads under way faster.

“It means communities right across the State will see work starting on the local roads in their area as soon as next month.”

He said the first round of the program would see $250 million of funding for 258 projects in 83 Local Government Areas.

Applications for round two of the program will open later this year.

Projects are required to be delivered within two years of receiving funding. 3500 jobs are expected to be created.

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NEWS

MAJOR CONTRACTORS BEGIN WORKS ON $481M BRUCE HIGHWAY UPGRADE Works have begun on stage three of the Cairns Southern Access Corridor project which will see the Bruce Highway upgraded between Edmonton and Gordonvale. This road construction project is the biggest of its kind in Far North Queensland.

HSA Group, comprising John Holland Seymour Whyte and AECOM Group, will construct the upgrades.

The 10.5 kilometre upgrade is expected to double capacity on one of the Bruce Highway’s busiest two-lane sections and support 466 jobs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said this is another example of the Federal Government delivering key infrastructure projects which will support jobs and boost the economy, particularly in regional areas.

“The southern suburbs of Cairns are growing fast and that is why the Australian Government has committed more than $840 million towards upgrading the Cairns Southern Access Corridor from Gordonvale to Cairns CBD,” Mr. McCormack said.

“Not only will this project duplicate the highway, it will also deliver new service roads

The upgrade is expected to support 466 jobs.

and partially close several intersections and direct accesses to the existing highway. This will improve traffic flow, increase the speed limit to 100 kilometres per hour and create a safer and more efficient Bruce Highway for the future.”

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the project would also see a number of at-grade level crossings removed, a new overpass south of Maitland Road and a brand new alignment for the highway. He said these upgrades will tackle congestion and create a pipeline of construction and supporting jobs for Cairns.

“It’s part of a $1.45 billion roads and transport program for the Far North, that includes the jointly funded $104 million Cairns Southern Access Stage 4 – Kate Street to Aumuller Street project and the $164 million Smithfield Bypass.”

The contractors have started with early work to remove vegetation, demolish structures in the project corridor and establish a site office. Completion of the project is expected for 2023. The works are jointly funded by the Federal Government ($381.81 million) and the Queensland Government ($92.19 million).

CONTRACTOR COMPLETES MAJOR WORKS ON $117M DRYSDALE BYPASS The Drysdale Bypass in Victoria, the Bellarine Peninsula’s largest road infrastructure project, is now open to traffic. Contractors Decmil built the new bypass which stretches six kilometres from Jetty Road to the north of Whitcombes Road.

Trucks make up more than 11 per cent of the 20,000 vehicles that drive through Drysdale each day and it is hoped the bypass will give local roads back to local drivers by diverting those trucks.

In addition, tourists are expected to benefit in the busy summer holiday season where an extra 5000 vehicles can move through Drysdale daily.

As part of the construction a new pedestrian underpass was built, this provides safer 8

ROADS AUGUST 2020

access for students, linking the town centre with the education, arts and sporting precinct on Peninsula Drive.

The Barwon Heads Road Duplication is another significant infrastructure project for the region, and this is going through the planning process now.

The four-kilometre duplication between Settlement Road and Reserve Road in south-east Geelong includes extra lanes to increase traffic capacity. It also includes the removal of a dangerous level crossing over the Melbourne-Warrnambool railway line at Marshall.

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said we’ve wasted no time in opening the bypass so locals can benefit from the

safety improvements and travel time savings.

“Investment in south east Geelong’s road infrastructure continues to be our focus, and we’re progressing planning work on the Barwon Heads Duplication to support ongoing development in this growth corridor.”

Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville said this bypass is a real win for locals, it not only delivers my election commitment, but we will also see trucks gone from High Street and safer trips for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

“I am looking forward to seeing the benefits for locals and for motorists who travel to the Bellarine Peninsula, particularly in the busy summer months.”

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NEWS

THREE CONSORTIA SHORTLISTED FOR $76M MITCHELL FREEWAY SOUTHBOUND UPGRADE Another section of the Mitchell Freeway is set to be upgraded. Three consortia have been invited to submit detailed proposals to design and construct a third southbound lane between Hodges Drive and Hepburn Avenue.

The project is being brought forward as part of the government’s fast-tracked package of works.

Construction on the project will include building a third 8.8 kilometre freeway lane adjacent to the rail line. A new concrete barrier will be constructed to improve safety along the railway between Hepburn Avenue and the Reid Highway. Upgrading Hodges Drive to Hepburn Avenue is anticipated to create 530 jobs, both direct and indirect.

Contractors shortlisted for the project include: • H2H comprising WBHO Infrastructure Pty Ltd and NRW Contracting Pty Ltd; • Highways Construction Pty Ltd; and • Mitchell Southbound JV comprising BMD Constructions Pty Ltd and Georgiou Group Pty Ltd A contract is expected to be awarded in late October, with construction to begin at

the end of this year. The contract will require at least 10 per cent Aboriginal employment with at least three per cent of procurement going to Aboriginal business, in line with the Western Australian Aboriginal Procurement Policy.

Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said traffic congestion on the Mitchell Freeway was rapidly on the rise as WA came out of COVID

and people return to workplaces.

“It’s another reason to prioritise increasing the capacity of the freeway network so we can meet the growing demand across Perth,” Mr. Tudge said.

“It’s clear to see WA is undergoing construction across the transport network and that includes busting congestion for the growing populations in Perth’s northern suburbs.”

Construction will include building a third 8.8 kilometre freeway lane.

MAJOR CONTRACTORS AWARDED SEVEN YEAR SA ROAD MAINTENANCE WORKS Four major contractors have been awarded maintenance contracts for a total of 23,000 kilometres of the South Australian Road Maintenance network. The contracts will run for an initial seven years with provisions for a further six years. This extends the State Government’s 20 year partnership with industry to maintain the road network.

Contracts have been awarded in four zones: • Adelaide Metropolitan: DM Roads • Regional South: Fulton Hogan • Regional North: DM Roads • Outback: Lendlease Boral Joint Venture Now around 60 per cent of road maintenance services in the state are outsourced and under the new model, all road maintenance will be delivered in partnership with industry.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure

and Local Government Stephan Knoll said these new contracts will allow the state to leverage the expertise and efficiency of industry to deliver better and safer roads for South Australian motorists.

“We have 23,000 kilometres of the road network in South Australia and our priority is keeping our roads as safe as possible for motorists,” he said.

Of the 23,000 kilometres of road network in South Australia, 14,000 kilometres are sealed and 9000 kilometres are unsealed.

“DM Roads and Fulton Hogan have been awarded contracts to maintain our road network under the former government in 2013 and 2011 respectively,” Mr. Knoll said.

“These companies have been maintaining tens of thousands of kilometres of South Australia’s road network over many years

and have been employing thousands of South Australians over that time.”

Performance indicators will be included in the new contracts to target and monitor use of local small and medium enterprises. The contracts will also require demonstration of achievement of Industry Participation Policy targets and compliance with subcontractor principles. Financial consequences will occur if performance thresholds are not met.

“Through these new contracts we have been able to get a better bargain for taxpayers to drive their dollar further,” Mr. Knoll said.

The contracts are for up to 13 years and having four dedicated areas is expected to allow contractors to focus on providing the best possible outcomes for their area. roadsonline.com.au

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NEWS

SNOWY HYDRO 2.0 GAINS ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVAL The largest renewable energy project in Australia, Snowy Hydro 2.0 has been given environmental approval. Civil works for the project will be carried out by Future Generation which is a partnership between Australian engineering and construction firm Clough and tunnelling and hydropower specialists Salini Impregilo. For electrical and mechanical works Voith Hydro have been contracted. They will deliver the latest hydro-generation technology in the new Snowy 2.0 power station.

Australian company Leed Engineering and Construction has been awarded the contract for exploratory works, preconstruction activities and roads.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that Commonwealth environmental approval for the project has been granted after a rigorous environmental process.

“This marks the final step in the planning and approvals phase and the beginning of a new wave of jobs and investment for the region, which will guarantee clean, affordable energy and position our country for the future,” Mr. Morrison said.

Snowy Hydro will invest nearly $100 million in biodiversity and environmental enhancements.

“Just as the original Snowy Hydro project brought jobs and prosperity to Australia after the Second World War, Snowy 2.0 will help Australia grow its way out of the economic challenges from the coronavirus.”

Mr. Morrison said Snowy 2.0 is already creating a jobs boom, with over 100 local businesses benefiting from the Government’s investment to date, with much more local investment to come.

Over the life of the project Snowy 2.0 will create 4,000 direct jobs, as well as many more indirect jobs as flow-on benefits are realised by local businesses and the broader region.

Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the rigorous environmental assessment underlined the importance of the bilateral assessment with NSW. “Not only has the approval paved the way for critical infrastructure that will help the environment, it has ensured vital funding for protecting the area’s biodiversity,” Ms. Ley said.

“The final Commonwealth review resulted in additional conditions around heritage, public transparency on data used to underpin mitigation strategies and the protection of native fish species.”

Snowy Hydro will invest close to $100 million in biodiversity and environmental enhancements as part of the approval.

This will include establishing an offset fund of up to $73.8m through the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to protect threatened species and deliver long-term conservation outcomes.

Jane MacMaster will be appointed to the newly-created role of Chief Engineer at Engineers Australia. CEO Dr. Bronwyn Evans said the Chief Engineer will lead Engineers Australia’s engagement and policy discussion with industry, government, academia and other key stakeholders.

“The Chief Engineer will play an important part in delivering the organisation’s strategic vision and we are thrilled to have secured someone of Jane’s calibre,” Dr. Evans said.

Ms. MacMaster has engineering experience gained in Australia and overseas. She has held senior systems and design engineer roles for BAE Systems Australia for various aerospace and defence programs including a supersonic ship self-defence system project for NATO. Ms. MacMaster has postgraduate 12

ROADS AUGUST 2020

qualifications in International Relations and has worked as a Senior Strategy Advisor for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and as a management consultant in the financial services sector. Recently she was Founder and Director of Ponder Enterprises, where she used her engineering skillset to address complex societal challenges. She also has a long association with Engineers Australia, including volunteer positions on the Accreditation Board and the Mechanical Engineering and Women in Engineering committees.

“Jane has a strong professional network that spans the industry, higher education and government sectors and I am confident she will make an immediate impact,” Dr. Evans said. “She will help ensure that Engineers

Image Credit: Engineers Australia

ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES ITS NEW CHIEF ENGINEER

Jane MacMaster, Chief Engineer Engineeers Australia.

Australia is well-positioned to provide leadership for the profession in Australia in the crucial areas of infrastructure, energy, technology and climate change.”

Ms. MacMaster was selected following a national recruitment process and will begin her role on 15 July 2020.

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Women are only represented in 11 per cent of the entire construction workforce.

BUILDING UP WOMEN

IN CONSTRUCTION THIS YEAR, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED TO AUSTRALIAN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO DRIVE THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY POST COVID-19.

WITH WOMEN COMPRISING A MERE ONE PER CENT OF BUILDING TRADES, ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION CHAIR AND THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TO FIND OUT WHERE FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION LIE.

M

aster Builders has found women only make up one per cent of the construction workforce in building trades. Furthermore, women are only represented in 11 per cent of the entire industry.

To begin economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government has been working to create stimuli to boost the economy and produce jobs for those out of employment.

The construction industry has been a major beneficiary of this initiative over the past few months, with every state and territory being allocated significant federal 14

ROADS AUGUST 2020

funding for infrastructure projects.

This funding, and more allocated by the states themselves, is expected to create many jobs, while providing communities with safer and more advanced infrastructure.

However, with women making up such a small percentage of the construction industry, they may not benefit from these job opportunities.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency Australia found that during May 2020, women’s labour force participation rate decreased 2.9 per cent, with men’s participation rate decreasing 1.9 per cent.

With women disproportionately affected by job losses during COVID-19, construction and building could hold the key to getting these women back into work.

While women may be well represented through affectionate names for the Tunnel Boring machines used to build the Melbourne Metro Tunnel and others, experts believe more work is needed to steer women into construction work.

Roads & Infrastructure explores the possible opportunities for women in construction that are available now, through transferable skills and clear pathways.

COVER STORY

WHERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY? When asked what the immediate opportunities were for women in construction Kristine Scheul, Chair of the Board of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), says in theory there is plenty of opportunity.

“I say in theory very intentionally. When there is an emphasis on speed, the industry reverts to easy and fast solutions as that is what they know,” Ms. Scheul says.

“What is easy and fast is to retain the six day working week model with long hours and while for a lot of women that’s fine, for many, including primary carers it isn’t.”

She says when COVID-19 hit and the economic downturn began, the association heard from lots of women who had lost the flexibility of their jobs in construction.

“Flexibility is the key to making working in construction easy for women. You can look at what many of us have been doing in these past few months of COVID-19, working from home, and make that viable as an option for many construction jobs going forward. We don’t need to be on-site or at an office to be productive or to get the work done,” Ms. Scheul says.

One solution with the potential to help women get into more time intensive careers is subsidised childcare.

In Australia, seven out of 10 primary carers are women, meaning there are often more extensive childcare demands on women at home.

Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Michael McCormack says the Federal Government’s Child Care Subsidy (CCS) supports female workforce participation by providing access to childcare and financial assistance.

The CCS benefits eligible families that are balancing work and parenting responsibilities.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government has relaxed the activity test which determines eligibility for the CCS. This means if a person’s activity has decreased because of COVID-19, then the family will receive the maximum amount of subsidised care,” Mr. McCormack says.

Another avenue that can be explored within industry is a shift in the expected work hours of employees with family responsibilities.

Ms. Scheul says one NAWIC member company in NSW recently changed their construction work model down from a sixday work week to five days to enable families

to be together on the weekend. She says it is believed this will make a huge difference for the mental health of all workers.

“Flexibility doesn’t mean it has to be part time, or you can only work between certain hours, it’s having the conversation about what will work for the individual,” she says.

When picturing women in the construction field now, Ms. Scheul challenges the traditional image of women in construction as being only on the tools, meaning on-site work is not the only pathway for a construction career.

“There are so many different roles in a construction project and those roles do not require extensive re- training,” she says.

“If you have been working in COVID-19 affected industries like hospitality many of the skills you have gained, like managing stock and time, are skills that could translate into the construction industry and the re-training involved would be minimal. Though if you want to get into a trade that is different.”

SETTING TARGETS FOR THE FUTURE Post COVID-19, Mr. McCormack says economic security for women is a key focus of the Federal Government’s plan for economic recovery.

“As part of this focus, the Government is refreshing its Women’s Economic Security Statement, to build on the $158.3 million package from 2018,” he says.

“The Australian Government’s Infrastructure Investment Program is also delivering partnerships with state and territory governments, which work directly with construction contractors to deliver our jointly-funded projects.”

Mr. McCormack says the Women Building Australia Program, delivered by Master Builders Australia is an important tool to encourage more women into the industry and to upskill those already working in it.

“The Women Building Australia Program supports career pathways for women in this industry through a range of initiatives, including helping women find jobs through careers fairs and other job matching tools,” he says.

Mr. McCormack cited state government’s such as Victoria and Queensland who have strategies in place to directly increase the employment rates of women in the construction sector.

The NSW Government also has a target within its Women’s Strategy 2018-2022 to increase the number of women in non-

traditional trades on NSW Government infrastructure projects from one per cent to two per cent by June 2023, through the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program.

A NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesperson said the NSW Government will continue to support contractors to increase the number of women employed on major government infrastructure projects through the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program.

“It is also committed to encouraging young women at school or university to consider roles in traditionally maledominated trades and STEM careers,” the spokespersons said.

Through its Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen (SALT) program, the government runs trade workshops and mentoring for girls in rural, remote and regional schools in traditionally male dominated trades.

“It is part of the NSW Government’s continued commitment to raise girls’ aspiration and support their interest in a full range of careers.”

Mr. McCormack says the industry itself has a role to play in ensuring it is investing in the capacity of its workforce, including through the greater participation of women.

“The Australian Government commends the initiative of employers who recognise the significant benefits of improving gender parity in their workforces,” he says.

Although it is important to get women into these transferable skill jobs now, Ms. Scheul says women could be deterred by the established culture of the male dominated construction industry and this is something to be worked on into the future.

“We are still hearing about worksites that don’t have lockable doors on toilets or showers. What woman would want to use a toilet that you can’t lock?” she asks.

“It’s as simple as creating workplaces that will attract and retain women, where women feel safe, valued and comfortable.

This is some of the low hanging fruit that can be easily achieved and affect real change right now.”

Ms. Scheul says although there is low hanging fruit to address, the cultural change will take longer and it will also require buy in from industry and government.

“We are the peak body for women in construction and cultural change is what we are striving to achieve through our work but we need a little more help from our friends.” roadsonline.com.au

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WHEATBELT

WORKS AS A MAJOR FREIGHT ROUTE TO THE NORTH OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, THE GREAT NORTHERN HIGHWAY CARRIES SOME OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST LOADS. WITH UPGRADES HAPPENING IN STAGES SINCE THE 1990S, ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE CATCHES UP ON THE LATEST WORKS.

I

n the early 1990s Norm Fox, now Main Roads Program Director, sought funding for a road he described as narrow, winding and unsafe. This road is known as the Great Northern Highway and spans from Perth up to Wyndham, in the north of Western Australia.

In 1990, Mr. Fox was the Regional Manager at Main Roads for the Wheatbelt North region.

Following Mr. Fox’s push for upgrades a series of works were completed throughout the 1990s. In the mid to late 2000s another large program of works was undertaken which saw bridges constructed, widening and general road upgrades along the route.

The latest set of works began in 2014, and the section has nine major construction packages, seven of which are completed.

The remaining two packages, the Walebing and Wubin upgrades are set to be complete by late 2020.

Finally, the Bindoon Bypass will be the last section of the road to be upgraded.

This is currently in the planning stage.

The Muchea to Wubin section of Great Northern Highway is 218 kilometres long and affects many stakeholders, transport operators, road users and adjacent landowners who, according to Mr. Fox, were all united by the desire for a better road.

Main Roads has partnered with ARUP and Jacobs in an integrated team to undertake the planning, design and construction supervision of this section of highway.

The project team was awarded the Australian Institute of Project Management – 2019 Project of the Year and the National Regional Project of the Year.

CONTRACTS WITH A DIFFERENCE The decision to split the work in to nine packages was to ensure work would be available to smaller contractors.

“We wanted to make sure mid-tier contractors and smaller businesses would be able to tender for the works. This was to give back to Western Australian businesses,” Mr. Fox says.

In a first for Main Roads, the contract for the Pithara section was based on a New Engineering Contract (NEC3) contract.

NEC3 is a family of contracts which focuses on project management principles and practices within a relationship style contracting model.

“NEC3 is a structured collaborative style of contracting, focused on early intervention and a shared resolution of problems. You can pick one of the six or so

The Great Northern Highway runs from Perth up to Wyndham.

16

ROADS AUGUST 2020

PROJECT REPORT

models available in the suite,” Mr. Fox says.

“The option we chose is a blend of a collaborative contract style, like alliance contracts, and a construct only contract style. It has a risk reward regime associated with it and it has strong obligations on both parties to notify and resolve variations quickly.”

Mr. Fox says the project planning was very successful and Main Roads will likely look at incorporating more NEC3 contracts in the future.

In another first, the overall program of Great Northern Highway works was assessed by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA).

“The integrated project team of ARUP, Jacobs and Main Roads worked hard to identify sustainability opportunities throughout the program and to implement them into the delivery contracts,” Mr. Fox says.

“These were construct only contracts and it was the first time Main Roads had written sustainability requirements into that form of contract.”

The ISCA Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Scheme evaluates the sustainability performance of all aspects of infrastructure development including governance, economic, environmental and social. The project achieved an ‘Excellent’ sustainability design rating from ISCA. “That requires contractors to provide us with evidence of the sustainability initiatives they have put in place. We have worked with them on projects to highlight sustainable practices they were already using and to record more of them,” Mr. Fox says.

BINDOON BYPASS As the last remaining works in this section of Great Northern Highway the Bindoon Bypass will span 66 kilometres around the town of Bindoon, with works split into northern and southern sections.

The alignment for the bypass was chosen to minimise the impacts on environmental reserves surrounding the area.

“The northern section has an existing road reserve with very high biodiversity values and we have aligned the road out of the road reserve and have run it parallel, in cleared paddocks,” Mr. Fox says.

“This uses farmer’s arable land but has

“THE NORTHERN SECTION HAS AN EXISTING ROAD RESERVE WITH VERY HIGH BIODIVERSITY VALUES AND WE HAVE ALIGNED THE ROAD OUT OF THE ROAD RESERVE AND HAVE RUN IT PARALLEL, IN CLEARED PADDOCKS.”

much less environmental impact.”

“There are significant ecological communities in the area and nesting and foraging sites for Carnaby’s Cockatoos.

Choosing an alignment around those areas minimised the impacts the project would have on biodiversity,” Mr. Fox says.

The southern section of the Bindoon Bypass is subject to a Public Environmental Report under the Environmental Protection Act in WA, with a decision pending in May 2021.

Mr. Fox says funding for the Bindoon Bypass has been approved. Planning and land acquisition are continuing while the Environmental Clearances are obtained for the southern section, with no date set for construction yet.

Originally it was proposed to upgrade the existing highway, with an eastern bypass of Bindoon however during planning a major challenge was posed by the Bindoon Hill which the existing highway crosses.

“We did a 53.5 metre road train trial with both a quad and triple on that hill and vehicles got down to speeds of eight kilometres on the way up. We also found the geometry wasn’t suitable, so based on that trial we decided to investigate a new

alignment,” Mr. Fox says.

“A detailed alignment study was done and, in the end, the western alignment was chosen. The choice for the western alignment was mainly driven by the terrain and by social considerations.”

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY The Great Northern Highway not only serves the Wheatbelt region of WA but is the key link as a major freight route to many towns and mining areas in the north.

Construction and upgrades on the Great Northern Highway so far have centred on improving the route for drivers and also for communities along the road.

New Norcia is one of these towns, situated in the middle of the Wheatbelt.

The town is the only operating Monastic town left in Australia which attracts 75,000 visitors yearly. Established in 1847, the streets are dotted with castle-like buildings.

“New Norcia is a place of peace and tranquillity; it houses many old artefacts.

When the settlers came over in the 1800s, they brought artefacts from the 1600s and beyond. Having a major freight route situated through the middle of town wasn’t ideal, so the opportunity to create a bypass

Main Roads WA Program Director Norm Fox making a speech at the opening of the New Norcia Bypass.

roadsonline.com.au

17

The new northbound overtaking lane as part of the Miling Bypass.

was really important,” Mr. Fox says.

The first two contracts were at New Norcia and Miling Straight and were completed in 2017 and 2018.

For these projects Main Roads set target levels for employment of Aboriginal peoples in Western Australia.

These targets were set for both individual employment and procurement of business.

Mr. Fox says these projects achieved effective results.

The same principal was applied on the Pithara and Miling Bypass projects, which were both completed in 2019.

Mr. Fox says these projects also saw good results.

“For the Muchea North project, which is due to finish in August, we worked with the contractor WBHO who approached us with a proposal to subcontract work to an Aboriginal business on a risk-reward basis,” Mr. Fox says.

“This meant that if it ran under cost the contractor and Aboriginal business would share in the savings and if it went over, they would share in the losses. The level of Aboriginal engagement achieved there was very successful.”

Aboriginal team members were able to obtain 52 certificates as part of the project and two trainees were taken on by the main contractor.

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ROADS AUGUST 2020

FINAL STAGES The upgrade in Wubin is ongoing, with completion expected in September. This upgrade includes the realignment of the main intersection which will provide an area large enough for triple road trains to turn south towards Perth.

Walebing works to construct four kilometres of new highway and upgrade Earthworks at Muchea North.

two intersections are also progressing well. These are expected to be complete in October.

From there the final section to construct will be the Bindoon Bypass. Once upgraded Mr. Fox says the Great Northern Highway will be safer and enable improved freight efficiency with the ability to bring triple road trains right down to Muchea.

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ASPHALT SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK THE AUSTRALIAN ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION (AAPA) IS PROVIDING A PATH FOR THE ASPHALT INDUSTRY TO PROMOTE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR OPERATIONS AND REDUCE CLIMATE IMPACTS OF THE INDUSTRY. AAPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR QUEENSLAND AND NORTHERN TERRITORY, ROBERT VOS EXPLAINS.

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n the form of a simple toolkit, the Sustainability Framework for Asphalt (SF4A) created by AAPA, is a points-based system publicly reporting in three-star bands.

This will allow for ease of choice by clients, with targets to achieve at plants and overall goals at organization and project level.

The SF4A is based on international circular economy aspects allowing member assessment and reporting to criteria matched with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), environmental impacts, promotion of recycling and waste reduction and other green principles.’

DRIVERS FOR CHANGE ARE GROWING IN AUSTRALIA Asset owners, infrastructure clients, asphalt companies and other stakeholders are

increasingly requiring sustainability in procurement, production and delivery for the roads sector. There are a variety of approaches at local, state and federal level, to some extent linked with the size and complexity of a project, as well as the priorities of the asset owner.

Purchasing policies of Australian federal, state and local government have already begun setting criteria and expectations when projects are evaluated. All stakeholders are seeking clear and understandable assessment processes that assist in evaluating bids for infrastructure projects.

The asphalt sector has welcomed the increasing attention for sustainability initiatives and the role asphalt can play in providing solutions to society. It recognises the benefits of a consistent approach across

The framework is a points based system ranked against sustainability critera.

projects and jurisdictions.

To assist members and clients, AAPA has produced an easy to use toolkit for asphalt producers to assess plants, organisations and projects against sustainability criteria.

It draws on the work done in Europe (EAPA’s guidance on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)) and the US (NAPA / FHWA Sustainable Pavements initiatives).

LEARNING FROM OTHERS – PCRS AND EPDS With valuable work done across Europe, America and Asia, AAPA sought the best to gain and use recognised international practice through its International Knowledge Transfer visits and interaction with members of Global Asphalt Pavement Alliance (GAPA). This included tracking the development of Product Category Rules (PCR) undertaken in the USA and Europe and learning from GAPA members on the key points in gaining acceptance of the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) generated.

This regional PCR appendix was ratified in 2019 by EPD Australasia, which registers Australian and New Zealand EPDs developed according to ISO 14025 and EN 15804, and formed the first step in providing a harmonised approach to measuring environmental performance of asphalt. A harmonised assessment of asphalt products creates a level-playing field that will increase innovation.

BUILDING THE TOOLKIT – INTERNATIONAL AND AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES The next step was to develop the bigger SF4A toolkit, again capturing best international practice and experience, with

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ROADS AUGUST 2020

WE DEVELOPED THE SF4A TO BE COMPLIMENTARY TO THE IS RATING SCHEME, PROVIDING SUPPORT FROM SMALL TO VERY LARGE ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

current Australian practice being applied to road infrastructure projects.

On the international front, attention was given to the NAPA and USA FHWA publications on Sustainable Pavements, and the Dutch (Rijkswaterstaat) approach to assessing sustainability performance of road projects and contractors.

In Australia, current practice for government and toll company projects valued above $100m is the use of Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA), Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Scheme. AAPA members have supported the development of the ISCA materials calculator, a subset of the IS Rating Scheme, which uses a life cycle assessment approach and aligns with the methodology used for EPDs. We developed the SF4A to be complimentary to the IS Rating Scheme, providing support from small to very large road construction projects. This will enable asphalt producers to be recognised for their sustainability activities, and to improve day to day operations.

The AAPA Board endorsed the “Sustainability Framework for Asphalt (SF4A)” as a project of national significance due to the sustainability benefits across social and environmental themes. Direct funding support for the project was received from Queensland Transport and Main Roads (TMR) as part of the AAPA and TMR Strategic Alliance.

The project commenced in February 2019 under the management of Rob Rouwette of start2see, a consultancy specialising in environmental life cycle assessments. Also involved were asphalt producers, road authority representatives, consultants and toll road operators from more than four states.

Feedback from participants reinforced the “Five starting points for our Sustainability Framework” which was endorsed by the funder and the AAPA Board. These points

The framework will enable asphalt producers to be recognised for their sustainability activities.

are embedded in the toolkit with support gained at the AAPA 2019 conference where the importance of Circular Economy principles was reinforced. Reuse, recycling, waste reduction and use of non-industry waste are important aspects of asphalt manufacturers’ future and are part of the toolkit scoring system.

PUTTING THE TOOLKIT INTO PRACTICE The first two components of the Sustainability Framework for Asphalt (SF4A), Plant and Organisation, are part of the implementation phase. The third component, Road Project, is in draft form and delayed due to movement restrictions as a result of COVID-19.

The toolkit takes the form of a macrobased spreadsheet which guides assessment criteria and scoring for Plant, Organisation and Project leading to point-based ranking and the awarding of three levels of STAR categories based on the points achieved.

Projects will require minimum star ranking from plant and organisation to allow participation with client applied weighting to accommodate changing priorities in local requirements or limitations.

The figure above provides a conceptual comparison of a project where both contractor A & B would be able to bid for typical Local Government (LG one star) and State Road Authority (SRA two star) but only B would be capable to tender using only one plant for Federal (very large) projects (Fed three star). The toolkit has ratings based on specific categories with indicators against key performance

measures for environmental, health and safety, social and efficiency outcomes.

STATUS AND BENEFITS The toolkit has been applied by five major asphalt companies across the eastern states of Australia to allow evaluation of the results from about 15 plants covering rural and urban locations, small and large capacity.

After the review the scoring has been fine-tuned with tweaks added and some indicators reassessed. For the asphalt member participants, measuring and understanding the benefits of intervention on energy reduction and operational efficiencies have already been reported and acted upon.

The final phase will apply the SF4A toolkit to past and pending projects, seeking further feedback to optimise the indicators before full-scale implementation. AAPA will drive promotion of the benefits of the SF4A in delivering more sustainable asphalt road projects. AAPA members believe this will open additional opportunities for road authorities to understand, measure and gain sustainable benefits through applying the toolkit and star-rating system.

With the support of industry and road authorities, the Sustainability Framework for Asphalt provides an important toolkit for the open and transparent evaluation of key sustainability indicators in the procurement of road projects.

Consequently, this will accelerate the asphalt sector’s drive to best practice and continuing improvement. roadsonline.com.au

21

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AAPA MEMBER PROFILE: ZEHRA KAYA HUESKER AUSTRALIA

Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AAPA MEMBER AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME AN AAPA MEMBER? A. I have been an active member for over three years. Having worked with AAPA member companies since 2013, I joined the organisation because it’s the ideal platform for innovation and collaboration in contributing to the industry.

resources. I have been very fortunate to have the support of the great team I have locally, our global team of experts, and of many fantastic professionals in the industry who share the same commitment.

Q. HOW DID YOU START YOUR CAREER IN THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? A Having combined a BSc degree in Textile/ Materials Engineering with a specialisation in technical textiles for industrial applications such as construction, and a master’s degree in International Business, I was well placed to apply my technical skills in a commercial setting to drive the recognition and wider utilisation of new innovative technologies in road construction.

I first started working with the HUESKER Group in 2013 in the earlier stages of their entrance in the Australian market. In 2017, with the establishment of its Australian subsidiary through the acquisition of a local engineering firm, I joined HUESKER Australia.

applying the right engineering solution.

My position enables the significant role HUESKER plays in the industry as a worldleading solution partner to our clients, refining proven global practices based on the Australian requirements, and delivering project-specific engineering solutions such as HaTelit C™ , HaTelit XP™ and Fortrac™ highstrength reinforcement systems.

Q. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? A In my current role as the National Manager - Roads and Pavements for HUESKER Australia, I have been responsible for the implementation of highly engineered German HUESKER geosynthetic reinforcement technologies in the Australian context for more sustainable highperformance Roads and Airfield Pavements.

I am fortunate to be leading a dedicated team, overseeing all technical aspects of our operations, from design through to delivery on site, and co-operating closely with a wide range of infrastructure asset owners, consulting engineers, and construction contractors in finding and

Q. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY? A Adoption and wider utilisation of specialised German-engineered highperformance geosynthetic asphalt reinforcement solutions in Australia, field verification of superior performance across the country, and correct implementation in both design and construction of hundereds of projects. In general, this has been a contribution to the advancement of pavement engineering and construction, allowing longer-lasting roads and pavements and smarter utilisation of asset management funds, whilst considerably reducing the impact on the environment by using less of our limited

Zehra Kaya, National Manager - Roads and Pavements for HUESKER Australia.

Q. WHAT IS A RECENT CHANGE YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ARE YOU/THE COMPANY PREPARED FOR THAT? A Very positively, the growing focus on recycled materials and circular economy.

What has been driving HUESKER’s innovative engineered solutions over many decades has been the world’s declining resources despite increasing needs for more construction materials.

We have taken our sustainable innovation a few steps further with our new “HaTelit C™ eco” asphalt reinforcement solution we especially engineer from 100 per cent recycled polymers with the original polymer quality in our standard HaTelit C™ technology. When we use the “HaTelit C™ eco” asphalt reinforcement instead of the virgin HaTelit C™ reinforcement during the rehabilitation of about 7,000 square metres of the pavement, this saves about 5,500kg in CO2 and uses over 200,000 postconsumer water bottles whilst increasing pavement durability.

Q. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? A I look forward to ensuring that HUESKER Australia’s presence as an industry-leading innovation and solution partner to the roads industry across Australia continues to grow. What we have achieved so far in Australia is only the beginning, and the future is exciting.

I also look forward to more prudent use of construction materials, reduction of CO2 emissions, and betterconnected safer communities through reliable infrastructure . roadsonline.com.au

23

WORKING ON

THE WIMMERA

WHEN TASKED WITH RE-SEALING A SECTION OF THE WIMMERA HIGHWAY IN VICTORIA, RICH RIVER ASPHALT TEAMED UP WITH ROAD MAINTENANCE TO TRIAL ITS NEW BINDER, FEATURING RECYCLED PLASTIC AND RUBBER.

R

ich River Asphalt is an asphalt manufacturer, supplier and contractor that services the Echuca and Moama area, on the border of Victoria and NSW. In 2019, Rich River was faced with the task of spray sealing approximately 850 metres of the Wimmera Highway. The Department of Transport requirements for this section of the road was for a High Stress Seal (HSS) which uses a polymer.

In order to get good coverage of the existing modified binder and to prevent reflective cracking, a 14-milimetre HSS seal was applied on top of the existing

10-milimetre primer seal.

At the same time the team at Road Maintenance, an asphalt pavement crack seal and spray seal specialist, was developing a new HSS binder called B08, which includes 2.4 per cent waste plastic and 23 per cent recycled tyre rubber.

Road Maintenance has been using crumb rubber in its crack and spray seal binders for decades. However, as the industry has evolved to implement other recycled products, the company wanted to investigate what else was possible.

The B08 seal on the Wimmera Highway was the starting point for the

Road Maintenance surface texture results for the spray seal surface on the Wimmera Highway: B08 Surface Texture results • The OWP results ranged from 2.2mm to 2.7mm.

• The IWP results ranged from 2.2mm to 2.9mm.

• The BWP results ranged from 2.7mm to 3.5mm.

• The CL results ranged from 1.8mm to 2.0mm (Binder Overlap).

S35E Surface Texture results.

• The OWP results ranged from 2.8mm to 2.9mm.

• The IWP results ranged from 2.7mm to 2.9mm.

• The BWP results ranged from 3.5mm to 3.7mm.

• The CL results ranged from 2.5mm to 2.7mm (Binder Overlap).

Image of the Wimmera Highway before the B08 seal.

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ROADS AUGUST 2020

development of Road Maintenance’s B08 series called Maxi-Cycle, a polymer modified bitumen range using recycled crumb rubber and recycled plastics.

Max Fitzgerald, Road Maintenance Owner, says he has received a lot of interest in this recycled plastic and crumb rubber product and he is excited to be trialling it.

For the trial, Rich River Asphalt sprayed a commonly used binder on 450 lineal metres of the road and then Road Maintenance’s BO8 mix was sprayed to cover the remaining 400 metres.

Ray Lykles, Asphalt Manager at Rich River Asphalt, says the company decided to use B08 as a result of the push in industry to produce sustainable products that use recycled materials.

Incentives such as the Recycled First policy in Victoria, are clear indicators that contractors and government are working towards a circular economy.

“We haven’t heard of anyone with a binder that mixes recycled plastic and tyre rubber before, it has been used in some asphalt mixes but we haven’t seen it used for spray sealing, so we wanted to get involved and trial the product,” Mr. Lykles says.

He says there was not much difference in the process to spray seal using the B08 binder, however it did become quite viscous on site.

The spray sealing works were based five hours away from where Road Maintenance homogenises the binder and it was temperature controlled on the way to site. The product was then loaded into trucks at 190 degrees Celsius at the depot and then further heating was required on arrival to bring the binder up to 200 degrees.

“There was a challenge to load the B08 material into the sprayer as it did become quite viscous, so the product was hard to

ASPHALT IN ACTION

pump out of the tanker. But I know Road Maintenance is working to improve this aspect now,” Mr. Lykles says.

In order to reduce the viscosity of the binder for future use, Road Maintenance has been developing and improving the homogeneity and lowering the viscosity of the product.

The company has since created a B14 product with lower viscosity and a higher softening point.

Once the B08 product was sprayed across the surface of the Wimmera highway a pre-coated aggregate was spread immediately followed by two rollers; one multi-tyre roller and one a combination with a flat rubber vibrating drum and multi wheeled tyres.

Road Maintenance returned to the site seven weeks later to record a visual assessment and texture depths on 14 May 2020.

Depths were taken on the Outer Wheel Path (OWP), Between Wheel Path (BWP), Inner Wheel Path (IWP) and the Centre Line (CL).

When the B08 surface texture results were compared to the S35E results in the same paths, the B08 had smaller depths for all paths. (See the breakout box for each measurement) Mr. Lykles says he expects the binder to perform well although it is early days.

“We don’t expect anything less in terms of performance than what a standard S45R binder would produce. But the B08 binder has plastic and rubber in it so it’s getting rid of a waste product to start,” he says.

The section of the Wimmera Highway with the completed B08 seal.

GRADES

APPLICATION

VISCOSITY (Spd31/Spd12) Austroads AGPT/ T190

TORSIONAL RECOVERY

SOFTENING POINT

Austroads AGPT/T190

Austroads AGPT/T190

Maxi-Cycle S06

Spray Sealing

2.0-2.5

30-45

62-80

Maxi-Cycle S08

Spray Sealing

2.5-3.0

45-55

70-90

Maxi-Cycle A28

Asphalt

3.0-3.5

45-55

70-90

Maxi-Cycle A30

Asphalt

3.5-3.8

55-70

82-105

Maxi-Cycle 2 CS

Crack Sealing

4.0-6.5

60-70

95-100

4.5max

25-55%

55-65

Comparison to *(Table 5.1 AGPT/T190) S45R

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Puma noticed the success of the GB5 mix and partnered with Effiage to bring GB5 to Australia.

AN INTERNATIONAL

EXAMPLE: GB5

PUMA BITUMEN IS PARTNERING WITH A MAJOR FRENCH CONSTRUCTION COMPANY EIFFAGE TO BRING GB5 BASE COURSE MIX TO AUSTRALIA. THROUGH A DEMONSTRATION WITH BORAL, PUMA IS HOPING TO EMBED THE MIX AS COMMONPLACE FOR AUSTRALIAN ROADS.

I

n the early 2000s Eiffage, one of France’s largest construction companies, set out to create a road base course layer that featured both optimal aggregate interlock methods and the use of SBS rubber polymers.

This research and development hoped to create a base course with fatigue resistant properties to improve the longevity of roads.

In 2010, Effiage’s GB5 mix using these components was patented. Later that year the mix won an innovation award from SETRA, the French Department for Roads and Highways.

As a result of this award, the French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks (IFSTTAR) performed accelerated testing on the base course mix. This included increased axle load testing, which put a high number of vehicle movements onto the pavement in a short amount of time.

In this trial, four GB5 mixes with different properties were tested against an EME2 base course mix, all of which included Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP).

After 10,000 loads at 6.5 tonnes, each of the GB5 mixes showed almost no cracking.

When this was increased to 7.5 tonnes, only one of the GB5 mixes began to crack.

26

ROADS AUGUST 2020

The GB5 sections outperformed the EME2 control sections. This demonstrated impressive durability and fatigue resistance characteristics for the GB5 mix.

Since this trial, around four million tonnes of GB5 has been used on roads across France, Spain and South Africa.

As a major player in the Australian bitumen market, Puma Bitumen noticed the success of the GB5 mix and partnered with

Eiffage to bring GB5 to Australia.

Puma’s Technical Manager Erik Denneman says GB5 is offered by Puma as an alternative to EME2, high modulus asphalt.

A demonstration in July, in partnership with Boral Asphalt in Queensland, marked the first time GB5 mix was used on an Australian road.

Prior to the demonstration, Puma and Boral performed Australian tests on the

Boral Asphalt laid the GB5 mix on a major project near Brisbane.

ASPHALT IN ACTION

mix in its laboratory to ensure it could be safely applied.

The mix was then laid by Boral Asphalt on a major project, near Brisbane. The demonstration section was a combination of a GB5 base layer and Puma’s newest approved surface binder OLEXOCRUMB Together the mixes feature significant sustainability benefits. Dr. Denneman says the GB5 mix is a stone skeleton mix with the benefit of requiring a reduced amount of bitumen.

“There are cost and sustainability benefits due to the reduced amount of bitumen needed for GB5. Then the surface, OLEXOCRUMB®, uses 10 per cent crumb rubber with every tonne of binder produced, recycling the equivalent of 15 passenger tyres,” he says.

For the project 2000 tonnes of GB5 and 700 tonnes of OLEXOCRUMB were laid.

The GB5 base course was constructed during the weekend and OLEXOCRUMB was placed on top the next day.

Peter Carbone, Manufacturing Operations Manager at Boral Queensland, says Boral has always had high regard for innovation and research and development and this opportunity to work with Puma was exciting.

“The use of EME2 has seen exponential growth here in Australia that has provided numerous benefits to both the industry and road owners in terms of superior performance and cost savings through reduced pavement thicknesses,” Mr. Carbone says.

“We see GB5 as an important alternative to the high modulus asphalt product range that will bring equal if not better performance but also added project construction benefits.”

He says one of the key advantages of GB5 is that there are no real discernible differences to laying a GB5 asphalt or a conventional asphalt.

“We also found, in the demonstration, that the GB5 mix had high stability during placement and compaction. This indicates that the GB5 mix has the potential to be well positioned to have multiple deep lift asphalt layers constructed in a single shift,” Mr. Carbone says.

For the demonstration Boral and Puma undertook extensive work to provide assurance that GB5 meets the relevant specifications and requirements such as

The GB5 base course mix is well suited to roads with high traffic volumes.

“THERE ARE COST AND SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS DUE TO THE REDUCED AMOUNT OF BITUMEN NEEDED FOR GB5. THEN THE SURFACE, OLEXOCRUMB, USES 10 PER CENT CRUMB RUBBER WITH EVERY TONNE OF BINDER PRODUCED, RECYCLING THE EQUIVALENT OF 15 PASSENGER TYRES.” temperature monitoring, developing rolling patterns, undertaking surface texture measurements and more.

“Not only this, but the surface texture of a GB5 mix is such that it can be trafficked without the need for a grit sand and therefore speeds construction processes.

GB5 is also a sustainable product in that RAP that can be incorporated into the mix and recycled again at the end of its life. In fact, there is opportunity to add higher RAP content in future projects, as already used in France,” Mr. Carbone says.

Dr. Denneman agrees with Mr. Carbone’s view that the ability to run traffic across a GB5 mix earlier than the conventional asphalt is an advantage that can significantly speed up works.

“Early trafficking can be a major issue when required to open a road during construction of the asphalt structure, and the base materials can be smooth and present skid issues for vehicles. GB5 has a coarse surface texture and therefore can prevent skidding.”

The coarse surface texture also helps to bond the base material to the surface course.

“Due to the roughness of GB5, the surface layer can interlock well with the mix below, which is an important part of the structure. This ensures an improved quality road and longevity in the pavement,” Dr. Denneman says.

In addition, he says use of a Polymer Modified Binder (PMB) in the GB5 mix results in improved rut resistance, which further helps to lengthen the life of the pavement.

PMBs have long shown performance benefits such as improved elasticity, stiffness or resilience, depending on which type is used or required.

Due to the strength of the GB5 base course mix it is well suited to main roads with high traffic volumes that are constructed with a full depth asphalt structure.

“We hope that after this demonstration, the GB5 mix will be a standard mix design in Queensland. We are also looking at offering the mix in other states across Australia,” Dr. Denneman says.

Following the production and field demonstrations of GB5, Boral will also look to offer the product as an alternative to EME2. roadsonline.com.au

27

CLOSE TO OUR CUSTOMERS

Pole Position. www.wirtgen-group.com/road

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TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

WIRELESS SENSOR SYSTEM FOR STRUCTURAL

HEALTH MONITORING

CONSISTENT MONITORING OF THE STRUCTURAL HEALTH OF INFRASTRUCTURE ASSETS IS A KEY CONSIDERATION THROUGHOUT A PROJECT’S LIFECYCLE TO ENSURE SAFETY OF ROAD USERS. BESTECH AUSTRALIA REVEALS HOW WIRELESS SENSOR SYSTEMS ARE USED AND CONFIGURED FOR REMOTE STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING.

T

he Turcot Interchange in Montreal, Canada was first built in 1967 and has been undergoing widescale reconstruction since the early 2010s.

In 2015, the Turcot Partnership was awarded the nearly $4 billion (AUD) project to completely rebuild the infrastructure.

As a large amount of remedial work was required, more than 300 BeanAir Wireless Internet of things (IOT) sensors were deployed across the intersection’s structures to assess the impacts of construction works. Environmental loads and influences, operational loads, and traffic patterns and densities were monitored, recorded and combined into a database to allow engineers to correlate events to peak loads.

A set of criteria were then developed to allow safe and sustainable operation of the interchange during the works.

The Wireless IOT Sensors supplied by BeanAir have been continuously used for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) on the major Turcot Interchange project since 2015 and now Bestech is introducing the technology to Australia.

Bestech works with leading global suppliers to ensure Australia has access to advanced sensors technology, instrumentation and data acquisition systems.

Jeremy Bryceson, Bestech Product Specialist, says the BeanAir wireless sensors are well suited to monitoring the structural health of infrastructure and large assets.

“When constructing buildings or performing remedial works on structures a significant amount of shock and vibration can be generated as a function of demolition, drilling, pile driving and

so on. The vibration generated can excite nearby structures and buildings resulting in damage that can undermine their structural integrity,” Mr. Bryceson says.

“Accelerometers can be used to measure vibration frequency and amplitude. The data obtained can be used to trigger warnings indicating if safe working vibration limits are being exceeded - and therefore at which point operations should be ceased”.

SHM may encompass the monitoring of many different physical parameters on different parts of a structure.

“For example, accelerometers measure structural response and dynamic or shock loads, inclinometers measure movement in pillars and other vertical structures, strain gauges measure stress and Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LDVTs) or crack gauges measure crack propagation amongst many others,” Mr. Bryceson adds.

The BeanAir 2.4GHz product range comprises not only dedicated sensor modules (Beandevices) to measure acceleration, inclination, temperature and humidity but also three models of wireless signal conditioner modules (process sensors) designed to accept inputs from millivolt (mV), volt and current sources.

Customers have the freedom to design a wireless sensor system based on their preferred sensor type and manufacturer.

Each Beandevice or process sensor is designed for operation using either its own internal battery pack or a mains power supply. Battery life is highly dependent on the data acquisition mode chosen by the user. Solar power options are also offered.

A typical Bestech wireless sensor network comprises one or more Beandevices or process sensors, a wireless coordinator -

With more than 15 engineers Bestec provides support from product specification, design and after sales technical support.

referred to as a Beangateway, and a PC on which the sensors set up and “BeanScape” acquisition software is loaded.

Beanair also offer Beangateways with integral 3G/4G modems for users who may wish to deploy systems in remote locations.

“Considerable cost saving can be made through the adoption of wireless sensor networks for SHM applications,” Mr. Bryceson says.

“The materials cost associated with cabling, the cost of labour necessary for installation can be considerably reduced.

Removal of the system is also simple.”

In 2020, the Turcot Interchange project is expected to be complete and the success of the Bean Air products on this major infrastructure upgrade can set an example as to what these sensors could be capable of on Australian projects.

Combining more than 50 years of experience in sensors and instrumentation, Bestech has supported a wide range of sensors and data acquisition systems for industrial test and measurement applications in Australia. roadsonline.com.au

29

CONTINUAL CRASH

IMPROVEMENT

TO PROTECT WORKERS AND THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC, THE TEAM AT INNOV8 HAS LAUNCHED THE BLADE TMA WITH A VERDEGRO CRASH CUSHION FOR USE IN LIVE CONSTRUCTION SITES.

I

n July, new workplace manslaughter laws came into effect in the state of Victoria.

These new laws mean that employers found to be negligent will face fines of up to $16.5 million and negligent individuals will face up to 25 years in jail.

Along with these laws came a reclassification of the WorkSafe Victoria criteria that defines a workplace death, with one of the incidents added to the list being fatalities that occur on the road while working.

This change will be important for road

construction contractors with sites close to live traffic.

There are many ways to protect workers from oncoming vehicles at live traffic sites and Innov8 Equipment is a specialist safety and traffic management company that offers solutions for situations such as live traffic.

One important fixture for a live traffic site is a Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA).

TMAs work to contain oncoming traffic from breaching into a worksite, aiming to save the lives of the travelling public and roadside workers.

Greg Scanlon and fellow Innov8 equipment team member Mark Borg travelled to Amsterdam to receive certification in the operation and installation of the Blade TMA.

30

ROADS AUGUST 2020

Greg Scanlon, Innov8 Equipment National workshop field support manager, explains Innov8 TMA’s are designed to reduce the G-force of the oncoming vehicle and dissipate crash energy.

“According to the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH), there are three basic areas of concern in an impact with a TMA. The first is risk to occupants of the impacting vehicle, second is risk to workers if the support truck is pushed or rolls forward into the construction zone, and third is risks to occupants of the support truck to which the attenuator is attached,” Mr. Scanlon says.

MASH states that it is important to assess both the risk to occupants of impacting vehicles when a TMA is mounted to a heavy truck and the anticipated roll-ahead distance when mounted to a light truck.

This is because the performance of a TMA on impact can be affected by the mass of the support vehicle.

Innov8 offers the Verdegro Blade TMA which has been MASH crash tested with a roll ahead distance of 4.42 metres, without being fixed to the ground.

The crash cushion featured on the vehicle is capable of absorbing impacts of vehicles travelling at 100 kilometres per hour or lower.

“Strength of the crash cushion on the Blade TMA comes out of the composite aluminium welded tubes which dissipate energy and don’t absorb the energy,” Mr. Scanlon says.

“During an impact from an errant vehicle the four internal blades cut through the composite aluminium H-beams creating heat and friction. When the H-beams have been pushed all the way in, the tubes unlock the cut and bend frame and the remaining eight

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

The crash cushion featured on the vehicle is capable of absorbing impacts of vehicles travelling at 100 kilometres per hour or lower.

external blades cut through the welded tubes. The rest of the aluminium parts will bend away in a safe direction.”

In total, the Verdegro Blade crash cushion features 12 blades, which work to strategically engage the safety mechanisms that make up the attenuator.

Innov8 has been selling TMAs for many years, but shortly after the MASH standard was updated in 2016, the Verdegro Blade TMA was tested again to ensure it could deliver safety at a high standard.

“As stated in MASH 2016, it is desirable that TMAs provide acceptable levels of protection for all passenger vehicles and the Blade TMA meets these requirements,” Mr. Scanlon says.

One of the MASH tests in the 2016 standard, Test 54, includes assessing how TMAs perform with staged energy absorption during impacts with mid-sized vehicles. This comes alongside tests for smaller passenger cars and large trucks.

Mr. Scanlon draws comparisons between TMA technology and the technology of mobile phones, he points out that each upgrade can produce significantly better outcomes.

“It is so important to have the latest TMA technology with all tests recorded under the MASH 2016 requirements. To achieve the preferred ride down value of 15Gs and the shortest roll ahead distances possible is crucial,” he says.

Roll ahead distances are used to ensure

the user is aware of the minimum spacing required between the TMA and the construction or maintenance activities that it is protecting.

The Verdegro Blade TMA has been MASH tested without being fixed to the ground to determine the roll ahead distance.

Mr. Scanlon says this means users can be sure of the required distance between the construction works and the TMA itself.

To increase safety in the deliverance of the Verdegro Blade TMA, Innov8 staff are all specially trained by Verdegro to best understand how the TMA works.

Mr. Scanlon says the Innov8 team are all passionate about keeping people safe, whether they are on the road or working beside it.

“Our vision is to ensure the safety of workers and other road users by bringing new and innovative technology to the Australian market,” he says.

“Through the introduction of our products to Australia we hope to inform the industry of newer, safer, and fully compliant products that we believe should replace the outdated models currently in widespread use.”

The Verdegro Blade crash cushion features 12 blades. roadsonline.com.au

31

FILLING THE GAPS Sand supply is becoming a worldwide issue. It is the 3rd most used resource in the world and natural reserves are depleting. SLN offers a credible and consistent source of material for small and large infrastructure projects favouring the circular economy models.

A wide range of benefits for land reclaim, road base, concrete applications, and sand blasting • Hardening properties when in contact with sea water • Low levels of energy required for compaction • Highly resistant and durable material • Low water absorption • Mitigation of early age concrete cracking, and improved hardened properties and concrete durability Extensively available and quickly deliverable • 25 million tons of stock, and a further 1.6 million tons produced per year • Can deliver up to 35,000 tons in a bulk vessel to all major Australian bulk ports • 10,000 tons available at Port Kembla NSW Environmentally preferred • Le Sland is extremely clean, and does not contain clay or organics Use a recycled material, be part of the circular economy

SLN, A WORLD-CLASS PLAYER IN ITS MARKET Operating since 1880 ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 compliant

Extensively tested and demonstrated usage • Used for decades as non-structural concrete in New Caledonia for footpaths, block works and breakwaters structures.

• Extensive research carried out with Curtin University and UNSW since 2011, for proven usage in all concrete applications FNS complies with AS 2758.1 Aggregates and rock for Engineering purposes

CONTACT US AUSTRALIA Zoe Schmidt Concrete & Materials Solutions +61 429 790 716 zschmidt@cmsconsult.com.au

NEW CALEDONIA Yves Veran Senior BDM FNS +687 76 70 84 yves.veran@eramet-sln.com

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ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

The CIBER iNOVA 1502 was used to produce RAP for an upgrade of the BR101.

RECYCLING PAVEMENT WITH

THE INOVA SERIES

THE CIBER INOVA 1502 ASPHALT PLANT WAS USED TO PROCESS RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT (RAP) FOR A REHABILITATION PROJECT ON A MAJOR BRAZILIAN ROAD. CIBER PRODUCT SPECIALIST MARCELO ZURBARAN EXPLAINS THE PLANT’S RECYCLING CAPABILITIES.

T

he BR101 is the longest highway in Brazil. It runs close to 4,800 kilometres connecting major cities and towns. When a section of the BR101 needed upgrading near the tourist city in Natal, in Brazil’s north east, the contract with the National Department of Land Infrastructure was awarded to AGC Construções e Empreendimentos Ltda.

As a subcontractor Tecvia was tasked with producing an asphalt mix for the road. The Tecvia team had just 45 days to rehabilitate the road pavement and in that time, they produced 23,400 tonnes of asphalt mix.

To achieve this the Tecvica team used a CIBER iNOVA 1502 asphalt plant, which has a production capability of 150 tonnes per hour.

Despite the quick turnaround Tecvia decided to incorporate Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) into their mix, with ranging levels of 12 to 18 per cent.

The iNOVA plant was equipped with a specialised RAP system, which allowed for the addition of RAP directly into the plant’s mixer.

CIBER Product and Application specialist, Marcelo Zurbaran says the CIBER iNOVA Plants are available with an added feature for producing RAP asphalt mixes.

“The RAP option consists of a separate silo and a weighing system with a belt to transfer the dosage RAP to the pug mill mixer,” Mr. Zurbaran says.

On the BR101 site the RAP materials were milled from the existing road using a Wirtgen W200 milling machine. The material was transported to the asphalt plant, which a short distance from the site.

There it was screened within 24 hours and added to virgin materials to create the mix.

“There are no complications when using RAP in the iNOVA asphalt plants. You can keep the production rate high and just take out some of the raw materials to be replaced with the RAP. It doesn’t interfere in the production rate,” Mr. Zurbaran says.

“Tecvia wanted to use RAP for two reasons, the first is to save costs, especially on virgin bitumen and the second is that they wanted to improve their ability to produce large amounts of RAP in asphalt mixes.”

Romero da Fonte, Director of Tecvia says during the project the virgin aggregates needed superheating to balance the cold and wet RAP as it entered the pug mill mixer.

The plant manages the burner flame intensity automatically to reach the target temperature of the virgin aggregates in the dryer and the final mix. The operator can select the final mix temperature and rely on the plant’s automation.

“The plant also managed the combustion gas temperature by automatically varying the speed of the dryer drum. Therefore, regardless of the virgin aggregates superheating, the bag house temperature

remained perfect,” Mr. Fontes says.

Another feature of the plant which helps the production of RAP mixes is the automatic control of the mixing time. Mr. Fontes says when a cold and wet recycled material is added with hot aggregates and virgin bitumen, a great mixing force is required and a longer mixing time.

“With all this technology we achieved the perfect temperature and the perfect homogenization of the mix and the plant worked in a steady state,” he says.

Mr. Fonte also says the compaction of the mix was excellent.

“After paving the mix, a specimen was taken to verify the grading and bitumen content and the results were perfectly achieved. It really overcame our expectations,” he says.

Mr. Zurbaran says many customers are are demanding the technology to produce RAP. “RAP is essential to producing asphalt mixes with increased sustainability because it is recycling the old pavement. It can save costs in production as the RAP contains old bitumen, which can reduce the amount of virgin bitumen needed to create an asphalt mix,” Mr. Zurbaran says.

“I expect to see many more RAP projects using the iNOVA Asphalt plants and I am confident that more customers will demand this capability as they learn about the process of using RAP.” roadsonline.com.au

33

MOVING BINDER

INNOVATION FORWARD SAMI BITUMEN HAS DEVELOPED A LOW VISCOSITY CRUMB RUBBER BINDER THAT CAN BE SPRAYED DURING THE COOL PERIODS OF THE YEAR FEATURING A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE USE OF KEROSENE. WE SPEAK TO PRIMAL SURFACING, A COMPANY USING THE PRODUCT DUE TO ITS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS.

C

ommonly used in crumb rubber binders as a cutter, kerosene can generate fumes which contribute to pollution, acid rain and greenhouse gas emissions.

For spray sealing applications kerosene can improve the binder wetting of the aggregates to create a better-quality road.

It also reduces the bitumen’s viscosity to ensure it is fluid enough to be sprayed evenly onto the surface without streaking.

However, SAMI Bitumen has created a low viscosity crumb rubber binder capable of achieving these outcomes without using a kerosene cutter for the most part of the year and with a significant reduction in the use of kerosene during winter time.

Iulian Man, SAMI Bitumen Technical Primal Surfacing’s OVB production unit.

34

ROADS AUGUST 2020

Services Manager, says the company recognised that if it could create a crumb rubber binder without kerosene that has low viscosity, it could help to improve the environment without compromising the spray seal performance.

In order to create the low viscosity binder, the SAMI Bitumen team performed chemical modifications to produce the right formulation.

“We basically reengineered the formula

of our standard crumb rubber binder in order to lower the viscosity and create the new, a more fluid crumb rubber binder. No fluxant additives were used in the process” Mr. Man says.

“We got to a stage where we have created a crumb rubber binder that doesn’t need any cutter or very little during winter applications.”

Elimination or significant reduction of kerosene in the binder can also reduce

“FOR A SPRAY SEAL, THE ABILITY FOR A BINDER TO RETAIN THE AGGREGATE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ROAD. PREVENTION OF AGGREGATE STRIPPING IMPROVES A PAVEMENT’S LIFE CYCLE OUTCOMES.”

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

the risk of fires and the need to handle dangerous goods onsite as kerosene is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid.

In the spraying process the increased fluidity of the binder enables a uniform coverage of the road surface and therefore there is little risk of leaving portions of the road uncovered.

“For a spray seal, the ability for a binder to retain the aggregate is the most important aspect for the performance of the road. Prevention of aggregate stripping improves a pavement’s life cycle outcomes,” Mr. Man says.

“When developing this binder we knew that we had to be well below the typical viscosity of a standard crumb rubber binder in order to achieve the adhesion properties we were looking for.”

During development of the low viscosity crumb rubber binder Mr. Man says that all testing was benchmarked against a standard crumb rubber binder. The new formulation complies with the specification for the S45R grade of crumb rubber binder.

“The product can be used in every situation from low to high traffic and is a very versatile option for all spray sealing jobs,” Mr. Man says.

So far SAMI Bitumen’s low viscosity crumb rubber binder has been used on a number of spray sealing projects in Victoria.

Increased fluidity of the binder enables a uniform coverage of the road surface during the spraying process.

Primal Surfacing has been the first contractor to use the binder for works across the state. Managing Director Justin Bartlett says the company was looking to implement new forward moving synchronized bituminous surfacing technology designed and built in Germany.

Called the OBV production unit, the forward moving machine can spray bitumen and spread aggregate simultaneously in a forward direction.

“The OBV technology is used extensively throughout Europe but hadn’t previously sprayed a crumb rubber derivative. We specifically targeted the low viscosity product because we knew that the European technology could achieve lateral binder spraying uniformity with product viscosities less than 0.20 Pa.s.,” Mr. Bartlett says.

“If the OBV producton unit can spray an S45R binder, which is the highest level of modification, then we know it can spray all other modified binder used on the Australian road network. We also wanted to ensure the binder we were using met the specifications for torsional recovery and softening point and the SAMI binder did.”

Primal Surfacing has a mantra to support safer and more sustainable products and the removal of kerosene from this binder is in line with those goals.

In the past Primal Surfacing had experienced issues with some modified binders not retaining consistent viscosity levels when transported over long distances.

“If a product settles then some sections of it can have high viscosity and some will have lower levels which can result in inconsistent pavement performance,” he says.

“So far with this new binder we are really happy with the outcome. It is so important for blended binders to keep their consistency over long distances.”

As for its performance on spray seal sites, Mr. Bartlett says the OBV production unit coupled with the low viscosity binder achieved appropriate binder lateral distribution, immediate aggregate grabbing and overnight retention and a significant decrease in the use of kerosene.

“The binder doesn’t contain any kerosene, so we won’t see any flushing or bleeding.

Because we got immediate aggregate retention when interacting with the binder all the signs are there to suggest it will perform well long term,” he says.

“This binder will end up being Primal Surfacing’s product of choice on future projects all because we can achieve the appropriate level of fanning out of the jet, lateral distribution and its environmentally friendly.” roadsonline.com.au

35

DUNCANS ROAD

GOES GREEN

WHEN GIVEN THE TASK OF MANAGING THE WESTERN ROADS UPGRADE NETWORK FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS, BROADSPECTRUM (NOW VENTIA) LOOKED AT THE POSSIBILITY OF USING INNOVATIVE RECYCLED PRODUCTS TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR PERFORMANCE, CHOOSING DUNCANS ROAD AS A SITE FOR DOWNER’S RECONOPHALT WEARING COURSE TO BE LAID.

I

n 2017 the Netflow consortium won the Victorian Government’s $1.8 billion contract for the Western Roads Upgrade.

The terms of the public-private partnership contract included design, build, finance and maintenance aspects which will see the consortium look after the road network for 23 years in total.

The consortium comprises Plenary Group and Cintra as joint project sponsors; WBHO Infrastructure as design and construction lead; and the Amey and Broadspectrum joint venture as services contractor.

(Broadspectrum was acquired by Ventia in June 2020).

The Western Roads Upgrade program comprises eight priority roads upgrades, road widening works, intersection upgrades, almost 30 kilometres of road

duplication works and 260 kilometres of road rehabilitation and maintenance across Melbourne’s west for 23 years.

As the service contractor to the Netflow consortium, Broadspectrum will handle the maintenance of the road network for the next two decades.

Drew Morrison, Project Director at Broadspectrum says the 20-year maintenance period means the company is always looking to improve sustainability outcomes over the life of the program.

Through the company’s relationship with Downer comes the opportunity to resurface roads with their product Reconophalt which contains soft plastics, glass and toner.

“We will continue to resurface roads for the next 20 years across Melbourne’s

Working with Downer, Broadspectrum laid 784 tonnes of Reconophalt.

36

ROADS AUGUST 2020

western arterial road network. This gives us the opportunity to trial products that have not previously been used on the network, as they incorporate materials reclaimed or developed from alternate sources and innovative products,” Mr. Morrison says.

“We get the opportunity to prove that these products perform in a controlled environment, and as services provider we are able to monitor performance and then hopefully make recommendations to continue their use more widely on the arterial road network.”

To make the most of this opportunity to trial a sustainable wearing course layer, Broadspectrum decided to lay 784 tonnes of Reconophalt over 960 metres on Duncans Road in Werribee South.

The Reconophalt mix was placed next to a standard wearing course asphalt for Broadspectrum to easily compare its performance.

Duncans Road was a full pavement rehabilitation project and incorporated an insitu-stabilisation of the subgrade and base layers. Instead of disposing of the old road base, it was treated onsite so that it could be reused.

Following stabilisation, Reconophalt was placed as the wearing course layer meaning that over 70 per cent of the upgraded section on Duncans Road was rehabilitated with recycled materials.

“Working with Downer, we can identify opportunities to recycle and reuse materials generated from waste streams from our, and other industries,” Mr. Morrison says.

“We are in the process of getting our services contract certified by the

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Using Reconophalt, there is no change in equipment or process.

Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) and rated, so the ability for us to use alternate products that provide sustainability outcomes for everyone is a very important part of planning our works.”

Downer has long been working to create sustainable products for the road construction industry and first released Reconophalt in 2018.

Jim Appleby, General Manager Reconomy at Downer, says Reconophalt is an asphalt mix which can use a range of recycled materials including reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), glass, soft plastics and toner. He says the idea is first to protect the environment, but also to produce a durable asphalt.

“For the Duncans Road project, the RAP was sourced from the existing Melbourne road network,” he says.

“Then the soft plastics and toner were sourced by our partners at Close the Loop who produce the materials using domestic supplied soft plastics from the recycling scheme at Coles and Woolworths.”

While Reconophalt is different to a traditional asphalt mix, there is no change in equipment or process when laying the mix.

“One of the best aspects of Reconophalt is that you use it exactly as you would with normal asphalt. When you lay it looks the same, but it can perform better,” Mr. Appleby says.

He recently travelled to Craigieburn to view the first application of Reconophalt, two years after its application, and he says it still looked exactly as any other asphalt would.

“Before any product is brought to market at Downer there is extensive testing, we

conduct accelerated failure testing and we look at all the parameters around the material performance. We have confidence in its longevity. We understand how it is going to perform for its lifetime long before that lifetime comes around.”

Broadspectrum will monitor the performance of the Reconophalt pavement over the next few years and are keen to increase use of the product if it performs as expected.

“Putting Reconophalt on the top layer we have seen some amazing roughness results

“At Downer we pull products we don’t push waste. The public are demanding increased recycling which means government need to do it and we are seeing some great signs of this with the Recycled First Initiative in Victoria and the Too Good To Waste initiative in New South Wales,” Mr. Appleby says.

The Victorian Government’s new Recycled First policy requires companies delivering transport projects to demonstrate how they will optimise their use of recycled and reuse content.

“WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING OUR SERVICES CONTRACT CERTIFIED BY THE INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA AND RATED, SO THE ABILITY FOR US TO USE ALTERNATE PRODUCTS THAT PROVIDE SUSTAINABILITY OUTCOMES FOR EVERYONE IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF PLANNING OUR WORKS.” already which we know helps maintain a road’s condition. We are expecting that road to perform remarkably well over the initial 10 years and then it will undergo lifecycle treatment further down the track,” Mr. Morrison says.

“My hope is that recycled products like Reconophalt become normal. We know quarry stocks in the state are under pressure. For us, we have 20 years ahead to maintain these roads and we want to open up as many options for treatment as possible,” he says.

The recycled products in Reconophalt are not there simply to help alleviate a waste stream, Mr. Appleby says the soft plastic is a polymer which helps to improve the fatigue life of the asphalt.

This will see recycled aggregates, glass, plastic, timber, steel, ballast, crushed brick, crumb rubber, and reclaimed asphalt pavement take precedence over virgin materials.

Mr. Morrison agrees on the importance of using waste products which add value to road construction.

“I hope that any time there is an alternate product or an innovation we are able to grasp those opportunities as they arise and who knows what that could look like in the next 20 years,” he says.

“Now there are great things being used like recycled plastic bags, toner and glass bottles but there are endless possibilities when it comes to what the next source of material is going to be for road materials.” roadsonline.com.au

37

CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS A BY-PRODUCT FROM THE PRODUCTION OF NICKEL IS BEING USED AS AN AGGREGATE IN CONCRETE APPLICATIONS AND COULD SOON BE APPROVED TO AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS AS A SUPPLEMENTARY CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL. SLN AUSTRALIA EXPLAINS.

B

eyond Zero Emissions, an internationally recognised Australian think-tank, estimated the production of Portland cement (the most common cement product) is responsible for around 7.4 million tonnes of emissions in Australia. This equates to 1.3 per cent of national emissions.

In its ‘Rethinking Cement’ report released in 2017, it states clinker substitution is one of the ways cement production emissions can be reduced. This will require increasing the level of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), which reduces the amount of limestone that needs to be calcined but upkeeps the quality of cement.

Further into the process at concrete batching plants cement is then mixed with SCM’s, sand aggregates and water to create the concrete product. Use of SCM’s at this stage can also reduce emissions.

While fly ash and slag are common clinker substitutions, SLN Australia has introduced a new product that can be produced as either a fine aggregate used in concrete, a supplementary cementitious material

(SCM) for both cement and concrete applications or an addition for granular road building materials.

The product, Le Sland, is a by-product from SLN’s nickel smelter facility in New Caledonia. Currently around 20 million tonnes of the product is ready to be transported for use in Australia. There is also a 10,000 tonne stockpile available for sale at Port Kembla.

Le Sland can be used in general concrete, precast concrete or concrete blocks, road base, land reclaim and sand blasting applications.

Le Sland can also be used in Australia as a coarse sand substitute for use with other sand materials that complies with Australian Standard 2758.1, aggregates and rock for engineering purposes.

“ROAD BASES ARE BOUND BY PLASTICITY INDEX OR AGGREGATE INTERLOCK SO WITH HIGH PLASTIC MATERIALS OUT THERE THE ADDITION OF THIS MATERIAL COULD BRING THE PLASTIC INDEX DOWN TO AN ACCEPTABLE RANGE.”

Le Sland is a by-product from SLN’s nickel smelter facility in New Caledonia.

38

ROADS AUGUST 2020

Yves Veran, Business Development Manager for SLN Australia, says Le Sland contributes to a reduction in the carbon footprint when used in its raw form or when ground to be used as a supplementary cementitious material.

SLN Australia has a commitment to circular economy principles in all its practices and Mr. Veran says this led the company to explore avenues for an alternative product to be used in the construction sector.

Michael van Koeverden (CQT Services Pty Ltd) is an independent technical expert that has been working with SLN Australia to evaluate the properties of Le Sland as both an aggregate and supplementary cementitious material.

“Because the SLN aggregate material is

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

non plastic to the plasticity index test (PI), when it is combined with some clayrich materials it can help to dilute the clay (within the 0.425 milimetre / 425um fraction). This can make some materials available that may not have been previously available, due to clay content, which can improve quarry stock balance or turn an unwanted waste to a useful product by reducing PI,” Mr. van Koeverden says.

“The other benefit is it doesn’t contain a lot of fines at the bottom end which is very helpful when combining it with clay rich materials. It means you can produce a suitable overall fines combination that can be successfully used in concrete and other materials.”

Mr. van Koeverden says Le Sland is very consistent due to the processes involved in its production.

Natural products can vary, and he says the consistency of Le Sland could be an advantage for material compositions in a number of applications.

“Because of increasing demand our need to use clay rich sands, such as those within the Sydney Basin, is also increasing. I think the SLN product could help tremendously with concrete sand but in the roadbase area it’s also a very good filler,” he says.

“Road bases are bound by plasticity index or aggregate interlock so with high plastic materials out there the addition of this material could bring the plastic index down to an acceptable range.”

Zoe Schmidt, commercial and technical support to the SLN Team says when used as a premium sand in concrete products, improved chemical resistance, compressive and flexural strength, and structural characteristics can be achieved due to its chemical composition and dense, low permeable, structure.

SLN Australia is a member and participant in the Australasian Pozzolan Association research program to develop a new standard for “pozzolans.” The Le Sland ground granular product is being evaluated.

Craig Heidrich, Executive Director of the Australasian Pozzolan Association says the association has been working with SLN Australia on a research and development program to investigate the pozzolanic characteristics of the Le Sland ground granular material through a series of material characteristic, mortar and concrete testing.

Mr. Heidrich says we have undertaken

SLN Australia has a commitment to circular economy principles in all its practices.

“OUR MATERIALS INDUSTRY IS GOVERNED BY HAVING CONFIDENCE AROUND NEW MATERIALS BECAUSE WHEN YOU BUILD, INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERS WANT TO KNOW THESE MATERIALS ARE GOING TO PERFORM AS SPECIFIED AND WILL COMPLY AS WELL AS BE FIT FOR PURPOSE IN THE LONG TERM.”

a significant testing program with an independent cement and concrete testing laboratory. All testing results will be released into the public domain so that results can be discussed with the standards committee technical members.

“The data will help us develop a standard with a series of parameters providing confidence to the market for the use of this material,” Mr. Heidrich says.

“Our materials industry is governed by having confidence around new materials because when you build, infrastructure engineers want to know these materials are going to perform as specified and will comply as well as be fit for purpose in the long term.”

Mr. Heidrich says part of the work being undertaken is to establish those standards and demonstrate that these materials can perform to the standard as minimum requirements.

The research project includes a threestage evaluation.

“The first stage of that was a basic material characterisation, the second phase was mortar testing, then we move on to

concrete testing. We will cast the product into concrete cylinders and evaluate those based on standard test methods,” Mr. Heidrich says.

“We have only just embarked on that third stage of testing and SLN’s Le Sland has been cast into concrete cylinders for further evaluation. The next standards committee meeting will review the interim results and discuss what the next stage will be,” Mr. Heidrich adds.

While Le Sland may be new to Australia, it has been used in New Caledonia and other Pacific Islands for many years.

“The most notable is approximately 1000 hectares of land reclaim used for industrial sites, commercial ports and the city centre, accounting for approximately 20 per cent on top of which Noumea city has been built,” Mr. Veran “I think the construction industry is ready for new technology that falls within the circular economy and meets the targets posed to reduce Australia’s carbon footprint. SLN Australia is willing to explore opportunities with you to partner in meeting these targets,” Ms. Schmidt says. roadsonline.com.au

39

EVENTS

The Women in Industry Awards celebrate notable women from a range of industries.

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARDS 2020

THE 2020 WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARDS SAW MORE NOMINATIONS THAN EVER BEFORE. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING FINALIST JANE MACMASTER TO FIND OUT WHAT ENGINEERING MEANS TO HER.

W

hile many celebrations this year have been unfortunately been cancelled or postponed, Prime Creative Media has continued what is normally one of the most exciting events in its calendar.

The 2020 Women in Industry awards will continue to take place across partner titles such as Roads & Infrastructure magazine.

This year nominations for the awards increased by 27 per cent on the previous year with a record number of individual businesses and organisations represented.

The award categories cover social leader of the year, rising star of the year, business development success of the year, industry advocacy, safety advocacy, mentor of the year, excellence in manufacturing, excellence in mining, excellence in engineering and excellence in transport.

Many notable women from the infrastructure and transport sectors were nominated and are finalists for awards. Roads & Infrastructure sits down with Jane MacMaster, a finalist in the excellence in engineering category and recently appointed Chief Engineer at Engineers Australia.

Ms. MacMaster says in school she had a love for maths and science but wasn’t considering engineering until an interview with the University of Sydney.

After obtaining her degree she worked with British Aerospace (now called BA Systems Australia) where she says her love of engineering was ignited.

“I think the most rewarding aspect of being an engineer is the ability to bring outcomes about. I really enjoy problem solving and finding solutions through careful design and thinking,” Ms. MacMaster says.

“There is so much engineers can contribute to the world with a problem solving and design skillset and mindset. It’s really rewarding to be faced with a problem, go through the design process for a solution that is going to work and then see that solution become a reality.”

One of the projects Ms. MacMaster is most proud of is working as part of a NATO team to design supersonic flight vehicles.

“Australia was a guest nation for that NATO project, and I got to 40

ROADS AUGUST 2020

work there on that project and others for 14 years,” Ms. MacMaster says.

“It was both rewarding and challenging, and it turned out to be where I learnt the most about not only good teamwork but also about what professional engineering means. That was an incredible experience and being part of that amazing team was such an opportunity.”

In her new role as Chief Engineer for Engineer’s Australia, Ms. MacMaster hopes to focus on three areas; strengthening the engineering identity, evolving and upholding the standards of the engineering profession and strengthening and broadening the influence and contribution of the engineering profession in society.

In her time working in the office of Prime Minister and Cabinet Ms. MacMaster developed a generalised conceptual model for the complex problem-solving skillset.

“The model I came up with helps non-engineers think how engineers would think when they are designing a solution to a problem, but you can apply it in a generalised, transferable way to interdisciplinary challenges,” she says.

This work is reflected in her goals for the future.

“I think there is a huge opportunity to strengthen and broaden the influence the engineering profession has more widely and again that is referring back to the transferable skillset and mindset we apply to technology. But I think there is huge contribution engineers have the potential to make more broadly through interdisciplinary challenges.”

Broadening the awareness of engineering across all of society is something Ms. MacMaster is passionate about, especially steering young people into an engineering career.

“If people want to contribute meaningfully to society there are so many ways you can do that but, for me engineering is about bringing outcomes about through careful design. It’s problem solving, it’s being creative, it’s being clever, but more than anything it is making real and meaningful change to the world,” she says.

To view the full list of finalists, visit the Women in Industry Awards webpage. Winners will be announced in the Women in Industry newsletter, as well as in Roads & Infrastructure.

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Apprentices will be welding cages for electrical conductivity and other activities.

BUILDING SKILLS

FOR THE FUTURE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, NVC PRECAST HAS BEEN ON-BOARDING APPRENTICES PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AT A MUCH-NEEDED TIME.

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ased in Kilmore, Victoria which is home to 8,000 people, NVC Precast is one of the town’s largest employers.

When the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many businesses in the area were forced to close or scale back operations.

As part of the essential construction industry, with additional safety and social distancing measures in place, NVC Precast continued to operate and even grow to meet demand.

With projects such as the Victorian Level Crossing Removals and the Moggs Creek Bridge on the Great Ocean Road still pushing ahead, the company is very busy.

In addition to operations staff, NVC Precast has been able to hire three new apprentices to help the wider team with works, providing employment opportunities to the people of living in the area.

Brett Harrison, Precast Manager at NVC Precast, says the apprentices will have an opportunity to gain hands on experience when working on some of the company’s projects such as the North West Alliance rail upgrade at Bell Street, Moreland Road 42

ROADS AUGUST 2020

in Coburg and the Werribee Street Level Crossing Removal.

“For the rail upgrade project in Coburg we are supplying L Beams, Crossheads, T Beams and planks, so there is a lot to learn,” Mr.

Harrison says.

“There are a vast number of learning opportunities for the apprentices, the main skill is welding. We have a requirement to weld reinforcements

At NVC Precast apprentices are taught many different skills.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – PRECAST

as part of the design for rail. They will specifically be welding cages for electrical conductivity as well as other activities that we do within the business.”

Mr. Harrison says the three apprentices are at varying levels of education, one is a first year, one a third year and the last is a fourth year, and the fabrication division of the company offers a variety of different activities for the apprentices to learn.

He says working within a team of boilermakers they are being mentored by a number of experienced tradesmen and are exposed to a variety of learnings from one off engineering to ongoing production fabrication activities.

At NVC Precast apprentices are taught how to work from drawings to mark out the works, to plan the order of assembly, to identify the different types of welds, such as fillet and butt welds, to suit the structural requirements, materials and processes. Prior to undertaking the structural welds, the apprentices are tested to the Australian Standards criteria.

“Our first-year apprentice, Mr. Keating started around four months ago and he is settling in very well. The other apprentices started a couple of months ago and are already enquiring about the possibility of continuing work at NVC Precast, which is really positive for us,” he says.

NVC Precast worked with Atel recruitment to employ two of the apprentices who will be performing fabrication, welding and other tasks to help with the day to day output of NVC Precast.

Kellie Howard, Atel CEO, says the company is aware the construction industry is doing relatively well during the pandemic and being able to reach out to businesses like NVC Precast to find employment opportunities for their apprentices is important.

“NVC Precast are such a large-scale employer providing the apprentices an array of experience in steel fabrication and welding for the precast concrete manufacture. They will be able to deploy any knowledge they already have through their TAFE course and apply that to different environments,” Ms. Howard says.

“With a business like NVC they will be exposed to so many different opportunities which I think will be very valuable to them.”

Both apprentices employed through Atel have now relocated near or within the town of Kilmore to complete their

apprenticeships for NVC Precast.

“For the apprentices to view the area as somewhere they can see their future, that is great to see. The current economic climate is the perfect time for businesses to have a look at what they need and how they could support the growth of young people,” Ms. Howard says.

NVC Precast also worked closely with MEGT to ensure the success of their apprentices, so that they could get on the right track to achieving qualifications all while contributing to NVC Precast’s productivity.

Liliana Musolino, Field Operations Manager at MEGT, says some businesses face challenges attracting highly skilled workers and it is important apprentices are regarded as an option in those areas.

“Our view is that apprenticeship or traineeship pathways should be available to all employers of all sizes and jobseekers regardless of their location,” Ms. Musolino says.

“We aim to grow apprenticeships in regional areas, and elsewhere, as some of the apprentices we sign go on to eventually create their own business and employ apprentices of the next generation.”

She says it is important vocational training

is recognised in all areas as a viable means of gaining knowledge while being employed.

“These opportunities make sure those who are skilled remain in their areas and have the opportunity to remain there and in the future do the same in turn for someone else,” Ms. Musolino says.

Mr. Keating, one of the apprentices, is working with NVC to gain Certificate Three in Engineering and upon completion of the apprenticeship he will hold a nationally recognised qualification.

“I am loving it, I used to work here as a labourer, so I know the place, it’s a good one and the environment is great to work in,” Mr. Keating says.

“I’m really happy about the job because it is secure for the next few years and it is close to home.”

Mr. Harrison says it’s really about what the future holds for the apprentices. He says NVC Precast has enough work to see these apprentices finish their trade and then it is about the opportunities they decide to take.

“Once they have completed the apprenticeship, the world is their oyster really. It’s all up to what they want to achieve.”

For more information on NVC Precast go to www.nvcprecast.com.au

NVC Precast has enough work to see the apprentices finish their trade.

roadsonline.com.au

43

DRIVING INTO

THE FUTURE

AN AUSTROADS REPORT FOUND SKILL SHORTAGES FOR DRIVERS OF THE AUTOMATED VEHICLES OF TOMORROW. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO THE REPORT’S AUTHORS ABOUT INCREASING ROAD SAFETY THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING AS TECHNOLOGY EVOLVES.

W

hile Back to the Future: Part Two predicted flying cars and hover boards in the year 2015, it seems technology has not progressed as was expected in the 1980s.

However, one technology presented in the film, the self-driving car, has been exciting vehicle enthusiasts and manufacturers from across the globe for years.

Over the past decade, the road sector has seen numerous automated vehicle models and trials. In fact, some technology in self-driving cars is somewhat restricted in Australia due to Australian road rule number 297 which states a driver must have proper control of the vehicle. This means that even if fully automated vehicles were available in Australia the driver would legally have to be in control.

There are a wide range of technologies that contribute to self-driving cars. As these systems have developed some have made their way into everyday vehicles, such as adaptive cruise control or autonomous emergency braking These technologies, which make up autonomous vehicles, have been defined by the Society of Automated Engineers (SAE) into automation levels which are classified between level zero to five.

With increasing levels of technology in vehicles Austroads commissioned research to get a better understanding of how this might impact the work of road agencies that manage driver education and licencing.

In the report titled ‘Education and training for drivers of assisted and automated vehicles’ the authors looked at the SAE’s first four levels of automation.

Systems at levels zero, one and two include technologies that support the 44

ROADS AUGUST 2020

driver (who is still in control) such as autonomous emergency braking (level 0), adaptive cruise control (level 1) and adaptive cruise control and lane centring operating at the same time (Level 2).

Level three vehicles include more automated driving features , this means that in some conditions the car can automatically perform the total driving task, until the driver has to take back control of the vehicle.

The authors found drivers are unlikely to possess the required skill to safely operate a vehicle at some at some of these levels of autonomy. These were elements such as knowledge of the safety benefits, behaviours needed to operate the systems, vigilance of the driving environment and understanding of the different operating modes of the automation.

Dr. Michael Regan, Professor of Human Factors in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, drew a parallel between autonomous vehicles on the road and autonomy in the aviation industry.

“There evidence in aviation that pilot training in the use of automated systems has improved the safety of the aircraft, we can look at the experience of pilots here to inform education and training practices for the vehicle industry,” Prof. Regan says.

Commissioner of the report John Wall, Austroads Program Manager Future Vehicles & Technology, agrees saying aircraft are a lot safer than they were three or four decades ago.

“Pilots needed to understand the information provided from the technology and then understand where there is

a disconnect between what they are observing as an experienced pilot versus what the machine or computer is telling them,” Mr. Wall says.

He says the automotive industry will soon need to start talking about traditional driving skills compared to monitoring skills, which is the ability of the driver to monitor information coming from automated systems.

Some of the knowledge and skill shortage areas identified in the report were associated with technologies such as, autonomous emergency braking, speed assistance systems and lane support systems. Most of these features are more common in newer cars in Australia and are making a difference to the safety of everyday drivers.

“I think the important point is that drivers know what driving with these systems involves and what they need to do to be in proper control of current generation vehicles. To be in proper control of vehicles in the future will become a different matter as vehicles become increasingly automated,” Prof. Regan says.

“Ultimately these technologies are safety systems and we want to make sure drivers use the systems in the right way, to maximise their safety benefits.”

Mr. Wall says the report indicates that drivers are going to need these knowledge and skill sets into the future, so we need to start preparing drivers for that now.

“The report’s first recommendation is that state road agencies think about an education or promotion piece around the new technology,” he says.

“Autonomous systems are likely to bring huge road safety benefits to the

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – DRIVERLESS VEHICLES

Australian road rule number 297 states a driver must have proper control of the vehicle.

community, but drivers should understand how they work so they can be aware of situations where the technology can’t be relied upon such as heavy fog which can confuse or even stop the sensors from working properly.”

A study referenced in the report found the highest ranked preference for training among car drivers was through the dealership, followed by driving, website learning, reading the manual and watching videos. However, the report suggests further research is needed to better understand the training preferences of drivers in Australia and New Zealand.

“One of the most important aspects of educating and training people is to make them aware of the safety benefits of the technology. It’s important to encourage the use of these systems and make sure that drivers are willing to use them when it is appropriate to do so,” Prof. Regan says.

“I think we will see that partnership between technology and manual driving continue to be a strong focus of vehicle manufacturers into the foreseeable future,” Mr. Wall says.

While the report concluded there is no need to change the current driver licencing framework to include testing practices that incorporate automated

driving technologies, it found there was an immediate need for education.

“The feedback we got from registration and licencing agencies was that it was necessary to demonstrate that a lack of education and training with these technologies actually increases crash risk before they would consider making any regulatory changes to the licensing system,” Prof. Regan says.

On top of education, Prof. Regan and Mr. Wall say the role infrastructure plays in preventing and reducing severity of crashes will not diminish.

“Around 2016 when there was a lot of hype around autonomous vehicles, people thought they wouldn’t need to invest in roadside infrastructure in 10 to 15 years’ time. But we will still need to invest in the safety systems that we do today, because full automation is still a long way away,” Mr. Wall says.

“In addition, automated vehicles will become increasingly connected to road infrastructure, through vehicleto-infrastructure communications. This infrastructure will enhance the capabilities of these vehicles by telling the vehicle if there are roadworks or warn for black ice ahead for example,” Prof. Regan says.

“Road infrastructure is going to be critical

to increasing the safety of autonomous vehicles as they become fully automated meaning they can drive themselves around the road network,” he says.

To expand the knowledge base in this area researchers at UNSW Sydney are using driving simulators, to better understand how drivers react to automated vehicle failures and interact in virtual reality with fully automated vehicles. Prof. Regan has also written a book, about to be published, with counterparts in the United States, looking at the human challenges for automated vehicles and how these can be overcome.

Mr. Wall says the focus of the Austroads program over the next five to 10 years will be on forecasting when new vehicle technologies will be seen in our vehicle fleet and helping and road agencies prepare to support the vehicles of tomorrow that will lead to a safer, sustainable and more equitable road transport system.

“I am sure more automated systems are really going to save lives but there are some new risks, it doesn’t mean we don’t use advanced technology, it just means we do have to be mindful that as new technology comes in we may see new risks emerge that our road transport agencies will need to manage” he says. roadsonline.com.au

45

Estimations showed there would be around 20 to 30 minute traffic delays for five weeks as opposed to 10 minute delays for five months.

FAST TRACKING IN

FULL FORCE

THE INTERSECTION UPGRADE AT FRANKSTON-DANDENONG AND THOMPSONS ROADS IN SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE WAS SET TO TAKE FIVE MONTHS TO CONSTRUCT. WHEN CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS EASED TRAFFIC, THE TEAM GOT TO WORK HATCHING A PLAN TO COMPLETE WORKS IN JUST FIVE WEEKS.

B

efore coronavirus restrictions came into place the roundabout at the intersection of FrankstonDandenong Road and Thompsons Road saw 58,000 vehicles daily.

It is a connection point for those living in the Frankston, Carrum Downs, Cranbourne areas and working in the industrial hub of Dandenong. The Carrum Downs area is set to see an increase of over 4500 people by 2026, meaning infrastructure upgrades will be crucial.

As part of the major Thompsons Road Upgrade project, BMD Constructions were contracted to remove the roundabout at Frankston-Dandenong Road and replace it with a signalised intersection.

The construction of the intersection was set to be completed in five months but with the coronavirus reducing traffic, the team at Major Road Projects Victoria 46

ROADS AUGUST 2020

(MRPV) saw an opportunity to complete the project in a fifth of that time.

Program Director Brendan Pauwels says the team were seeing a drop of around 30 per cent in traffic volumes while people were at home.

“We got planning as to whether we could close the intersection to fast track the completion of the works and then from there it snowballed and we came up with a plan and put it into action,” he says.

MRPV decided to perform a five-week total closure of the intersection, which would allow the team enough time to complete construction.

“We pitched this to the State Government as we thought it was possible. We did the work around what would need to be put in place to enable the fast tracking to happen,” Mr. Pauwels says.

“A lot of work was needed to understand

traffic movements and the impact that might have on motorists and also local residents and businesses who would have their access altered.”

MRPV estimations showed there would be around a 20 to 30 minute delay for motorists during the five-week period, as opposed to an approximate 10-minute delay over the longer period of construction for five months.

“We put together a communications and stakeholder strategy and a traffic management strategy. Then we went to government and said we think we can do this, and we can save four months of ongoing construction,” Mr. Pauwels says.

To aid with the fast tracking of the project, the contractor BMD Constructions were already conducting early works for the intersection including the relocation of services.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – ROAD CONSTRUCTION

“The planning that we did with BMD has been very thorough in terms of getting a fool proof program for activities that need to happen in the five weeks,” Mr. Pauwels says.

MRPV worked with BMD Constructions to map out the productivity rates that could be achieved in the time frame, how the supply chain could keep up with the plan and what the backup plans were for materials, subcontractors or even redundancy in equipment on site.

“We also had to work through how they work in a COVID-19 safe manner. We had to manage the shift handover for day and night shifts, so we sat down and worked through this with them, did a workshop for half a day on all of these sorts of processes to ensure the project was planned in an efficient and safe way,” he says.

In the end it was decided five weeks would be sufficient, having the fifth week as a buffer for any unexpected delays due to weather or uncontrollable factors.

The first week of construction began at the start of Queen’s Birthday long weekend. This allowed the team to shut down the roundabout with minimal disruption and begin demolishing the existing road pavement.

“Full access to the intersection meant we could change the construction technique, the contractor pulverised the whole existing road pavement and then we were able to reuse that as road base,” Mr. Pauwels says.

When levelling out the intersection, Mr. Pauwels says there were sections nearly a metre deep that needing filling so existing

pavement was used as road base alongside imported fill materials.

The first week of construction also saw significant underground works for drainage and other essentials to set up for the beginning of the pavement’s construction.

For the next two weeks the focus was on the pavement layers, this included importing 8000 tonnes of crushed rock and then applying the asphalt layers with around 11,000 tonnes placed.

At the time of writing the construction team is looking ahead to weeks three and four.

“At week four we have a decision point as to whether we finish everything. The wearing course can only be placed in temperatures above 10 degrees, otherwise it becomes brittle,” Mr. Pauwels says.

“We then have a week of contingency in the program to allow for weather. We are doing this project in winter which has different challenges as it’s colder, there are less hours of daylight and fog can confuse the machine’s GPS systems.”

The challenge of re-planning a five-month project to be conducted in five weeks was most evident following the decision to completely cut off the intersection.

This decision required extensive planning and communication to minimise disruption to road users and residents in the area.

“The biggest challenge was traffic. The first thing we had to do was figure out where the vehicles would go if the intersection closed.

We bought in a traffic modelling company to do assessments of where those vehicles might go,” Mr. Pauwels says.

BMD Constructions were already conducting early works for the intersection including service relocation.

He says the company provided the project team with hotspots of where key delays may occur when vehicles take alternative routes.

“To try and smooth the effects out as best as possible we put in temporary measures.

At Hall Road and Frankston-Dandenong Road we changed the intersection from one right hand turn lane to double turning lanes.

To do that, we banned the opposing right turn lane because there isn’t enough room for both to turn at the same time but that is a much lesser demand movement,” Mr. Pauwels says.

Then the team installed temporary traffic signals at the intersection of the Western Port and East Gippsland Highways. Mr. Pauwels says this was seen to be a pressure area for the afternoon peak as people returned from employment clusters in Dandenong.

The signals helped to facilitate a safe right hand turn to create access between the two roads.

As part of the project, the team are also working with a full-time traffic management professional at the Department of Transport. This person can review traffic signals and alter them in real-time to best improve traffic flow.

“We have real-time monitoring in place and lots of VMS boards to support detours.

Around five or six of them have real-time information and that is to try and help influence motorists to make the best decision and smooth out congestion,” Mr. Pauwels says.

To keep public transport on track the crew allow busses through the intersection on their given timetable, resulting in minimal delays and changes to the bus network in the area.

With completion expected in just five weeks, any traffic disruptions are expected to be short lived. Once the new intersection is constructed and in operation it is expected to be able to cater with demand in the area from increased population.

“The upgrade should provide a significant benefit for motorists in the morning and evening peaks, we are saying five to ten minutes for motorists to be able to get through what was a bottleneck,” Mr. Pauwels says.

“It was a pretty bold call for us to do this, but I think it’s something that we are aiming to learn a lot from during the closure to see how we might plan some future projects or road upgrades,” he says. roadsonline.com.au

47

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SAFETY

ACCIDENTS

COST EVERYONE

THIS YEAR HAS SEEN A LARGE BOOST IN FUNDING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS DUE TO THE NEED FOR ECONOMIC STIMULATION. UAA INSURANCE EXPLAINS THAT WITH AN INCREASE IN WORK COMES THE NEED TO ENSURE SAFETY PRACTICES ARE CONSISTENTLY IMPROVED AND UPHELD.

A

ccording to George Grasso, Chief Services Officer for UAA, there is a constant battle for companies to maintain quality staff, manage expenses and make every effort to maintain a high level of training and OH&S standards, coupled with the ongoing pressures of new enterprise bargaining agreements and COVID-19.

Despite these efforts, Mr. Grasso says he has seen an increase in the number of crane accidents, incurring large losses in terms of material damage to machines.

“Last year was an horrendous year as far as the number of crane incidents we’ve had to deal with and almost all of them appear to be a result of extraordinary costly but simple mistakes,” he says.

“We have seen a lot of similar types of incidents. This has led to very expensive machines being damaged, not being available for work and having to go through the time-consuming process of being repaired. In every instance, the customer is reliant on the insurance company to oversee the repair process.”

Mr. Grasso confirms UAA is a long-term supporter of the crane and construction industry but, if the current level of incidents continue it will be reflected in increased insurance premiums.

“If the number of incidents going to continue to grow, it is inevitable that it will have an impact on insurance premiums to offset such costs, none of us want this.

We want to encourage all construction businesses to take a step back, refocus on their people and processes,” he says.

“It’s important to understand where a company’s staff are regarding training and examine how competent they are at operating the machines from cranes to excavators. We also think putting in place

George Grasso, UAA Chief Services Officer.

better controls, measures and incentives to encourage staff to be more diligent and focused should be considered.”

Mr. Grasso confirms safe workplace authorities like Work Cover are diligently policing the industry however, if there is an incident whether there is a fatality or no injury, prosecutions can still follow.

Work Cover continue with extensive investigations that will drive change to crane hire companies, manufacturers and the industry as a whole, he says.

Following some incidents, it can take several months to repair the damaged construction equipment, which can go beyond the limit of indemnity for clients with Business Interruption Protection. For clients that don’t have the optional extra of Business Interruption Insurance, UAA makes every effort possible to find ways to subrogate from another liable party and will bring in the uninsured losses.

In these cases, many of these machines are still on finance and with UAA the loss of revenue also covers lease repayments.

In addition to such incidents, the years and costly legal exercises in defending a

client’s position with legal liability demands placed upon them, can be exhaustive and emotionally draining Mr. Grasso says.

“From our perspective, incidents are of major concern and UAA knows the industry is only going to get busier. We want clients to take stock of their business, understand what is happening at all levels and examine how to further mitigate potential risk and losses,” Mr. Grasso says.

He goes on to discuss the chain of responsibility when there is any incident and what impact this has on the industry in general and insurance premiums specifically, let alone liability exposures and in addition when there is an unfortunate fatality or injury.

“You are trying to do the best thing by the project and the construction company, but sometimes you have got to stop and think about the dangers of the task,” Mr. Grasso warns.

“If there is another bad year like 2019, UAA will have no option but to increase premiums, this is the only way we can remain in business and to provide protection to the industry.”

Mr. Grasso says with over 48 years of servicing the industry, UAA wants to make sure it remains viable to its customers for many more years to come.

“We can’t do it on our own, the industry needs to continue to fine tune OH&S practices and mitigate risks.”

As UAA is a local insurer, the business has a comprehensive understanding of Australian construction machinery, especially crane equipment.

Mr. Grasso says UAA will be there to best protect and encourage best practice safety for continual improvement of the industry. roadsonline.com.au

49

SHAPING OUR TRANSPORT FUTURE

THE RISE OF BIG DATA IN TRANSPORT ARRB HAS ANSWERS FOR THE MANY QUESTIONS AROUND USING BIG DATA WITHIN ROADS AND TRANSPORT. OUR NATIONAL TRANSPORT PERFORMANCE CENTRE TEAM EXPLAINS HOW WE DO IT.

Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge and Chief Executive Officer of ARRB, Michael Caltabiano opening the National Transport Performance Centre.

T

he Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) is a data organisation and has been using big data since before it was called ‘big data’.

ARRB uses the four major considerations of Big Data – which are sometimes misunderstood - every day for cutting edge research and to produce the robust foundations that help our clients stay safe and make informed decisions and policy.

ARRB has the ability and expertise to leverage Volume (size), Velocity (rate of exchange), Variety (multiple sources) and Veracity (gaps in data) – the cornerstones of Big Data - to generate an outcome for our clients.

Big data entered common language in the early 2000s.

By quickly looking back at this time, we can unpack how a world of big data was created.

During this time, the internet transformed from static websites (basically the online equivalent of a magazine) to dynamic websites, allowing users to interact with the content.

The emergence of these interactive 50

ROADS AUGUST APR/MAY2020 2016

websites allowed every click and key stroke to be gathered and the big four - Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon - began accumulating huge amounts of data.

Through the late 2000s, big data took a quantum leap with the widespread use of smart phones, adding location information to the big data pool.

Today and most relevant to the road transport industry, connected vehicles have caused the latest data explosion.

Any connected device with a GPS receiver, can provide data on where and how fast that device is travelling, and modern connected cars provide an even richer dataset from their array of sensors.

Modern cars with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can generate gigabytes of data every day.

This provides a wealth of new information, but it is also where big data problems begin. Working with big data is not easy.

The challenges include managing privacy and governance issues, combining data that is fragmented and inconsistent and the size of data that dramatically increases hosting, transfer and storage costs.

To meet these challenges ARRB formed the Advanced Technologies Lab which serves as ARRB’s data engine room.

It allows ARRB to work with partners and customers to solve these big data challenges.

To learn more about how ARRB’s Advanced Technologies Lab uses big data, visit our website at ntpc.arrb.com.au , and use the form at the bottom of the website page to get in contact.

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