Roads & Infrastructure September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

& INFRASTRUCTURE

SYDNEY METRO

CEO Jon Lamonte on transforming Sydney’s transportation

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CONSTRUCTION LIGHTING Auto Electrical Imports shine a light on safety MENTAL HEALTH AAPA highlights wellbeing

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SEPTEMBER 2020 CONTENTS

& INFRASTRUCTURE COVER STORY

14 Sydney Metro CEO Jon Lamonte explains the many factors that play into the construction of Australia’s largest public transport network.

AAPA

19 AAPA member profile Peter Tzelepis, Executive Director – Sales and Business Development at Geofabrics outlines his passion for recycled materials.

20 Mental health AAPA’s Tanja Conners and David Broadhurst from the Braveheart Freedom Fighters Foundation explain their endeavour to improve mental health outcomes in construction.

LIGHTING FEATURE

22 Shining a light As one of the most crucial safety aspects on a construction site, Auto Electrical Imports explains what is needed for the best lighting configuration.

ASPHALT IN ACTION

24 Material recycling Wirtgen clients detail their experiences with the Kleeman MOBIREX MR130 Z EVO2 mobile impact crusher to produce high quality road construction materials.

26 EME2 production The widely popular base course EME2 has been brought to Australia by SAMI Bitumen to offer a mix with enhanced performance possibilities.

30 Remixing transfer vehicles Hastings Deering explains how the Weiler remixing transfer vehicle helped improve production at the Sunshine Coast Airport upgrade.

32 Compact construction Simex Planers and Asphalt floats are made in Italy and sold throughout Australia to improve road and footpath construction.

34 Smart highways Robert Bryant, InEight EVP Asia Pacific, takes a look at the highway technology of tomorrow and its benefits for asset owners and road users.

36 Collaboration for innovation The team at Quality Fabrications and Engineering highlight the importance of collaboration with industry when manufacturing successful solutions.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS

38 Up-skilling with NON-DRILL The NON-DRILL handrail solution is now being used as part of a construction bootcamp to boost unique skills in the industry.

40 Structural walls for civil Dincel details its latest innovative structural walling solution with

a unique design to handle heavy construction work.

42 Connected with community During the COVID-19 pandemic NVC Precast has continued to safely operate and provide jobs in Melbourne’s North.

45 Cycling infrastructure Sydney and Melbourne are transforming their cities to accommodate for more cyclists as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roads & Infrastructure reports.

EVENTS

49 Women in industry awards Roads & Infrastructure details the winners of the Women in Industry awards showcasing great achievements in engineering and construction.

CONTRACTS AND TENDERS

50 Contracts in brief An update on some of the contracts and tenders recently awarded or put to market across the Australian infrastructure sector.

REGULARS 04 Editor’s note 06 News

29 Walking floor With an increasing range of recycled products used in construction, KEITH WALKING FLOOR has updated its walking floor technology to transport abrasive materials.

Image credit: Sydney Metro

TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT

Sydney Metro cavern at Martin Place.

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 ASSISTANT EDITOR Lauren Jones lauren.jones@primecreative.com.au

STAYING SAFE FROM BASIC SAFETY PROCEDURES to increased hygiene, comprehensive lighting or health and wellness strategies, the construction industry is working hard to look after its workers.

With 2020 filled with uncertainty, the industry has dialled down to the basics in ensuring that when projects are sped up, care of workers continues to be front of mind.

At the time of writing, any Victorian construction project that is allowed to continue must have in place a High Risk COVIDSafe plan. This framework is used to allow construction to carry on while protecting workers from contracting or spreading the virus.

At the same time projects all over the country are continuing to adhere to increased hygiene safety measures to ensure they can deliver the vital infrastructure the country is in need of.

While basic health and safety procedures are increased, we sat down with AAPA and the Braveheart Freedom Fighters Foundation who are working together to emphasise the significance of worker’s wellbeing. The pair are highlighting the importance of managing wellbeing whether in a work environment or after hours.

From toolbox talks, to daily meetings they are working to embed health and wellness into all construction company procedures to ensure workers are staying positive in what is a challenging time.

This month we speak to Auto Electrical Imports on another important safety consideration – lighting. The company takes us through important considerations for construction site lighting configurations to prevent fatigue and poor visibility.

The industry’s ability to quickly adapt to new COVIDSafe measures, while continuing to adopt and improve traditional site safety requirements is a testament to its flexibility.

Naturally, these changes mean the industry is well prepared to continue boosting the economy and its workers as the country begins to understand what COVID-normal might look like.

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 COVER IMAGE Sydney Metro/ Rusty Goat Media 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 & 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

MOST LEVEL CROSSING REMOVALS DEEMED ESSENTIAL IN VIC STATE OF DISASTER Critical infrastructure works, deemed by the Victorian Government are allowed to continue under Stage Four restrictions, with a reduced workforce and strict safety protocols.

With works underway on many level crossing removals across the state of Victoria, projects on the following train lines have been classified as essential: • Upfield line • Hurstbridge line • Craigieburn line • Frankston line • Lilydale line • Pakenham line • Ballarat line • Cranbourne line • Werribee line A small number of level crossing removals were deemed non-essential and work was paused on these projects on Monday 10th August 2020.

The Level Crossing Removal Project is continuing to work remotely on its projects in the planning and development phase.

To continue working through Stage Four restrictions site safety measures have

Some Level Crossing Removal Project sites are adapting to COVIDSafe plans in Victoria’s State of Disaster.

been increased to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Some measures implemented by the Level Crossing Removal Project teams include: • Reducing the number of workers on-site to support directions from the Chief Health Officer

• Making sure all construction sites have strict COVIDSafe Plans in place • Ensuring workers are wearing face coverings (unless they meet any of the criteria for an exception such as a medical condition or for OH&S guidelines) • Physical distancing measures • Increased hygiene practices.

INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA RELEASES NEW PRIORITIES TO LEAD COVID-19 RECOVERY Infrastructure Australia has released an updated edition of the 2020 Infrastructure Priority List, with projects worth more than $64 billion. The updated list presents 155 infrastructure proposals of national significance, expected to create jobs and boost the economy. Infrastructure Australia CEO, Romilly Madew, said the list was updated to highlight a number of new proposals and showcase the extended pipeline of investment.

“Australia is planning its recovery from a rolling series of crises: drought, flood, the bushfires and now COVID-19. As we look forward, the focus is on delivery and as the nation’s infrastructure advisory body, we are continuing to improve our ability to move quickly to identify investments that will improve productivity,” Madew said. She said this is about expanding the pipeline, keeping the economy growing, helping to create jobs and 6

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

attract investment.

“The Priority List is a critical tool in recovery, as it directs investment to the infrastructure projects that will kick-start economic growth and have the greatest returns for all Australians.” It is the first time the body has released its Priority List mid-year, in order to show the most recent priority proposals at a time where infrastructure investment is needed quickly. The updated Priority List includes five new projects, two new High Priority Initiatives and five new Priority Initiatives.

The M12 Motorway in Sydney is listed as a High Priority Project. Queensland regional road network safety improvements and the Brisbane northern suburbs corridor capacity, are High Priority Initiatives.

OTHER PRIORITY INITIATIVES ARE: • Browns Plains to South East Busway public transport connectivity, QLD

• Queensland inland freight route capacity and safety, QLD • Browns Plains to Beaudesert road capacity and safety, QLD • Mooloolah River Interchange capacity and safety, QLD • Australian Institute of Sport modernisation (AIS submission), ACT THE PRIORITY PROJECTS ARE: • More Trains, More Services Stage 2, NSW • Port Botany Rail Line Duplication & Cabramatta Passing Loop (ARTC submission), NSW • METRONET: Morley–Ellenbrook Line Project, WA • METRONET: High Capacity Signalling Project, WA Infrastructure Australia are assessing projects for the next formal edition of the Infrastructure Priority List which will be released in February 2021.

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NEWS

TUNNEL BORING MACHINES FROM SYDNEY METRO ARRIVE TO BUILD THE CROSS RIVER RAIL Two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) have arrived in Queensland, to be assembled and deployed to dig out the Cross River Rail tunnels. Tunnel construction is expected to start on the project in early 2021. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was another significant milestone in the progress of this transformational project.

“We know that to continue rebuilding Queensland’s economy, we must forge ahead with job-creating infrastructure like Cross River Rail,” Palaszczuk said. “Both of

these TBMs weigh 1350 tonnes which is about as heavy as four Boeing 747s.” She says they are the same machines that dug the Sydney Metro. Now they’ll get a full refit and refurbishment at Herrenknecht’s north-side facility, to prepare them to dig Brisbane’s first underground. “More than a dozen people have started working on the refit of the Cross River Rail TBMs, and that will increase to up to 35 people during peak activity – local jobs at a local factory. We’re also ready to give the machines new names

for their new task.” State Development Minister Kate Jones said the TBMs will be launched from the Woolloongabba Station site and will each dig a tunnel under the Brisbane River to the Albert Street Station.

They will then continue to the new Roma Street Station before emerging at the project’s northern portal at Normanby.

Currently 16 workers are refitting the TBM’s at Herrenknecht and an additional 15-20 workers are expected to start working on the TBM’s over the next nine months.

CONTRACTORS PROGRESS 40KM OF OUTBACK WAY SEALING IN WA

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The Wongutha Way Alliance will seal 40 kilometers of the Outback Way in WA.

The Wongutha Way Alliance has begun work to seal a 40 kilometre stretch of the Great Central Road on the Western Australian section of the Outback Way. In May 2020, a $20 million contract was awarded to the alliance for these works. CareyMC and Central Earthmoving Company are the two companies in the alliance. The Outback Way is a road connecting Western Australia to Queensland through the Northern Territory. Full sealing of the road is happening in stages and once completed it will become Australia’s third transcontinental highway. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, 8

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said pre-construction works to source gravel and water are well underway. The construction team are now preparing to start works on the first section 11 kilometres east of Laverton.

“The project includes the reconstruction and sealing the road surface, which will ultimately form part of the longer-term upgrade of the Outback Way,” McCormack says. “It will link Laverton in Western Australia’s Goldfields with Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and ultimately connecting to Winton in Queensland.”

Western Australian Minister for Transport and Planning Rita Saffioti said sealing

the Great Central Road would not only improve access significantly for local Aboriginal communities and industry, it would also provide a great Aussie Outback experience. “Sealing the Great Central Road will allow more visitors to travel this iconic route and experience a true Western Australian Outback adventure,” Saffioti said.

“I’m pleased to see the work being undertaken by the Wongutha Way Alliance to maximise the employment of local Aboriginal people.” She says Aboriginal employment on this project is expected to well exceed the WA Government’s nine per cent target for Aboriginal participation within the Goldfields. “This project embodies our commitment to providing long-term, sustainable employment opportunities for Western Australians in the most remote parts of WA.” Works are also expected to improve safety on the road which is known to suffer from corrugation, loose rocks and potholes. The $46.5 million project is jointly funded, with the Australian Government committing $37.2 million and the Western Australian Government $9.3 million. Sealing is expected to be completed on this 40 kilometre section by mid-2021. Then a further 40 kilometres is set to be upgraded in 2021-22.

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NEWS

CONTRACTORS LAY FIRST TRACK FOR THE $1.86B FORRESTFIELD-AIRPORT LINK Crews have laid the first kilometre of track for the Forrestfield-Airport Link, following the completion of the project’s two tunnels in April 2020. Australian company Martinus Rail, as a subcontractor for the Salini Impregilo-NRW Joint Venture, will use more than 2,400 tonnes of Australianmanufactured steel in the track laying process, with around 40 kilometres of rail needed to form the track in each tunnel.

The rail began as 27.5 metre pieces of steel before being flash-butt welded into giant 220 metre strings. Multiple teams will work together to weld the lengths of rail, transport and lay the sleepers to make the skeleton track. Then concrete is poured to finish off the slab tracks. There

is also preparation work underway for the overhead line equipment, communications and signalling installations. Premier Mark McGowan said this year alone there are seven METRONET projects underway, providing a much needed boost for the local economy as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Track laying is one of the final major events on the construction of a rail line – it’s an exciting milestone for this $1.86 billion project, with more than 2,400 tonnes of Australian-made steel being prepared,” he said. “This project continues to provide opportunities for local businesses, with WA company Melchor recently announced as the builder of the multi-storey car park at High Wycombe Station.”

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said we’re at an exciting time for this major infrastructure project – the tunnel-boring machines have finished creating our tunnels, our three new stations are taking shape and track laying is now underway. “More than 2,400 tonnes of steel will soon become the new rail line that will carry thousands of people each day between the CBD, our airport and the south-eastern suburbs,” she said. The Forrestfield-Airport Link is set to open in 2021. It will provide a 20 minute rail link between the Perth CBD and the eastern suburbs with three new stations at Redcliffe, Airport Central and High Wycombe. The new rail line will be called the Airport Line when it opens.

THREE MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS FAST-TRACKED AMID REFORM FOR FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT LAWS The M12 Western Sydney Freeway Link, Coffs Harbour Bypass and a series of road infrastructure projects in WA will benefit from quick environmental approval times.

In June 2020, the Federal Government announced it would work with the states and territories to reduce the assessment and decision time frames for 15 major projects. Other projects include, rail and airport upgrades, water, gas, electricity and mining projects. These major projects were identified to have national or strategic significance, estimated to contribute more than $72 billion in public and private investment as well as supporting tens of thousands of jobs. While still subject to the same requirements under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation

Fifteen major projects are set to benefit from reduced environmental approval times.

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Act 1999 (EPBC) as all referred projects, the Federal Government will work with the states and territories to establish joint assessment teams. It is hoped the teams will reduce duplication in assessment processes.

Following these changes, Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley announced a new set of national environmental standards is set to be developed with state governments.

This was in response to the release of an interim report into Australia’s environmental laws. Professor Graeme Samuel’s interim report established that the existing EPBC Act has become cumbersome and does not serve the interests of the environment or business. “Not surprisingly, the statutory review is finding that 20-year-old legislation is struggling to meet the changing needs of the environment, agriculture, community planners and business,” Ley said. “This is our chance to ensure the right protection for our environment while also unlocking jobcreating projects to strengthen our economy and improve the livelihoods of every-day Australians. We can do both as part of the Australian Government’s COVID recovery plan.” On the basis of the interim report the Federal Government will commit to

priority areas starting with the development of national environmental standards that underpin new bilateral agreements with state governments. It will also discuss, with willing states, entering agreements for single touch approvals. This would remove duplication by giving states the power to carry out environmental assessments and approvals on behalf of the Federal Government. Alongside this the Federal Government will run a national engagement process to modernise the protection of indigenous cultural heritage, starting with a round table meeting of state indigenous and environment ministers. Finally, it will explore market-based solutions for better habitat restoration, which is hoped to significantly improve environmental outcomes while providing greater certainty for business. In line with the interim report findings existing framework for greenhouse gas and other emissions will not be expanded. The Federal Government is also not considering the establishment of an independent regulator.

With infrastructure projects set to be a major economic boost during the COVID-19 recovery, cutting environmental approval times could get projects underway faster.

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NEWS

LOCAL MANUFACTURER PRODUCES CROSS RIVER RAIL TUNNEL SEGMENTS The workers at Wagners Precast facility in Wacol, Queensland are busy producing 25,000 concrete segments for a $40 million contract on the Cross River Rail project.

A team of 70 are working to create the segments which are 27 centimetres thick and 1.7 metres long. The segments will be used to line the rail tunnels.

Once in production Wagners estimates it will produce 140 segments each day.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced work had begun at the facility.

“Construction is a vital part of our plan for Queensland’s continued economic recovery from the global impact of COVID-19, and the Cross River Rail project has multiple aspects – building new stations, drilling tunnels and manufacturing materials,” Palaszczuk said. “In this case here at Wacol we have a 100 per cent Queenslandowned company employing local workers

to build the concrete walls that will line the 5.9 kilometres of twin tunnels.” She says 7,500 jobs will be created over the life of the Cross River Rail project with 450 opportunities for apprentices and trainees, some of whom work at Wagners Precast. More than 570 training hours were delivered in May at the Wagners facility alone. “Wagners’ work with Cross River Rail is a great example of what we can achieve by prioritising local companies and local employees.” Wagners CEO Cameron Coleman said the company was looking for an opportunity to contribute to this transformational project and is pleased that work is now underway on the massive task to produce the required 25,000 concrete segments. “This means more job security for existing staff and new job opportunities for the extra staff we will take on now that work has started,” he said. “COVID-19

obviously has everyone worried, so the start of work couldn’t come soon enough and its fantastic that the Government has been able to keep going with construction of Cross River Rail.” State Development Minister Kate Jones said it was a significant moment to see work starting in order to deliver the 25,000 precast concrete segments required for the tunnels. “Major infrastructure projects like Cross River Rail are exactly what our economy needs right now,” Jones said. She said the magnitude of the Wacol facility was staggering, with more than 70,000 cubic metres of land as well as a storage capacity of 28,000 cubic metres.

“They’ll need every bit of this space to store these tunnel segments.” Jones said if you lay the 25,000 segments they’ll produce for Cross River Rail end-to-end you’d reach from Wacol to the heart of Brisbane City with a few segments to spare.

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RUBBLE FROM THE M1 REUSED TO REBUILD FIRE TRAILS IN THE CENTRAL COAST More than 30,000 tonnes of rubble and rocks that were once part of the M1 Pacific Motorway have been used to rebuild fire trails across the Central Coast. The idea is tipped to be a plan that could be rolled out state-wide. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said Transport for NSW had partnered with Central Coast Council to donate excess rubble and rocks from the upgrade to help reinforce council’s fire trail network, saving money and time for both parties. “This truly was a win-win situation because Transport for NSW saved on transportation and processing costs, while Central Coast Council tripled its fire trail reinforcement program at no extra cost,” Toole said. He said hundreds of homes are still standing because fire fighters were able to hold back the blaze while standing on a reinforced trail. “The huge success of this project means the initiative could be used right across the state, so that we can forge ahead with vital infrastructure projects while doing our bit for the environment 12

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Transport for NSW donated excess rubble and rocks to Central Coast Council.

and local communities.” Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch praised Transport for NSW and Central Coast Council for their role in helping local Rural Fire Service brigades save homes during the bushfires. “In the past three years, Central Coast Council has been using excess material provided at no cost by Transport for NSW for fire trail construction on existing road reserves,” Crouch said. “Rural Fire Service volunteers

were truly heroic in their successful efforts to save homes and lives here on Arizona Road in Charmhaven, but the reinforcement of this trail in the months beforehand played a key role in that outcome.”

Rural Fire Service Superintendent Viki Campbell said the strength of the upgraded trails gave local brigades a firm foundation for holding back the fire that swept through on New Year’s Eve. “Fire trails play a very important role in accessing fires and bringing them under control,” Campbell said. Central Coast Council Environmental Unit Manager Luke Sulkowski said the program increased capacity to maintain the local fire trail network. “This saving on material supply has meant Central Coast Council has completed about three times the quantity of improvements we would have normally achieved within our budget,” Sulkowski said.

“Rough estimates on cost savings over three years would be $930,000 for material and about $500,000 for rock reuse.”

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THE METRO SYDNEY METRO IS THE LARGEST PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IN AUSTRALIA. IT INCLUDES FOUR SEPARATE TRAIN LINES, TUNNELS UNDER SYDNEY HARBOUR AND, BY 2024, 31 STATIONS. WE CATCH UP WITH SYDNEY METRO CEO JON LAMONTE TO SEE WHERE THE PROJECT IS AT AND WHAT IS STILL TO COME.

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SW Government population projections suggest Greater Sydney’s population will grow to approximately 6.6 million in 2036, which is more people than the current population of Singapore.

With 5.7 million people, Singapore is hailed as one of the best cities for public transport in the world. The Mass Rapid Transit system buses and subways make it simple for people to move around the city. The same cannot be said about Sydney.

In 2012 the NSW Government announced Sydney Rail’s Future: Modernising Sydney’s Trains, which included plans for a North West Rail Link and a possible second harbour crossing.

This became a reality in 2014 when the State Government announced the second harbour crossing to join the Bankstown line.

On June 4, 2015 former NSW Premier Mike Baird and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance 14

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announced the 66 kilometre high capacity rail line that would become the Sydney Metro Project.

The plan was to build the Sydney Metro Northwest, comprising of 36 kilometres of rail and the Sydney Metro City & Southwest with 30 kilometres of metro line, passing under Sydney Harbour.

Fast forward to 2019 and Sydney Metro’s first line, Metro North West was opened on May 26, with 13 metro stations and trains every four minutes in the peak.

For 2020, major works are focused on the second line, Sydney Metro City & Southwest, due to open in 2024. This line will have seven new metro stations and 11 upgraded stations.

To expand what is Australia’s largest public transport project even further, 2020 has seen the progression of a new Sydney Metro West line and the Western Sydney Airport line.

At the helm of this breadth of infrastructure works is Dr. Jon Lamonte,

CEO of Sydney Metro. Roads & Infrastructure sat down with him to get an update on project works and his hopes for how the rail will transform Greater Sydney.

CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS With the Metro North West completed eyes are now on the City & Southwest line for completion in four years’ time.

Jon Lamonte says with tunnelling now finished for the City & Southwest line, crews have been busy laying an invert slab as the concrete base for the rail track.

“The next big section of course is to lay the new tracks. It aids the logistics of getting things in and out of site and is the next stage to making us a real railway,” Lamonte says.

He says alongside this there will be work undertaken to create the power supplies, substations, high voltage and low voltage cables and other related infrastructure.

Systems Connect, a partnership between CPB Contractors and UGL will deliver these line-wide works.

Image credit: Sydney Metro

PROJECT REPORT

Workers at the Pitt Street North cavern.

restrictions and site requirements.

“The government said to us that they want us to keep going and we have absolutely kept going on construction sites everywhere,” Lamonte says.

“I have been on sites where we’ve had

toolbox meetings with everyone carefully distanced, standing on dots 2.5 metres apart. Central Station, for example, has markers with how far apart you must be as you go onto site. We also ensured extra masks were available to make sure those sites

Image credit: Sydney Metro

“We are also busy out at Tallawong, where the depot is and that’s going to be our critical stabling facility which we need to expand for City & Southwest,” Lamonte adds.

Like many other projects in 2020 Sydney Metro has adapted to COVID-19

Impression of the future Sydney Olympic Park Station.

roadsonline.com.au

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Image credit: Sydney Metro

The North Site at the future Martin Place Station.

can keep going.”

Lamonte says there have even been some accelerations in works due to lower levels of patronage across the transport network.

“At Central Station with less people on trains we have taken a little bit more of the station to build the northern concourse faster. We have been able, with help from Sydney Trains, to use construction hours more effectively, so some things we might have done at night we’ve done in the day just to get things done a little faster,” he says.

Even reduced traffic on the roads enabled the project team to work with the City of Sydney Council to allow more trucks to flow through and deliver material to sites.

“Wherever we can we have accelerated works and that is good because this is the way we are going to drive the economic recovery for Sydney and Australia, by keeping these jobs and keeping projects going,” Lamonte says.

“We have been talking about supply chain and where materials are coming from, but we’ve kept a good relationship with industry.

We’ve kept everything going.”

FUTURE METRO WEST The Greater Sydney Commission champion the idea of Sydney being split 16

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into three major city precincts. These are the Western Parkland City, Central River City and the Eastern Harbour City.

Ultimately over the next few decades the goal is to create these three cities where most residents live within 30 minutes of their jobs, education and important facilities.

Lamonte says Sydney Metro West provides a major artery for the Central River City right through to Parramatta.

With Expressions of Interest (EOIs) now out for tunnelling contracts on Metro West the project is expected to get underway next year.

“It will double the rail capacity of that corridor and for the first time places like Burwood North and The Bays are going to have access to rail,” he says.

To begin, 50 kilometres of tunnelling will be required for the Metro West, which will be the next stage to link up the metro train lines.

“We released the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) recently, in COVID times it’s hard to get community feedback using traditional engagement methods so we really had to think carefully about how best to do that,” Lamonte says.

“We talked to community about how to

do that in a digital way which is a first for us, and really get feedback in a different way from what we would normally. The huge number of views of our online portal we had just tells us how many people want to be involved. Community engagement is so important for us on these projects.”

The Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are now released for tunnelling in two stages.

The first from Westmead to Sydney Olympic Park and the second from the Park to The Bays.

“That was designed so we could offer packages to different players in the market and give opportunities to more firms,” Lamonte says.

“We have quality bids coming in for the EOIs and will follow the normal process to take them to Request For Tender (RFT) stage and then award next year.”

THE NEW WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT LINE In June 2020 it was announced that the Federal and NSW Governments had jointly committed a further $3.5 billion to the Western Sydney Airport Rail line, which will in total be an $11 billion project.

The first step to kick off this section

PROJECT REPORT

OPPORTUNITIES Repurposing spoil from the tunnels is one of a plethora of sustainability objectives and practices put into place across all sections of the Sydney Metro project.

“Social procurement and sustainability are really key for us. In sustainability terms we are proud of our credentials and the fact that we have 100 per cent offsets for power requirements for Metro North West and we will also have the same for City & Southwest,” Lamonte says.

Skills development and apprenticeships are another important component of future Sydney Metro projects such as the Western Sydney Airport line where the team is looking to take on around 250 apprenticeships.

“Increasing Aboriginal participation in our workforce and supply chain is really

important to Sydney Metro, we have done a lot of work with local community groups and our delivery partners to make sure that we create opportunities as well as setting requirements in our contracts to drive these,” Lamonte says.

The projects also focus on supporting skills development to address critical skills shortages and emerging technologies within the industry.

Sydney Metro sees health and safety as one of its critical responsibilities but also the opportunity to be an industry leader.

working hard to improve the communities their stations and rail will serve.

“One of the reasons that Sydney Metro was set up as a separate entity was about the precinct responsibilities that we have got. We are not just building the railway we are very much about transforming the space through place-making and doing the right thing for the community,” Lamonte says.

He says Waterloo Station and the surrounding precinct is a really good example of this.

“We are looking at a mix of social and

Tunnel Boring Machine Kathleen breaking through at Blues Point.

Image credit: Sydney Metro

of the metro will be to get a tunnelling package drawn up.

Set to open at the same time as Western Sydney Airport opens for passenger services, 2026, the window for construction is tight.

“This is a more complicated project than usual because it is part funded by Federal and State governments, so that is one level of complexity,” Lamonte says.

The second level of complexity he says is working with the Western Sydney Airport Company and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Authority to manage expectations of all three parties.

“We’ve got a lot of detailed conversations - between us we have steering groups, working groups and technical groups with the airport right now. We want to understand what their plan is and what their design is looking like for the terminal that we are going to serve.”

The Sydney Metro team will have a rail infrastructure deed to map out for this line, but despite complexities the relationship the team has with the airport is strong.

“We have been working with the airport for some time because if you go into the tunnels in central Sydney where has the spoil gone? It’s gone out to Western Sydney Airport to provide some of the base for their runways,” Lamonte says.

“We are looking at the efficiencies on this, where can we work together on utilities and where can we work together on other supply side issues. There are huge opportunities to work closely together and we have got the framework to do that.”

“Wherever we can raise the bar for health and safety we do. We want the highest standards for health and safety for all the people working with us,” Lamonte says.

“When tunnelling through sandstone in Sydney, cutting it with a roadheader or anything else you can release silica dust.

There is a real drive in Sydney Metro to focus on that to make sure we have the right controls in place to prevent silicosis because it’s an awful killer,” he says.

Not only does Sydney Metro work towards providing sustainable, social and safety outcomes but the project team is

affordable housing there and we are looking at preserving important parts of the precinct such as a heritage church,” Lamonte says.

“It’s probably a great example I would say of metro really making a difference to the community and doing something fundamental for people who otherwise wouldn’t have had that opportunity.”

As works on the Sydney Metro progress, it is fair to say these works will go a long way towards giving connected cities such as Singapore or London a run for their money. roadsonline.com.au

17

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AAPA MEMBER PROFILE: PETER TZELEPIS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GEOFABRICS FOR SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AAPA MEMBER AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME ONE? Geofabrics has been a AAPA member for over 30 years and the company were already members when I joined. We’ve enjoyed the rich association across all states and their members during this time. Their overall presence and interaction with the industry is great, by hosting various events breakfasts meetings and conferences.

made recycled geotextiles made from local recycled plastics.

6. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? The industry continues to innovate and deliver on significant infrastructure projects and challenges they are presented with.

It’s quite a dynamic industry that is the backbone of the Australian economy. It continues to grow, innovate and deliver projects faster.

2. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? I’m currently Executive Director of Geofabrics for sales and business development. My primary role is leading the team with customer relationships and business development predominantly on road projects and delivering our products.

3. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE? It’s working across all regions of Australia with different companies and authorities and seeing our solutions being used in key infrastructure projects that change our city landscapes and deliver safer road networks to regional communities. The best thing is having the opportunity to work with geotechnical engineers on challenging projects and seeing them successfully delivered.

4. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY? Given that my first exposure to the road industry was working with Geofabrics, one of the biggest achievements that I am proud of today is my contribution to grow the use of geosynthetic products into the industry.

Working with VicRoads to develop our paving fabrics for sealing major highways. We introduced paving fabrics into the Australian market in the 1980’s so we worked closely with VicRoads to commence trials on low volume roads. This involved many trials

Peter Tzelepis leads the team with customer relationships and business development.

across many regional areas before the road authorities approved this treatment.

5. WHAT IS A RECENT CHANGE YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THAT? The biggest change in the road industry that we have noticed is the industry’s increased desire to use geosynthetic solutions on difficult geotechnical situations. I strongly believe the asphalt industry has been very progressive, with seeking new technology with treatments. Another recent change is the shift to greener roads and the sustainability policies to move to use more recycled materials and Australian made products. This is really exciting for us, as a locally based manufacturer first producing geotextiles and pipes from Australian sourced recycled plastics and foremost the goal for us is to keep local economies moving with employment.

Earlier this year we launched Australian

7. HOW HAS BEING A MEMBER OF AAPA BENEFITED YOU IN THE INDUSTRY? It allows for the Geofabrics team and me to network amongst a highly experienced group of members on different issues and brings key people to industry discussions. The exposure to key government departments and national companies is great. It allows us to sit on a round-table with them to network and share technologies along with new opportunities. The AAPA family and its members is probably one association I enjoy the most.

8. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? We are encouraged by government spend and we continue to be very close to the road construction industry. Our goals for the future are to continue to increase awareness of our solutions and treatments for the roads sector. We will continue to lead as an Australian manufacturer of geosynthetics, invest in new technology and grow our sustainable product range. We want to continue our research with industry, as our roads will continue to be an important aspect of our daily lives, we travel on them for work and pleasure, our kids learn to drive on them. We feel like we are part of that furniture and we want to ensure our roads are safer and better whether its ride quality or pavement performance. roadsonline.com.au

19

YOUR ORGANISATION AND HEALTH AND WELLNESS

STRATEGIES

PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND SAFETY AND LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS IS THE MESSAGE AAPA AND THE BRAVEHEART FREEDOM FIGHTERS CHARITY ARE JOINTLY WORKING ON TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND EDUCATION AROUND THE HIGHLY TOPICAL AREA OF EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELLNESS. The Braveheart program focuses on these six underlying triggers for mental health.

I

n late March 2020, the World Health Organisation released a paper detailing mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the following months Australia’s unemployment rate jumped to 7.4 per cent, leaving manyuncertain about employment and stressed over financial burdens.

In 2018, Safe Work Australia reported 144

20

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

people were fatally injured at work and in the same year the Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded 3046 suicides across the country.

Long before the pandemic, a 2016 Mates in Construction report found the age adjusted suicide rate in Australia for those working in construction was 24.6 per 100,000, compared to 13.4 per 100,000 for those in other occupations.

This demonstrated the significant mental

health challenges faced in construction when operating as usual.

Recent changes to Victorian WorkSafe tolls are also highlighting the importance of a strong focus on good mental health.

In July 2020, the Victorian State Government broadened the criteria that defines a workplace death to include suicides attributable to a workplace health and safety failure, this will now be recognised in the WorkSafe toll.

As changes such as this come into effect, alongside the added pressures of COVID-19 stress on workers and organisations, mental health strategies might never have been more important.

The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) highlights that a Mental Health Strategy including a Psychological Health and Safety Policy is now embedded into legislative requirements, making it necessary for all companies and organisations to implement such. A strategy such as this will outline an organisation’s intent to help address the state of mind of their employees.

Any company has the duty under the Work Health and Safety Act to manage risks associated with exposure to work hazards that could result in physical or psychological harm. Safe Work Australia states this must ensure the health and safety of people at the workplace as much as reasonably practicable.

SafeWork Australia outlines organisational psychological hazards as job demands, job control, support, workplace relationships, role clarity, change management, recognition and reward and organisational justice.

The Braveheart Freedom Fighters Charity has already been working extensively with industry on developing and expanding their Health and Wellness Strategies to better focus on individual factors and aims to equip businesses and employees with the tools to prevent workers getting to a point of stress.

This tool comes in the form of an easily accessible App program that enforces why it’s crucial to embed good well-being practice into work-sites.

Working together with AAPA, Braveheart provides a targeted state of mind solution to the wider construction industry.

Founder David Broadhurst says while he understands the sentiment behind, ‘it’s okay to say you are not okay’, it is important to have strategies in place to ensure people do not reach the stage of not being okay.

“Legislation for mental health requirements in businesses has been around for a number of years and because of rising mental health issues now, it’s an even bigger focus,” Broadhurst says.

“So far industry has been focused on organisational factors that create a psychologically safe workplace, but not

The program is made to be implemented into an organisation’s business as usual practice.

individual factors.”

On an individual level the prevention steps are around protecting workers from workplace conflict and developing policies and procedures that set the standard for workplace behaviour.

Tanja Conners, Executive Director of Knowledge and Partnerships at AAPA, says the association wants to be able to provide industry with tools and accessibility to improve the state of mind of workers.

“We have partnered with Braveheart so that we will be able to give our members access to resources on state of mind and well-being.

We want to get to the point where we can send our members notifications with short videos to provide reminders about mental health,” Conners says.

“We can’t mandate that kind of work, but we can provide support and offer guidance on where people can go to get this information and who can assist on developing Health and Wellness Strategies and policies.”

The Braveheart program focuses on six underlying triggers for mental health, these are health and nutrition, sleep hygiene, financial literacy, effective communication, growth mindset and importance of purpose.

“Braveheart was set up to address these individual factors whether in construction or any other industry,” Broadhurst says.

He says a lot of organisations might simply create a policy everyone signs, and it can turn into a set and forget approach, that doesn’t change behaviour and thought processes. Braveheart’s app program has been developed to be a plug and play solution that can even be run as a video meeting.

“It can be easily integrated into business

processes, for example inductions, onboarding, toolbox talks, pre-starts and lunch and learn sessions,” Broadhurst says.

“The Codesafe App that hosts the Braveheart program uses short videos as the medium to demonstrate what good looks like, that helps people understand and decipher what should they be implementing at an individual level.”

He says it’s a solution that can become part of an organisation’s business as usual practice.

“On weekly toolbox meetings, the team leaders can share out a short video on sleep hygiene or mastering your money, as well as working at heights and working around mobile plant. That way we weave the psycho-social risk factors in with the physical risk factors,” Broadhurst says.

Conners says checking on people’s state of mind has been especially important thorough COVID-19, even AAPA team members suffered stress about new working environments and industry uncertainties.

“Often in construction it’s not normalised to show your feelings. Feelings are there to guide you and not to be hidden away so normalising mental health awareness will take the stigma away from different emotions,” she says.

While the construction industry has been able to continue in Australia through the pandemic, though in some cases with significantly reduced personnel, it is in no way immune to the many mental health impacts of the pandemic.

Work on site looks very different than ever before, social distancing, increased safety procedures and PPE measures mean connections with workmates are harder to keep up.

AAPA and Braveheart understand this only reinforces the importance of adhering to legislative mental health requirements but also ensuring every worker is equipped to increase their capacity to manage stress in all areas of their life.

If you need to talk to someone or need further support please call Lifeline at 13 11 14 Scan this barcode to learn more about the Braveheart program. roadsonline.com.au

21

Safety has always been a major focus for Auto Electrical Imports.

SHINING ON: CIVIL

CONSTRUCTION AS CONSTRUCTION HOURS ARE EXTENDED TO ADHERE TO NEW SAFETY REGULATIONS AND WINTER DAYLIGHT HOURS RESTRICT SIGHT, LIGHTING FOR PROJECTS IS EVER MORE CRUCIAL. AUTO ELECTRICAL IMPORTS EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTING THE RIGHT LIGHTING CONFIGURATIONS.

L

ighting is one of the most important factors in occupational health and safety on construction sites.

Whether it is for fatigue prevention, improving visibility or increasing safety through awareness of moving objects, lighting is an essential factor for all construction works.

In 1974 Norm Haupt, opened an electrical shop which began to boom around the time of the Commonwealth Games and World Expo. The business grew and eventually Haupt sold the shop before going into wholesale business. Starting with two people he grew Auto Electrical Imports to a team of 48.

“Ensuring safety for clients is the biggest part of our business. A lot of 22

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

the growth we have had is on the back of occupational health and safety,” Haupt says.

“We made a conscious decision in the 90s to step away from rotating parts and focus more on safety products because that is where we could see the growth and it hasn’t stopped since.”

The company is now a supplier of electrical products for plant and machinery, with expertise in the area of lighting. It is also the main distributor for NORDIC LIGHTS, a major lighting manufacturer based in Finland.

“Our lighting expertise is something the company has learnt over the years.

Most staff here have a background in auto electrical engineering. Since the mid

2000s lighting has become increasingly important and we have gained our knowledge as the technology evolved,” Haupt says.

He says one of the main concerns for industry, when it comes to lighting is fatigue. As many construction projects work through the night and fatigue can be a real threat to safety.

“If you haven’t got the right colour temperature lighting it can strain the operator’s eyes and fatigue the operator.

With the introduction HID’s in the early 2000s, lighting was able to come up to a level close to that of natural light which the sun produces this took away the strain from operator’s eyes reducing fatigue,” Haupt says.

LIGHTING FEATURE

“BEING ABLE TO OFFER A COMPREHENSIVE RANGE THAT CAN BE TAILORED TO SUIT SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS, IS ONE OF OUR REAL STRENGTHS. WE HAVE ALL AREAS OF LIGHTING AVAILABLE AND WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY AND SUPPORT, WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE AREAS COVERED.”

“Another advantage to having the correct lighting configurations is that if the operator has better visibility of the site, they are less likely to damage machinery. So it’s a win for safety and for cost savings.”

Haupt says it’s important to consider maintenance costs associated with lighting as well.

“You only want to buy quality lighting.

When you are working at night and a light fails, work may have to stop leading to major costs in downtime of machinery and staff.”

Luke Kindt, General Manager of Operations at Auto Electrical Imports says the company’s range of lighting for civil construction is broad.

“For a civil environment we have emergency lighting including beacons, lightbars and directional lights which capture the attention of road users and operators on-site. We then have worksite lights to increase visibility for the operator and prevent fatigue,” he says.

“Being able to offer a comprehensive range that can be tailored to suit specific requirements, is one of our real strengths.

We have all areas of lighting available and when it comes to safety and support, we have all of those areas covered.”

The business also has a manufacturing division that can customise products or build products for customers, adding value to the product for specific requirements.

“Along with this we can offer a computer generated light simulation for contractors to work out what lux and patterns they need for their machinery on any given site,” Kindt says.

The company’s latest worklamp from Nordic, the Scorpius PRO LED 445, is well suited to civil applications. Its compact body, shock and vibration absorption properties enable it to perform well around heavy machinery.

“It’s a light model with four different lenses that can be tailored to produce different light spreads and patterns,” Kindt says.

“The light is unique in a couple of ways, rather than simply including more LED

lights to increase light output they have created a more efficient design, using cutting edge LED’s which has allowed them to increase output while also keeping heat down and reducing the body size.”

The light was developed by Nordic over the course of three and a half years and uses a brand-new Nordic light lens material called Grilamed which has exceptional heat tolerance.

“Civil construction operators traditionally have had to use multiple smaller bodied lights to achieve the light output desired. With the Scorpius PRO LED 445 you are getting more output from a smaller unit. Meaning operators will require less lights per machine,” Kindt says.

“Most of the Nordic lights range is developed with a mining environment in mind, so with high vibration or high shock levels, these lights are designed to fit and

work in those environments.”

In conjunction with safety lighting, Auto Electrical Imports also offer a range of innovative safety solutions through their leading IONNIC brand.

From reversing alarms to reversing cameras and monitors and even birdseye-view cameras, the company provides a range of safety equipment for civil construction.

“We introduced to the Australian market a reversing alarm with broadband output so that it produces directional sound and focuses on the specific area where a warning is needed,” Kindt says.

The company is also developing a radio frequency tagging system which will alert machine operators to the proximity of potential hazards. Workers will carry a small tag in their pockets and operators will be warned if they are getting close to any workers.

“We want to give as many visual and audio aids to the operator while focusing warning into areas where they are needed,” Kindt says.

For more information about the next generation Scorpius PRO 445 call 1800 724 690 or visit https://www.ionnic.com/.

Starting with two people Norm Haupt grew Auto Electrical Imports to a team of 48.

roadsonline.com.au

23

Patten Pavement Service’s Kleemann crusher has crushed to the bottom of a client’s site for the first time in 15 years.

KLEEMANN...

THAT’S A RAP RENOWNED GERMAN MACHINERY MANUFACTURER KLEEMANN HAS BEEN PRODUCING CRUSHERS AND SCREENS FOR MINERAL PROCESSING SINCE THE 1920S. NOW, WIRTGEN IS BRINGING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY FROM THE OEM TO AUSTRALIA.

T

he finite nature of quarry materials has caused Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and recycled concrete to become increasingly crucial for the construction sector.

Recycling asphalt being incorporated into new road construction is not new. It’s now the normal and saves highly valued material being treated as waste.

During this process it is important to consider how an aged asphalt pavement can be recycled effectively ensuring the result is economically justifiable.

Kleemann GmbH is a member company of the worldwide Wirtgen Group and a business built on its expertise in crushing and screening.

The Kleemann MOBIREX MR130 Z EVO2 mobile impact crusher is used across many material processing applications from crushing and demolition waste, concrete through to asphalt. The Kleemann MR130 aims to excel at the economical processing of recovered asphalt for recycling.

INCREASED CAPACITY Patten Pavement Services is a Victorian road profiling business that crushes and produces construction materials.

Tony Ferguson, Operations Manager at Patten Pavement Services, says the business used other impactors in the past but with 24

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

our Wirtgen profilers it made sense to transition over to the Kleemann.

The other deciding factor was the strong after sales service that we provide PPS on the profilers, they knew that they were going to expect the same service when it come to the Kleemann product.

“We purchased the MR130 Z around a year ago and what we have found is that it has changed the business model for us in terms of crushing,” he says.

Ferguson explains that as the machine is diesel electric driven, as opposed to diesel hydraulic, the fuel savings per tonne are a significant benefit.

“In any given year we could go through anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 of hydraulic related expenses. We have found it’s also cut our fuel expenses, from the impactor, to almost half of what we were originally using,” he says.

“We have even gone to a bigger machine and we have a much better fuel economy for it with the electric drive.”

The design of the Kleemann is another factor that impressed Ferguson, he says in the past some machines struggled to remove contaminants with their returns systems. However, the recirculating conveyor has been successful in clearing out contaminants that keep going around and around thus eliminating the need for a

picker to manually remove the un-crushable material from the circuit.

“The operator can control the recirculating belt via a wireless remote control and stockpile it off to the side of the machine, which allows you to remove these contaminants from the crushing circuit. Then you simply bring the belt back in and you can start again, without stopping the entire machine and all of this can be done on the fly,” Ferguson says.

The new material flow concept on the Kleemann MR130 Z, aims to ensure that there is no restriction to the flow of the material, prevents blockages, reduces wear and increases the performance of the entire plant Some of the new elements of the Kleemann design include the independent double-deck pre-screen, a vibrating discharge chute or pan feeder under the crushing chamber as well as a new crusher with inlet geometry and rotor ledges technology.

Kleemann MOBIREX plants aim to crush stone so efficiently that the grain shape, grain size distribution and cleanness comply with strict standards for concrete and asphalt aggregates.

Ferguson says for one of his clients it wasn’t just the quality of the material produced that was so impressive.

“What they found to be the big difference was tonnes on the ground, and the reliability

ASPHALT IN ACTION

we could give them to produce crushed materials,” he says.

“This has allowed them to change their business model. We were able to crush to the bottom of their site in Dandenong, Victoria for the first time in 15 years and we now have done that at another of their sites too.”

CRITICAL SAVINGS Rostrevor Group is an emerging crushing and screening business, started by Cathal ClerkinParr 18 months ago.

Clerkin-Parr noticed a gap in the market and an opportunity when it came to asphalt recycling.

“When I was starting up the business, I had done some research into the best crushing and screening machine and from what I could tell the Kleemann was one to go for,” he says.

“One of the big things for me was simply how the machine was built and the quality of the finish. For me the quality of the welding was excellent on the Kleemann.”

He was also impressed by the fuel efficiency and ease of use due to the diesel electric drive running the machine.

“That was a winner for me, I’ve found by having a diesel electric drive machine versus that of a diesel hydraulic machine this alone brings our fuel consumption down by about two thirds overall. We used to use around 50-70 litres per hour depending on the material we put in the diesel hydraulic driven impactors, but the last 15 months we have averaged 27 litres per hour on the Kleemann,” Clerkin-Parr says.

“With the machine being diesel electric drive, it also makes operation really simple, instead of having thousands of litres of hydraulic fluid on site the diesel electric drive reduces this dramatically as the hydraulic components of the machine is drastically reduced. The electrical systems on board are also really good, using high quality components,” Clerkin-Parr says.

The Rostrevor Group uses the Kleemann for a range of materials including recycled asphalt, construction and demolition waste and rock.

Clerkin-Parr says one of the other great benefits of the machine is the material flow of the crusher.

The Kleemann MR130 Z has a fully automatic hydraulic gap setting system to adjust the close side settings with a push of a button. This works to improve the quality of the product but also the availability of the plant in combination with the effective overload protection system.

“When you feed material into the plant it goes from the pan feeder to a independent double deck pre-screen which opens up fractionally into the crusher. Material flows really nicely through the machine it doesn’t leak material or spill it out, it’s all kept in the machine which is great.”

He says in Australia it’s becoming ever more important; with some finite resources to use them to full capacity by recycling them at the end-of-life stage.

“With asphalt you can keep recycling it and that is one of the great things about the material,” Clerkin-Parr says.

Kyle Fredericks Crushing & Screening Buyer at Wirtgen Australia says there are significant considerations required when

recycling asphalt with bitumen recovery at the top of the list.

“In general, it can be said that asphalt in Australia is made to a defined specifications. The gradation of the typical dense graded materials follow a similar grading curve from the 4.75 millimetre sieve down,” he says.

“It’s critical to preserve the particle size distribution of the materials. The intention here is not to crush the aggregate and increase the percentage of fines, but rather to separate the aggregate particles without increasing the surface area of the material.”

Fredericks says the Kleemann is best suited to processing RAP because it breaks the asphalt into smaller clumps, minimising the effect of downsizing the gradation and helping to achieve the original asphalt gradation.

“With the MR130 crushing path design, the effect of downsizing is really reduced, the addition of the integrated screen means that only sized material can be taken straight to the stockpile for testing,” he says.

Throughout Australia and New Zealand there are now several Kleemann crushers working to produce different types of recycled materials. Fredericks says the machines used to process RAP have so far been highly effective.

For any Kleemann Crushing and Screening enquiries please contact: Kyle Fredericks, Wirtgen Australia Pty Ltd Kleemann Crushers & Screens – Vic, Tas & SA 0447 539 302 or kyle.fredericks@wirtgen-group.com

Rostrevor Group’s Kleemann mobile impact crusher on-site.

roadsonline.com.au

25

INVESTING IN

EME2

TAPPING INTO THE EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITIES OF COLAS GLOBAL GROUP, SAMI BITUMEN HAS SIGNIFICANTLY INVESTED IN RESEARCH, BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EME2 TECHNOLOGY TO HELP FACILITATE THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AS A HIGH PERFORMANCE STRUCTURAL BASE COURSE FOR AUSTRALIA.

SAMI’s EME2 is produced at its specialist Port-of-Brisbane facility.

E

nrobé à Module Élevé Class 2 or (EME2) asphalt was originally developed in France in the early 1990s and is currently widely used across the world. It has been used in more recent years in Southern Hemisphere countries like South Africa, Reunion, Mauritius and New Caledonia.

EME2 is a high modulus asphalt base course yielding very high stiffness, durability and significantly improved pavement performance.

In 2017, an Austroads report found more than 28,000 tonnes of EME2 had been laid across Australia and since then its popularity and demand has continued to increase.

The report stated that EME2 mix incorporates a very hard paving grade bitumen with a relatively high binder content, at around six per cent by mass.

To facilitate the usage of this generic structural asphalt material into Australia, SAMI Bitumen Technologies invested in binder engineering technology. It also worked closely with contractors and Australian road authorities to duplicate 26

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

the same performance expectations as achieved in France.

Key to the production of EME2 asphalt is having bitumen with the right binder properties which will ensure that the asphalt can achieve the target performance properties.

SAMI Bitumen Technologies is now a producer of EME2 binder in Australia, with most of the company’s product manufactured in a specialist facility at Portof-Brisbane in Queensland. SAMI has also recently commissioned a specialised facility in Kwinana so it could also supply the hard grade of bitumen to the Western Australian market.

Phil Stevens, SAMI’s Queensland State Manager says that the facility is home to an oxidising column which is generally required for obtaining a range of bitumen classes.

“Oxidisation changes the properties of the bitumen to a higher, stiffer grade in a controlled way. The idea is to be able to obtain stiffer grades of bitumen without detrimentally impacting on their quality,” he says.

“At our Port-of-Brisbane facility, we generally receive one grade of bitumen that we subsequently engineer into the range of grades that the market requires.”

Stevens says that in order to ensure the right oxidising parameters and conditions are being met, the experienced SAMI team consistently monitor the binder throughout the oxidation process.

“We are testing the product as it is discharged from the cargo vessel, in-line, in our storage tanks on-site, as it moves through the preheating stage, into the blowing column and then right through to the industrial base product that is produced.

Then we test it as it is corrected and finetuned to obtain the finished product, which is then finally tested for compliance.”

“That isn’t even where the quality monitoring finishes, as samples of the binder are taken at the point of loading into the road tanker, at point of delivery at the asphalt plant and from the mix production tank. For EME2 the constant quality focus is intense.”

Stevens says that fundamentally, it is the expertise of the SAMI team at the Port-ofBrisbane that ensures a quality final product.

“SAMI is able to consistently provide quality bitumen so that an asphalt contractor can always be assured the EME2 mix they manufacture will reflect mix design performance properties. That is due to the quality of the base bitumen we use, the state-of the-art equipment and our experienced and well-trained people.”

Iulian Man, SAMI’s Technical Services Manager, says SAMI Bitumen Technologies’ EME2 binder must meet stringent binder specifications but also it has to impart certain characteristics to the EME2 mix in order to meet the performance based specification.

“When EME2 technology was first introduced to Australia, the European specification for EME2 was implemented locally by the road authorities and through intense research and resource allocation, we managed to create an EME2 binder that met

ASPHALT NEWS

the full table of specifications,” Man says.

SAMI began their work to develop an EME2 binder for Australia in 2011 and together with other stakeholders from industry and government undertook the first EME2 demonstration trial in Queensland in 2014, which proved to be successful.

Since then, SAMI has been active in offering support to the asphalt contractors by conducting EME2 mix designs using local test methods and validating these mix designs in COLAS’s Central laboratory in Paris against the French standards.

One of the key advantages of EME2 is that locally available asphalt aggregates can be used in order to achieve a complying mix design. This means that the asphalt producer does not need to source special aggregates or provide additional equipment to produce EME2 asphalt.

EME2 is a generic product and AAPA have published a model specification to mimic the French standards for EME2 which has been used as the basis for other State Road Authority specifications. The mix design protocols and specification requirements have been adapted to Australian conditions.

Q-FE

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ROAD ANT

Q-FE

Man says the EME2 base course is highly recommended in heavy and very heavy traffic environments, including airport pavements.

He says the high stiffness and resilience of an EME2 base course can lead to a reduction in the design thickness to achieve quality structural performance.

“With EME2, the thickness of a base course layer may be reduced by up to 30 per cent when compared with a standard asphalt base course mix. This means that there is no need to use the same volume of construction materials and also dispose of less overburden materials, resulting in cost and environmental benefits,” Man says.

He says that alternatively, the choice may be that the thickness of the EME2 base course can be designed at the same thickness with that of a conventional mix course but with a longer expected design life.

“Ultimately, it is about the success of our clients, the stakeholders and the taxpayer because of the performance, economy in resources and the environmental benefits.”

Investing in core technologies to produce the specialised EME2 binder has been integral to SAMI Bitumen Technologies’

commitment to the market and community and the company will continue to invest in expanding and improving these capabilities.

This includes a large investment in resourcing SAMI’s Sydney laboratory with asphalt performance testing equipment and a laboratory scale blowing column.

“We already operate several oxidising columns at our facilities across the country with further capacity in the pipeline,” Man says.

“If you produce a EME2 binder only in Queensland for instance and it is needed for a project in Western Australia or Victoria, there is a significant transport cost and therefore we have to respond fast and in a cost-effective way to the market demands. As a consequence, we have made significant investment in equipment so that we can effectively supply EME2 binder across the country.”

SAMI Bitumen Technologies has already seen major growth in demand for its EME2 binder in Queensland and their expansion of EME2 binder production capabilities is expected to see its usage grow in other areas of the country.

Quality Fabrication & Engineering 36 Selby Rd Woori Yallock Vic Contact +613 5955 0000 Email sales@qualityfab.com.au

Australian designed Dual Control Forward Moving Aggregate Spreader.

Advanced safety features and versatility, year round use with the ability to fit multiple attachments.

Proudly Providing Precast Concrete Solutions to the Civil Construction Industry

We pride ourselves on working with our clients to provide quality products to specification, to schedule and within budget.

Our purpose built manufacturing facility specialises in all prestressed and precast concrete products including T-Beams, L-Beams, PSC Planks, PSRC Piles, Headstocks and columns.

We offer: Large scale pre tensioning casting beds and capacity for full mould development for bespoke precast concrete elements Large lift capacities and transport solutions Ancillary works such as anti-graffiti coating and specialist treatments Barrier rail and hand rail fabrication and installation A team of Drafters, Engineers, Technical Specialists and Designers We are VicRoads prequalified to R3, B3 and F20, RMS prequalified to C2 Complex prestressed concrete products. We hold ISO certifications to 9001 (Quality), 14001 (Environment) and 4801 and 45001 (Safety).

We have over 30 years of experience specialising in low maintenance precast concrete bridges.

When you work with the best, you deliver the best!

WWW.NVCPRECAST.COM.AU | info@nvcprecast.com.au | +61 3 5781-1984

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

WALKING FLOOR:

SAFETY AND FLEXIBILITY AS THE CIVIL CONSTRUCTION SECTOR BROADENS ITS SCOPE OF MATERIALS BEYOND TRADITIONAL VIRGIN AGGREGATES, KEITH WALKING FLOOR HAS ADAPTED ITS TECHNOLOGY TO SAFELY TRANSPORT A RANGE OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.

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EITH has adapted its proven WALKING FLOOR technology to the aggregate and asphalt industries, resulting in a safer, more efficient and versatile trailer.

With policies such as NSW’s Too Good to Waste Circular Economy Policy and Victoria’s Recycled First initiative the types of materials being used and transported to road construction projects continues to evolve.

Designed to handle a variety of bulk products KEITH WALKING FLOOR systems help to provide safe loading and unloading of road construction materials.

The horizontal unloading action of the WALKING FLOOR system is made of a series of floor slats, which are powered by a hydraulic drive to unload products in the field. While in motion, the floor slats remain horizontal, reciprocating sequentially and then in unison to convey the load.

This function can aid in situations on-site where the road surface may not be level or the material in the truck can shift and unload unevenly.

Zyggy Reinoga, Keith Walking Floor Australia Manager, says trailers with WALKING FLOOR systems safely unload on uneven ground; provide a controlled material discharge; and can unload in windy conditions.

“These trailers can also unload adjacent to other equipment as the risk of impact from other machinery is minimised as the trailer does not have to tip upwards,” he says.

For infrastructure works, KEITH WALKING FLOOR trailers hold the advantage of being able to unload underneath overhanging structures such as power cables and trees.

“KEITH WALKING FLOOR trailers can unload in under tunnels and bridges or even inside buildings as there is no need to raise the trailer when unloading,” Reinoga says.

Depending on the application and material KEITH WALKING FLOOR trailers can provide operators with flexible unloading options, to best suit each job.

“Unloading can be stopped or slowed as needed, allowing for the delivery of partial loads or loads at multiple locations,” Renigoa says.

“The systems also handle a variety of bulk materials, from abrasive products such as aggregate to lighter materials like wood chips. This provides operators with nearly unlimited back-hauling opportunities.”

KEITH has more than 40 years of experience engineering trailer unloading solutions. The company has constantly adapted its WALKING FLOOR technology to achieve a safe, efficient and simple material unloading process.

All systems are backed by a standard two year warranty on hydraulic components.

For more information on KEITH WALKING FLOOR products and its international locations, visit www.keithwalkingfloor.com or talk to Zyggy Reinoga on 0404 041 883.

The WALKING FLOOR system features a series of floor slats powered by a hydraulic drive.

Fast Fact KEITH’s unloading systems, which feature specialised highly wear-resistant steel slats, are particularly suited to conveying difficult and heavy abrasive loads most commonly found in the recycling, light construction and demolition sectors.

KEITH WALKING FLOOR systems are available in a wide range of profiles and thicknesses which can be tailored to the trailers primary application. The Steel V-9 Slat is specifically designed for heavy materials such as asphalt or aggregate. For more varied applications the Standard Steel and Aluminium slats can be used.

roadsonline.com.au

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TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

FORWARD THINKING

FOR REMIXING TRANSFER VEHICLES WEILER HAS CREATED A NEW STYLE OF REMIXING TRANSFER VEHICLE, DISTRIBUTED BY HASTINGS DEERING IN QLD AND NT. PAUL MONTGOMERY, GENERAL MANAGER AT BASE COURSE MANAGEMENT DETAILS ITS USE OF THE MACHINE ON A MAJOR PROJECT FOR SUNSHINE COAST AIRPORT.

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he Sunshine Coast Airport welcomes over one million passengers to Queensland each year. To prepare for future growth the airport’s ‘2040 and Beyond Plan’ includes a new runway.

Following planning and construction over the last four years, the runway opened in June 2020, ready to take its first planes as some flights resume following a travel ban as the result of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

A subcontractor for Downer, Base Course Management (BCM), assisted with the laying of asphalt on the runway.

Base Course Management is a specialist road profiling and construction business and is experienced with using the latest milling technology. For this project a remixing transfer vehicle (RTV) was required and BCM chose the Weiler E1650 with a 15-tonne capacity.

Paul Montgomery, General Manager at BCM says when the company researched the Weiler RTV it was clear that the machine would enable the business to continue leading in a whole new area of paving.

“The RTV produces benefits in reducing thermal segregation of the hot mix, removing truck-to-paver contact and provides 15-tonnes of storage in order to promote continuous paving,” Montgomery says.

As compaction of the asphalt mat can be

Base Course Management receiving the Weiler RTV.

affected with uneven temperatures, it is important to ensure the temperature of the asphalt being laid is constant. The Weiler RTV consistently mixes the asphalt as it is transferred to the paver, keeping the mix at a regulated temperature.

With the risk of a feeder truck hitting the paver and causing a bump in the mat, the Weiler RTV’s also act as a middle point, working to ensure the paver is not disrupted by the feeder truck. This reduces the risk of inconsistency in the pavement thickness.

“Continuous paving is a method that helps to achieve a bump free surface, due to the paving machine working at a constant pace,” Montgomery says.

“Each time a paver stops or changes its Base Course Management assisted with asphalt laying on the Sunshine Coast Airport runway.

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ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

speed it can result on a bump in the finished surface. The ability of the RTV to store and mix material, gives the crew an opportunity to stockpile material before starting. This allows the mix to continually feed into the paver without stopping once at work.”

Montgomery says the RTV also improved the ride count at the Sunshine Coast Airport project.

“Downer’s preference of RTV was the Weiler, due to the front mounted operator platform and its ability to handle “tough” mixes,” Montgomery says.

He says due to the forward-facing controls the operator has better vision of the site, making it a safer environment, with cameras to assist with any blind spots around the machine.

“There is also better ability to match paver production with variable speed conveyors, which allows less material segregation.

The machine even has four-wheel steering making it easier and quicker to manoeuvre.”

The operators at BCM were especially impressed with the visibility when using the RTV. “Many functions on the machine are automated, this reduces the need for the operator to focus attention on minor areas and frees them up to keep awareness on what is happening around

the machine,” Montgomery says.

“Generally speaking, the feedback has been very positive, and our operators are more than pleased to use it.”

Ryan Van Den Broek, Sales Manager of Road Construction and Infrastructure at Hastings Deering says the Weiler machine is setting the standard for RTV’s going forward.

“I think the front operating platform is the most important feature.

In the past we’ve had trouble with ladders coming up to a rear operating station. Having stairs instead of ladders at the front has a higher degree of safety,” Van Den Broek says.

“The other major feature would be the rear steer function. It’s a big machine and you need to have a lot of space to move a big machine around, but we can get it into a tight turning circles which is crucial on some sites.”

Traditionally with material transfer vehicles the operator would have to manually monitor the material levels that are transferred into the hopper, the Weiler E1650 has a built-in hopper level indicator with side lights.

“If levels aren’t monitored properly, the machine could be overloaded; causing possible crushing of stone and segregation of material. The lights are a clear indicator to both operator and dump man of the correct levels,” Van Den Broek says.

“All of these modifications and improvements have come from operators who said it would be nice to have these features on their RTV’s. The changes not only produce better return on investment but also make use of the machine more efficient.”

He says using the Weiler RTV on an airport is the kind of project where its use would be most beneficial.

“Airports are the most critical pavement work because of the speed and impact of the planes coming in. You need to have the best possible pavement by ensuring correct laying techniques and compaction; and having an even temperature spread across the mat is what is required to achieve this.”

The 15-tonne storage capacity of the Weiler E1650 also assists contractors to continue supplying mix to the paver in between truck rotation; reducing the likelihood of stopping and creating bumps in the pavement.

Hastings Deering also offer the Weiler 2850 RTV, which has an even larger capacity of 25 tonnes.

In addition to the features of the RTV, Hastings Deering’s support during commissioning and operating the machine is comprehensive.

A technical expert will spend a week on-site with the contractor ensuring the best operation of the RTV and will visit throughout the machine’s life to ensure its operating at full capability.

“Any time a customer needs extra training, we will always be there to support them with different forms of training. Now it can be harder due to COVID-19 but we are doing online training in some areas,” Van Den Broek says.

“We are currently doing virtual training, through our CAT Paving trainers based in Melbourne for several of our customers. This is becoming very common with current restrictions.”

More Weiler E1650 units are due to be put to work very soon. Both Downer and BCM will continue to use their RTV on many other projects moving forward.

“We are very pleased with the Weiler RTV and the support we received from Hastings Deering throughout the training period. This is the first major piece of equipment we have purchased away from our traditional equipment supplier and has given us the confidence to source more in the future,” Montgomery says.

QUICK, QUALITY

ROADWORKS

MADE IN ITALY AND IMPORTED TO AUSTRALIA BY R D WILLIAMS, SIMEX HYDRAULIC ATTACHMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO BE POWERFUL AND EFFICIENT. R D WILLIAMS HAS PARTNERED WITH A SPECIALIST DEALER NETWORK TO ENSURE ALL SALES, PARTS AND SERVICING IS PERFORMED BY A DEDICATED DEALER IN EACH STATE.

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he process of stabilising a road base when a pavement comes to the end of its life-cycle is becoming increasingly popular because of its recycling capability.

Due to the finite nature of some road base aggregates, reusing or recycling existing road base’s through stabilisation is important.

SIMEX PL high depth planers enable productive stabilisation or rehabilitation of existing roadways.

SIMEX PL HIGH DEPTH PLANER The SIMEX PL high depth planers enable contractors to crush and mix road base with stabilisation agents down to 350 millimetres.

Tino Vinella, Assistant Manager at Walkers Hammers, says the SIMEX PL high depth planers have a unique 110 litre water tank built into the rear pick up frame which reduces dust when working.

A Simex planer conveyor belt clearing a trench.

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“THE EFFICIENCY AND PRECISION OF THE SIMEX PLANER HELPS TO QUICKLY GET ROADS RUNNING AGAIN”

“This makes the Simex planer an all in one package, no need for added cost of fitting a water tank to the sides or roof top of your skid steer,” Vinella says.

The planers also have a self-levelling feature which aims to achieve constant depth in all conditions, to ensure all surfaces are cut to a precise level.

“Having the self-levelling feature on the SIMEX planers make for seamless contact with the road surface regardless of the angle you are working from,” Vinella says.

“Whether you are going forwards or backwards the Simex planer hits the surface and the skit plates will lay flat to achieve an accurate result.”

To power the cutter drum, hydraulic high displacement radial piston motors are used.

These can produce high torques even when running slow to maximise performance.

The machine is also designed with lateral support slides to ensure the best possible stability and reduce material overflows.

Vinella says the size of the SIMEX PL high depth planer can be a huge benefit when working on size restricted sites.

“The size of the skid steer and Simex planer combination enables contractors to get into tight spots where large profilers might not be able to reach,” he says.

This aids with precision in a variety of applications such as for municipal roads,

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

driveways, footpaths and many more.

“With road repairs time is of the essence as saving time also means saving money. In addition, the quicker the job is completed the less traffic is held up. The efficiency and precision of the Simex planer helps to quickly get roads running again,” Vinella says.

He says customers that have used the Simex planer are really pleased with the functionality of the levelling system and the depth control.

“One customer called us with a new concrete slab they found to be 50 millimetres too high. I suggested the Simex planer to grind off the top of the concrete,” Vinella says.

“They hired a skid steer and we hired out our Simex planer to them. The skid steer was fitted out with the Simex controller which activates and controls the planer and within 30 minutes the customer was milling the concrete.”

A Walkers Hammers technical expert was also on-site to instruct the customer on all the Simex functions and in the end the customer was impressed with the simplicity of operation.

SIMEX ASPHALT FLOATS With the success of the SIMEX planer, the dealer network also offers the Simex Asphalt Float.

The Asphalt Float is a compact attachment designed to lay asphalt or waste material to specific applications such as trenches, footpaths or road widening.

Vinella says the Asphalt Float can be mounted to many different sizes of skid steers, especially smaller units. They can also be used on backhoe loaders and front-end loaders at a maximum width of 1600 millimetres.

When using the Asphalt Float a contractor can lay asphalt on the footpath without having to pass over a newly laid road. This is enabled as the float extends laterally outside of the skid steer wheel up to 1.62 metres.

“The Simex Asphalt Floats have a large opening which enables more material to be spread or filled into a trench as the machine moves forward. This enables a very quick asphalt application which can be crucial on some job sites,” Vinella says.

Simex Asphalt Floats also feature a mechanically adjusted ‘scraper blade’ which allows the operator to set and adjust the final material thickness upon compaction to ensure the project

Simex Asphalt Floats are designed to lay asphalt to specific applications.

specifications are met.

“One of our customers had a long trench down the centre of the road that needed filling, but bad weather was closing in, which threatened to stop works for the day,” Vinella says.

“They decided to use their Simex Asphalt Float and they managed to backfill the trench before the bad weather hit. It even enabled them to complete the job and open the road sooner.”

An independent network of Simex dealers across Australia bring these products to Australian road construction projects and are dedicated to customer

set up and support efforts, by ensuring expert technicians are on hand for service or maintenance advice.

With experience across a range of sectors including civil works, earth moving, construction, demolition and mining, the team consistently work to ensure their equipment is operating to its highest standard.

The network includes: • Walkers Hammers (VIC and TAS) • Groundtec (NSW) • QLD Rock Breakers (QRB) (QLD and NT) • Total Rockbreaking Solutions (TRS) (WA) • Renex Equipment (SA)

A Simex planer working underneath a guardrail.

roadsonline.com.au

33

AUTOMATION

FROM THE GROUND UP

IN ANTICIPATION OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY, SMART HIGHWAYS ARE BEING BUILT TO IMPROVE THE DRIVER EXPERIENCE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT. INEIGHT’S ROB BRYANT EXPLAINS WHY THIS TECHNOLOGY OF TOMORROW SHOULD BE A STAPLE IN CONSTRUCTION NOW.

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he State of Electric Vehicle’s (EVs) in Australia 2019 report, by the EV Council of Australia revealed the global expansion of EV fleets, with more than 2.1 million electric vehicles sold in 2018. This marked a 64 per cent increase from 2017.

The same is reflected in Australia, according to the report sales of EVs in Australia in the first half of 2019 nearly doubled compared to the first half of 2018.

With the rise of EV’s comes the rise of autonomous vehicles and related technologies. While there are different stages of vehicle automation, cars sold in 34

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

Australia today already feature some of these early stages of autonomy. Lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking are examples of this.

The evolution of autonomus vehicle technology will in turn be the catalyst for change in the construction of a vehicle’s foundation, roads.

Known as smart highways, the technology that is set to match and complement autonomous and electric vehicles is beginning to be adopted during the design and construction of Australian road projects.

Smart highways include roads with sensors

built into the surface or overheads, that monitor the traffic flow, ground conditions and overall performance of a road.

As a major construction project management software provider, InEight is closely watching the rise of this technology and has recognised the importance of planning, design and documentation when creating the smart highways of tomorrow.

Executive Vice President of InEight Asia Pacific, Rob Bryant says the idea behind smart highways is to digitise a roadway asset so it ceases to be solely a hard asset and becomes a digital asset as well.

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

EVP of InEight Asia Pacific, Rob Bryant.

InEight is closely watching the rise of smart highway technology.

“The most sophisticated examples of smart highways monitor the surface and the environment of the highway for purposes of maintenance as well as detecting any movements or issues that may be occurring including traffic flows and the weather.”

“EVs and self-drive vehicles paired with smart highways which have the ability to contain information about the gradient, weather conditions, surface conditions and traffic conditions has exciting potential in applications for public transport, commercial and private autonomous vehicles,” Bryant says.

JOURNEY IMPROVEMENT If vehicles are able to pick up information from the roadway in real time, such as congestion information, condition reports and weather outlooks, the driver

experience could become very different to what we know now.

“The ability to monitor use, as well as enhance use for owners of automated vehicles is important. That could really incentivise the use a road for commercial vehicle operators, public transport and private vehicle users,” Bryant says.

“When we think about how people will use roads in the future, smart highways present the reason to have roads that not only avoid suburban traffic but automate journeys. Making the driving experience more manageable so that drivers know what is happening on the road and what is happening to their vehicle.”

Investing in this type of technology has the potential to turn roads from simple pieces of infrastructure to commercial assets.

“Both parties are getting a lot more information and for owners, the technology provides better return because the road becomes a more valuable asset,” Bryant says.

“Smart highways can be treated as a railway without rails, there is a predictability as to how the vehicle is going to travel, the information and signalling is part of that. You still have the flexibility everyone enjoys of a road, being able to enter and exit as you need, so it’s worth it.”

Bryant says the technology incorporated with smart highways will prompt greater use of road assets because commercial and public vehicles want to use the road. This applies especially if the road provides them with information and an overall experience not found on other roads.

ASSET MANAGEMENT The benefits of smart highways do not stop

with the road user, there are also a number of significant advantages provided to the road owner and contractor.

InEight was involved with the construction of the West Connex project in NSW, which is constructed as a smart highway, using InEight solutions through design and construction.

“We have remained engaged with the operator as they have started to access those same drawings, documents and models to help them move into the maintenance phase,” Bryant says.

“I think that is a good example of where the digital aspect becomes just as valuable as the physical components of a build. It allows them to see how the asset is constructed and what they need to consider as they plan and budget maintenance works too.”

Bryant says building a smart highway is much more complex than a traditional road.

Digital twins can be advantageous during the construction and design phase of these roads in order to track the asset over its lifecycle.

“A new level of requirement comes in, for the specification of smart highways so it means there is more involved than tarmac and concrete. There are a lot more electronic and digital aspects to road building now,” he says.

“Lots of different work has to go on to build sections of a smart roadway so digital building allows contractors to take a much more detailed view of materials required, schedules associated with building and then have that referenced in the construction phase and through to the operation and maintenance phases.”

The technology used to create smart highways can also monitor safety concerns or user issues and can enable these to be rectified promptly.

“It’s expensive and time consuming to send crews out to issues. If you can do that digitally and remotely, as you can with a smart highway, obviously there are benefits,” Bryant says.

While completely autonomous vehicles are not yet used widely on Australian roads, levels of this technology are being developed and integrated into cars now.

To prepare for the drivers of the future, roads can look to smart highway technology now.

“It’s not an isolated event anymore to just build a road. Smart roads are roads with IP built into them,” Bryant says. roadsonline.com.au

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TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

COLLABORATION CREATES

INNOVATION

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY HAS ENABLED QUALITY FABRICATION AND ENGINEERING TO COME UP WITH TAILORED SOLUTIONS FOR ROAD BUILDING IN AUSTRALIA. THE COMPANY EXPLAINS WHY COLLABORATION IS INTEGRAL TO SUCCESS.

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n April 2020, the world economic forum announced it found global internet traffic increased by about 30 per cent as COVID-19 spread across the globe.

The ability to stay connected during the COVID-19 era has fallen on mobile and internet communications and created a need for closer collaboration to ensure supply chains function seamlessly and effectively.

This is something the Quality Fabrication and Engineering (Q-FE) team know well.

The company and its staff have long been engaging with the road construction industry to provide innovative solutions for their machinery and equipment.

When VicRoads announced in 2016, its intention to mandate the use of forward moving aggregate spreading equipment, Q-FE used its extensive industry knowledge to design an innovative forward moving (dual control) aggregate spreader.

With the initial unit scoped, Q-FE engaged with industry to demonstrate and seek their feedback about practical and safety features whilst optimising the effectiveness of the machine.

From this the Q-FE team created the Road Ant, which is a dual controlled forward moving aggregate spreader that can be driven from either end.

David Lockwood, Q-FE’s head of sales, says the engineering and design components of the Road Ant, including optimising the line of sight and other operator safety features, came from collaborating with both road contractors and suppliers.

“Our Road Ant forward moving aggregate spreader puts the operator’s cabin right at the edge of the spreader so that when driven in a forward direction, the operator has a clear and unobstructed view of the work site,” Lockwood says.

“Q-FE’s approach is to leverage our extensive in-house expertise with the 36

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

practical experiences of the machinery operators so that our engineering designs and solutions are innovative yet also deliver the productivity and safety aspects that the road and infrastructure sectors demand.”

Glenn Hardiman, Q-FE’s General Manager, says that having been involved with the spray sealing industry over many years, the team knew that in southern parts of Australia the spray sealing season is only around six months long. This meant that any dedicated spray seal machines may not be used for the other half of the year.

“Our Road Ant machine is built to fit any standard Trout River body attachment and it can also be used conventional for transporting materials or to feed an asphalt paver. Meaning the truck can be used in the spray sealing off-season for other things,” he says.

“We listen to people in the industry because they are the experts. No one can tell you what the real issues are other than the people using the machines out on the road.”

Hardiman says the experience the team has with the road building industry is another factor that drives innovation at the company.

“Many of us have hands on experience of working with this type of plant and equipment over the years. This gives us a good foundation when exploring design solutions,” he says.

After hearing about durability issues with some spray sealing brooms, Hardiman says the company also decided to design their own solution based on input and feedback from a then new player in the spray sealer industry in early 2000’s.

He says the design and robust build ensures durability and ease of use.

Lockwood says the company aims to be an innovative and practical design solutions company rather than just a machinery manufacturer. Part of this he says is down to

their collaboration with Australian suppliers.

“We are proudly Australian owned, and we proudly prefer Australian components and collaborate with those in the local manufacturing community. There is a lot of innovation and engineering within Australia, it’s just a matter of working out where they are and what they can do.”

He says local manufacturers are keen to invest in research and development to ensure they are providing local companies with the solutions they need.

Hardiman says innovation at Q-FE will continue to develop.

“We have a few ideas up our sleeve related to road building and maintenance machinery and equipment, and I would like to think our expertise and the relationships we’ve formed over the years with contractors, will keep us at the forefront of important solutions for the industry.”

For more information contact: sales@qualityfab.com.au or +613 5955 0000

The Q-FE team have long been engaging with the road construction industry.

1300 DINCEL www.dincel.com.au

Dincel 275 Profile Strength Tested at UTS Industry first innovation

By omitting steel reinforcement bars, Dincel 275 is able to offer the following benefits: L Faster, safer and less excavation resulting in incredibly cost-effective installation.

L Significant reduction in embodied energy and carbon footprint. (reduced steel manufacturing) L Exceptional concrete compaction, as the omission of horizontal steel reinforcement bars in particular enables unimpeded concrete flow.

When coupled with 275 Dincel’s unique ability to handle up to 300mm slump concrete, air-voids are not possible. Air-void free concrete in Dincel 275 ensures an increased asset life by preventing potential corrosion issues and eliminates the need for wall waterproofing.

The Dincel 275 profile, which contains a unique cylindrical formwork shell, has undergone strength testing at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

UTS has confirmed that 275 Dincel can be designed and installed without the use of steel reinforcement bars, consisting of the following concrete infill: Mass concrete, or Macro synthetic fibre (BarChip) reinforced concrete The testing was completed in accordance with the requirements of AS3600-2018 (Appendix B) and is certified by UTS as compliant with the National Construction Code ‘deemed-to-satisfy’ provisions for structural requirements.

In addition, the loading was applied onto Dincel 275 walls containing either early-age concrete (after 24 hours) or later-age concrete (after 28 days). Results demonstrate that Dincel 275 walls can be backfilled 24 hours following concrete infill (with appropriate bracing), which allows for construction of the superstructure to take place earlier.

For more information visit dincel.com.au Watch the 275 Dincel video Download The Dincel 275 Report

by UTS testing

Talk to the team on 1300 DINCEL

MORE THAN A

SOLUTION

AS THE POPULARITY OF NON-DRILL GROWS, THE TEAM AT THE HELM OF THE HANDRAIL SOLUTION COMPANY ARE EXPLORING WAYS TO SUPPORT THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY THROUGH LOCAL MANUFACTURING AND UP-SKILLING.

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andrail solutions are an essential safety aspect of many major infrastructure projects.

One solution works to speed up the installation process of handrails on precast projects. By planning ahead, NON-DRILL handrails can be attached to existing precast lifting anchors and simply tightened by hand into place.

After five years on the market, NONDRILL founder, Paul Breen says the solution is becoming widely known in the industry.

“The NON-DRILL connection is finding many other uses, beyond just handrails, clients are thinking outside the square and using our connection on existing anchors, on precast structures or having them placed in in-situ pours for many applications to avoid drilling,” Breen says.

The company has newly designed its jig for easy placement and installation using existing anchors on precast stormwater lintels as an example. So far, the solution has been used on a range of different projects including securing props for columns, retaining walls, signposts and for hoarding on jersey barriers. It has also

NON-DRILL posts simply connect to lifting anchors, no drilling required.

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NON-DRILL connection used to place and form lintels.

been used to secure clamps for building works, as temporary edge protection for train platforms and much more.

“We are bombarded with requests where very innovative thinkers are finding many ways to utilise our connection,” Breen says.

NON-DRILL removes the need to drill into precast structures, leaving the wall undamaged. It also reduces the threat of silica dust onsite, as drilling into concrete is not required.

“The speed to install NON-DRILL handrails or other solutions is significant, so from that you can save labour costs and reduce the risk of human error as the point of connection is planned in advance and cast into the concrete as it’s poured,” Breen says.

Amid the growing success of NONDRILL, the team wanted to explore how it could further serve the infrastructure industry and community.

“All of these new ideas for designs using the NON-DRILL attachment

NON-DRILL connection used to install hoarding.

encouraged us to set up our own in-house manufacturing unit to meet demand and bring the manufacturing of this product back into the local economy,” Breen says.

The team are currently in the process of making this transition, researching markets to ensure NON-DRILL can be made onshore.

NON-DRILL is also working closely with its sister company, Productivity Bootcamp, also started by Paul Breen.

Productivity Bootcamp aims to expose young people to the niche sectors of the construction industry, so that innovation and advancements can be continued well into the future.

The Productivity Bootcamp is a practical, comprehensive and on the job, eight-week course. It was developed to replicate a real worksite environment where the students are exposed to many different sectors of the construction industry.

“Our real focus for the Productivity Bootcamp is arming student with the basic skills to support them for the first six months

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – HANDRAILS

“ALL OF THESE NEW IDEAS FOR DESIGNS USING THE NON-DRILL ATTACHMENT ENCOURAGED US TO SET UP OUR OWN INHOUSE MANUFACTURING UNIT TO MEET DEMAND AND BRING THE MANUFACTURING OF THIS PRODUCT BACK INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.”

Productivity Force installing NON-DRILL on site, in this example it’s used to erect chain-wire fencing.

of their working life to assist tradespeople of their chosen career,” Breen says.

“Typically, young people leaving school only think of the traditional trades, carpentry, plumbing and electrical, and we need to expose them to many more industries to build our nation’s infrastructure.”

As part of this course a NON-DRILL station is set up to expose students to the handrail industry.

“The course in return helped us get our first apprentice metal fabricator and also helped us grow our pipeline of crews to install our system,” Breen says.

“Without the Productivity Bootcamp attracting skilled workers in specific sectors of the industry that are nontraditional trades, such as this, could have

FAST FACT: Suitable for both precast structures and in situ pours, by adding anchor points during the design phase, the NON-DRILL Handrail System has been engineered with safety and efficiency in mind.

NON-DRILL is a new handrail system that attaches to existing 1.3, 2.5, 5 and 10 tonne lifting anchors, along with hairpins and 20mm ferrules, on precast structures.

NON-DRILL is suitable for RE walls, Retaining Walls, Culvert Cells, ChainWire fencing, Bridge Decks and Parapets.

been a struggle.”

As the borders close to many international workers, as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, it is important to employ and skill local people. This not only provides jobs and helps to stimulate the economy, but it also gives back to the local community.

Recently the federal government introduced the $2 billion Job Trainer package, in response to COVID-19. The package is aimed at giving Australians access to new skills through retraining or upskilling, in order to provide better employment prospects.

While the federal government is working with its state government counterparts to develop a list of qualifications and skill sets that are in demand, programs like the Productivity Bootcamp are already boosting knowledge in niche construction works.

“The federal government are putting a lot of emphasis into Australian made products and training Australian employees in the roles we need to build and better our nation,” Breen says.

“This has hugely encouraged NON-DRILL and Productivity Bootcamp to support Australian made products and local talent that are keen to become part of the infrastructure industry, which really is the backbone of the Australian economy.”

Breen says NON-DRILL is more than just a handrail solution, now it is a business supporting local manufacturing and local jobs.

To find out more about NON-DRILL visit www.non-drill.com.au or call +61 409 541 384.

The Productivity Bootcamp teaches students in a replicated worksite environment.

roadsonline.com.au

39

A CIVIL SOLUTION:

Dincel walling at the Gundagai Sewerage Plant.

DINCEL 275 A NEW WALLING SOLUTION FROM DINCEL STRUCTURAL WALLING WILL ENABLE CIVIL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO BYPASS THE USE OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT, IMPROVING A PROJECT’S PRODUCTIVITY AND CARBON FOOTPRINT.

S

trength tests by the University of Technology Sydney showed the Dincel 275, a new structural walling innovation, can be implemented without the use of steel reinforcement bars when in-filled with mass concrete, or macro synthetic fibre (BarChip) reinforced concrete.

Dincel (as a company) has been around for decades, its origins began in New South Wales as an engineering consulting business. In 2006 the business evolved to manufacture walling solutions.

The owner and inventor found there was a need to create a new walling system to speed up construction and make life simpler for construction workers.

This is where Dincel Structural Walling was born. The Dincel product has been used in a wide range of applications from residential and commercial to civil projects.

Dincel walling profiles are connected together with a simple snap lock joint

40

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

and filled with concrete. Once filled with concrete, the formwork stays in place and acts as a waterproof protective membrane.

The same applies to Dincel’s newer product, the Dincel 275. This product however, is specially designed for larger and heavier construction work.

Berkay Dincel, Director of Dincel Construction System, says one of the innovative aspects of the Dincel 275 is the unique design.

“The middle of the Dincel 275 formwork shell consists of a cylindrical ring which is unique. It gives the formwork quite a lot of strength” he says.

Dincel 275 can withstand high slump concrete, high pour lifts, and with the omission of horizontal steel reinforcement bars in particular, air void free concrete is ensured. The use of this profile helps to increase the asset’s life as potential corrosion issues are prevented and waterproofing of the wall is not required.

“Concrete walls are steel reinforced and we wanted to explore if we could create a wall solution for civil applications without steel bars in it at all.”

To ensure that the system is safe for use without steel reinforcement, Dincel partnered with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for extensive testing.

Tests were completed in line with Australian Standard 3600:2018 (Appendix B) for concrete structures. This sets out the minimum requirements for the design and construction of concrete building structures and members that contain reinforcing steel or tendons, or both.

“We tested the walls with mass concrete inside and then with a synthetic fibre concrete, without the use of steel bars,” Dincel says.

Each tested system was certified by UTS as compliant with the National Construction Code.

The Dincel 275 walls are also able to be back-filled 24 hours after the concrete in-

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – STRUCTURAL WALL

fill, as long as the walls are appropriately braced. This allows construction of the super structure to take place earlier.

To prove this, UTS undertook testing in which significant loading was applied onto the Dincel 275 walls containing both early age concrete (after 24 hours) and later age concrete (after 28 days).

Robert Merjane, Technical Manager at Dincel, says there are multiple benefits of the Dincel 275 product. These include speed, safety, lower cost, and sustainability.

“Steel for reinforcement can make up a significant cost on any project and reducing or eliminating the need for wall steel reinforcement can present huge saving opportunities,” Merjane says.

In its 2020 “Start with steel” report, the Grattan Institute stated steel contributes to a seven per cent share of global emissions.

“In terms of manufacturing, steel production is well known as one of the world’s largest sources of emissions, so reducing or eliminating the need for steel reinforcement can improve the overall carbon footprint of projects,” Merjane says.

He says there are also significant time savings to be had by using the Dincel 275 structural walling solution.

“There are two parts to the speed advantage, one is the product itself, the snap-lock action to connect the profiles significantly reduces the time spent building up formwork. Then second is after you pour the concrete, it doesn’t need to be stripped out of the Dincel protective formwork shell,” he says.

In early 2020, Dincel put its solution to the test at the Gundagai Sewerage Treatment Plant in NSW. Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s Sewerage Treatment Plant was around 100 years old and had been subject to flood damage.

Dincel Structural Walls were chosen to create new retaining walls at the plant, capable of withstanding a minimum one in 100-year flooding event.

The team created custom lengths of the Dincel 275 profile for the plant and the contractors DET Constructions were impressed with the results.

David Tout from DET Constructions estimated using Dincel 275 walling achieved cost savings of around 60 per cent per square metre of the retaining wall.

He said, in an interview with Dincel,

An on-site detention tank using Dincel Walling.

“IN TERMS OF MANUFACTURING, STEEL PRODUCTION IS WELL KNOWN AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST SOURCES OF EMISSIONS, SO REDUCING OR ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR STEEL REINFORCEMENT CAN IMPROVE THE OVERALL CARBON FOOTPRINT OF PROJECTS.” that with conventional formwork often a crane would be needed alongside more workers on site. However, using Dincel 275 eliminated the need for a crane as workers simply snapped the Dincel wall formwork into place.

Tout also found the walling solution was particularly easy to install with minimal bracing required.

So far, the Dincel 275 solution has been

used across a wide range of projects such as culverts, retaining walls, detention tanks, walkway tunnels, batching plant walls and even sea walls.

As an Australian invented and manufactured product, Dincel Structural Walling is excited for this product to grow in the Australian market and change the way walls are built across civil construction projects.

Top view of the Dincel 275 formwork shell.

roadsonline.com.au

41

PRECAST TO BUILD A

COMMUNITY

NVC PRECAST HAS BEEN GROWING ALONGSIDE THE KILMORE COMMUNITY FOR 30 YEARS AND EVEN IN THE FACE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE COMPANY CONTINUES TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR VICTORIANS SUPPORTING CRUCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.

T

he rise of COVID-19 cases in Victoria throughout July caused the state government to declare a state of disaster and enact some of the toughest restrictions on businesses ever seen in Australia.

While the impact on the economy has been significant, some civil construction projects have been deemed an essential service to keep a part of the economy moving forward.

Based in Kilmore, which is subject to Stage Three restrictions, and with contracts for critical civil infrastructure projects such as some of the Level Crossing Removals and Westgate Tunnel Project, NVC Precast has continued to operate throughout the pandemic with social distancing and additional safety measures which comply with COVID Safe Plans in place.

The company supplies critical precast elements to projects, throughout Victoria, to enable construction to continue and provides many jobs for locals.

In addition to substantially increasing their workforce from the previous year, earlier this year the company was able to on-board three apprentices due to the growing number of jobs at the site.

These apprenticeships provided important opportunities for people in the community to gain skills, including steel fabrication and welding and training in the construction industry.

NVC Precast is one of Mitchell Shires’ large employers and securing work on major projects plays an important part in providing employment opportunities and job security for the workers and subcontractors throughout the region.

The company has also been a member of the Civil Contractors Federation Victoria 42

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

“COMPANIES LIKE NVC PRECAST HAVE A CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY IN BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROVIDING SUPPLIES FOR THAT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL STIMULATE ECONOMIC GROWTH IN PERIURBAN AREAS AND ALSO IN REGIONAL CITIES.”

(CCFV) for over 20 years and has even won awards through the federation, including excellence in civil construction.

CCFV CEO John Kilgour says NVC is an important Victorian supplier of precast concrete with many key clients such as the Victorian Department of Transport.

“A company like NVC Precast are at the very fabric and heart of the community, they are an integral part of that community. They provide the services and products that are used in our everyday lives,” Kilgour says.

“If you think about long-term social and

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS - PRECAST

economic growth, the foundations of that need to be laid in the construction sector by providing gainful employment.”

He says coming through the pandemic the social and economic recovery is going to be led by the building and construction sector, given its size and scale and its importance to government.

Kilgour says companies like NVC Precast are conducting services and providing materials that will help build communities.

With Metropolitan Melbourne’s population set to almost double to around eight million by 2050 and Victoria’s population estimated to grow to 10 million he says its important peri-urban communities can grow.

“It’s not about being a satellite city of Melbourne, you need to create jobs and build communities where people live,” Kilgour says.

“Companies like NVC Precast have a critical role to play in building the infrastructure and providing supplies for that infrastructure that will stimulate economic growth in peri-urban areas and also in regional cities.”

Kilgour says by 2027, around 17 per cent of the current construction workforce will be of retirement age meaning it is critical NVC Precast was able to on-board three apprentices due to a growing number of jobs.

NVC Precast supplies critical precast elements to projects throughout Victoria.

to get younger people trained in the industry.

“Over the past four or five years we have seen a significant in-pour of new people coming into the industry off the back of programs like Victoria’s Big Build,” he says.

Having construction businesses such as NVC Precast in Kilmore, spread out across Victoria allows young people to learn new skills and enter the industry in their hometowns.

“Within regional communities when you start talking about the connectivity of those communities and the building of the foundations for those major projects people can walk away being proud of the legacy they leave,” he says.

Liliana Musolino, Field Operations Manager at MEGT, works with NVC Precast to ensure the apprenticeships are successful and create a positive impact in the community.

“Some of the apprentices we sign go on to eventually create their own business and employ apprentices of the next generation,” Musolino says.

“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.”

As part of the Kilmore and Mitchell Shire communities, NVC is based in Victoria’s

fastest growing Local Government Area, according to the Victoria in Future 2019 report.

Mitchell Shire Mayor David Lowe says as the fastest growing municipality it is focused on creating a healthy, sustainable and connected community now and into the future.

“We’re working to bring more jobs to our towns through our strong planning principles and guidelines that will support our continued business growth and investment.” he says.

With its ability to provide continued sustainable employment, bring on apprentices and gain contracts on major projects, NVC Precast is contributing to these goals.

As the unemployment rate for the country reached 7.4 per cent in June 2020, NVC Precast has strict COVID-19 measures in place to best ensure it can keep people working and continue to provide essential precast elements to major projects.

The company hopes to continue growing and supporting the community of Kilmore by being a part of projects that transform infrastructure in the area and towns across Victoria.

For more information on NVC Precast visit www.nvcprecast.com.au NOTE: photos for this article were taken prior to Covid-19. roadsonline.com.au

43

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INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – CYCLING

PEDAL TO THE

METAL

The City of Sydney is set to fast track six major cycling lanes.

AFTER REPORTS OF A MAJOR INCREASE IN CYCLING ACTIVITY DURING LOCKDOWN THE CITY OF MELBOURNE AND THE CITY OF SYDNEY ARE JOINING MANY OTHERS AROUND THE WORLD TO FAST TRACK BIKE LANES AND GIVE COMMUTERS A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

A

Bicycle Network survey of recreational traffic across 13 sites in Melbourne found that the number of people using bikes during its April stage three lockdown weekend count period went up by 296 per cent.

The organisation said these numbers lined up with another survey they had done which showed a major increase in bicycle purchases across Australia during the lockdown period.

In addition, in May 2020 Forbes reported

one bike shop had seen an increase of 667 per cent for sales of entry level bicycles, up on the year before.

Citing the huge increase in cycling activity across Melbourne, the City of Melbourne Transport portfolio Chair roadsonline.com.au

45

Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley joined Lord Mayor Sally Capp to announce the fast-tracking of 40 kilometres of bike lanes into Melbourne CBD. The lanes will be built in two stages as part of a $16 million project. The first 20 kilometres will be delivered over the next year.

The City of Sydney has also announced it will fast track six major cycling lanes throughout its municipality. With 40 per cent of residents in the City of Sydney that don’t own a car, the bike lanes will provide an alternative to public transport or walking.

Creating protected bike lanes was an objective outlined in the City of Melbourne’s Transport strategy 2030. This highlighted a goal to make Melbourne into the country’s leading bicycle city by creating more than 50 kilometres of protected bicycle lanes.

Similarly, the City of Sydney’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 also highlighted the need for sustainable transport options such as creating safe and accessible cycling paths.

QUICK CONSTRUCTION City of Melbourne Transport portfolio Chair Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley explains there is an element of temporary nature to the protected bike lanes.

“We have known for a long time that there has been an increase in demand for bike lanes for our cyclists and when we do 46

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

introduce more protected bike lanes we see more cyclists come onto our roads.”

He says the infrastructure will be quick to deliver so it means that we can get the city working quickly and experience the idea of coming in on a bike.

“We will use plastics, rubber and recycled materials that can be installed quickly so we can accelerate bike lane delivery. The infrastructure we install will be functional for years to come and can be progressively replaced with fixed lanes over time as required.”

City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp says the council is piloting and trialling new ways of implementing this strategy quickly and she thinks that is a terrific thing.

“We know through our procurement process that there are lots of great materials out there including ways in which we can create protected bike lanes using 100 per cent recycled materials, so we are going to get lots of benefits using this one strategy,” Capp says.

The first priority routes chosen for construction in Melbourne are Exhibition Street stage one (Flinders Street to Bourke Street), Rathdowne Street (Victoria Street to Faraday Street), William Street (Dudley Street to Flinders Street), Abbotsford Street (Flemington Road to Queensberry Street) and Swanston Street (around the University of Melbourne from Grattan Street to Cemetery Road).

These lanes will better connect

suburbs such as Carlton, East Melbourne, North Melbourne, Brunswick and West Melbourne to the city.

Works will kick off by installing 3.5 kilometres of protected bike lanes down Rathdowne and Exhibition streets, which at the time of writing in early July, have no protected bike lanes.

Gilley explains lots of different methods would be used to construct the lanes depending on their locations. This could include bollards, line markings, or creating a large space which can be backfilled with something else.

“We knew prior to COIVD that 30 per cent of people could be using a bicycle to get into the city but only about 10 per cent were. So as part of our consultation for our transport strategy we realised we could do something about creating space for cyclists,” he says.

“One of the things that COVID actually created was the opportunity for space in the city which allowed us to work with State Government and our own team about what the opportunity is right now to give that extra 20 per cent of people the opportunity to safely get into the city, enjoy the city and stay fit on a bike.”

In a statement, City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that as restrictions continue to ease, there is an urgent need to support more people to walk and ride and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We already have an extensive program

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – CYCLING

“When someone rides to work, they take a car off the road or free up space on public transport. This will be even invaluable when people start returning to the City and seek to maintain physical distancing.”

The City of Sydney will also use temporary footpath widening initiatives in areas of high pedestrian activity.

The first 20 kilometers of bike lanes into Melbourne CBD will be delivered over the next year.

of cycleways and public domain improvements, but we need short term tactical measures that can be implemented in weeks,” Moore said.

PROVIDING TRANSPORT OPTIONS Implementing safe cycling infrastructure is well recognised for increasing the number of people using bikes to get around.

Cities with more extensive cycling infrastructure such as London or Amsterdam tend to encourage more cyclists.

This idea is reflected in statistics for people that cycle to work. In 2017 the Australian census showed only 1.1 per cent of people used a bike to get to work across the country, compared with around five to six percent of the population of Great Britain (statistics accumulated from Cycling UK surveys).

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp says

this is especially important now because not only does it give people an alternative mode of transport to public transport, but it also helps to bring down congestion on streets and increase active transport.

“COVID-19 has heightened our recognition of the importance of bike lanes in the context of caution people will take around public transport,” she says.

She says the closer people get to the city the more crowded public transport becomes and initiatives like this will mean that people closer to the city will have more transport options as people begin to return.

“Priority lanes are important feeder lanes that connect suburbs to the city and they will encourage more people onto bicycles.”

“We really think this is about creating alternative transport modes, keeping people safe and being able to accommodate as many people moving in and around the city as possible,” she says.

The City of Melbourne and the Victorian State Government have jointly committed $16 million to the project.

AAPA 2020 State Industry Awards Ceremonies

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MEET THE WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

2020 WINNERS FOLLOWING A RECORD NUMBER OF NOMINATIONS, ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ANNOUNCES THE 2020 WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS.

T

his year saw the Women in Industry Awards take place online and across partner titles such as Roads & Infrastructure magazine.

As always, the awards seek to celebrate the outstanding success and industry work that women in traditionally male dominated industrial markets have achieved.

With a record number of nominations in 2020, the Women in Industry judges had a significant challenge picking winners across each of the categories.

This year categories included 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.

Roads & Infrastructure wishes to congratulate each of the winners and Social Leader of the Year: Jackie Lewis-Gray - BAE Systems Australia Rising Star of the Year: Alicia Heskett - Shell Australia (QGC) Business Development Success of the Year: Rachael Ashfield - ifm efector Industry Advocacy Award: Rose Read - National Waste & Recycling Industry Council Safety Advocacy Award: Nadine Youssef - Sydney Trains Mentor of the Year: Dayle Stevens - AGL Energy Excellence in Manufacturing: Rochelle Avinu - Leica Biosystems Excellence in Mining: Sarah Withell - Whitehaven Coal Limited Excellence in Engineering: Elizabeth Taylor - RedR International Excellence in Transport: Melissa Strong - Lindsay Australia Limited

Elizabeth Taylor (middle) , winner of the Excellence in Engineering award.

nominees for their outstanding work in each respective industry. Please see the list of winners in the breakout box.

Melissa Donald, National Association of Women in Operations board member, was one of six judges for the 2020 awards.

She says the calibre of nominees was so impressive, with a range of experience and backgrounds, which made judging challenging.

“As a passionate inclusion and diversity advocate, and as a Board Member of NAWO, it has been a pleasure judging the Women in Industry Awards, which so importantly recognises the achievements of women across different sectors who are driving positive change for future generations,” she says.

“Congratulations to the winners, whose achievements can inspire more women and men to pursue careers in operations and continue to drive better gender balance across all industries.”

The winner of the Excellence in Engineering award, Elizabeth Taylor is Chair of the Board at RedR International, a humanitarian response agency that selects, trains and deploys technical specialists.

Among her many achievements Taylor has worked to improve disaster response

overseas, enhance the purchasing potential of the Australian Defence Force and facilitate pathways for Australian-trained engineers to work overseas.

Taylor is an Officer of the Order of Australia for her contributions to engineering education and gender diversity and is one of the most influential leaders and women in the engineering profession in the country.

She is most proud of her work to increase diversity in universities and the participation of women in engineering after experiencing exclusion as a woman in the early stages of her career.

roadsonline.com.au

49

CONTRACT & TENDERS

CONTRACTS -- IN BRIEF ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE CONTRACTS AND TENDERS RECENTLY AWARDED OR PUT TO MARKET ACROSS THE AUSTRALIAN INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Preferred Proponent announced for $852M Bunbury Outer Ring Road The Southwest Connex Alliance has been named Preferred Proponent for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road in WA. Comprising of ACCIONA, NRW Contracting, MACA Civil, AECOM and Aurecon, the Southwest Connex Alliance are delighted to be named Preferred Proponents. The project scope includes investigation, design and construction of 27 kilometres of four lane dual carriageway. The construction phase will provide significant direct and indirect jobs that will benefit both the state and local community.

Decmil preferred proponent for $175M Albany Ring Road major project The Western Australian Government has named the Decmil Group Limited as preferred proponent to build the $175M Albany Ring Road project. Construction is scheduled to commence in September, and run through to 2023, with the contract set to be completed in two phases. The first phase is for the construction of a new interchange at Albany Highway and Menang Drive; construction of the section of the Ring Road south to Lancaster Road; and design of Phase Two. The second phase construction will begin once environmental approvals have been granted and will look to extend the Albany Ring Road from Lancaster Road to Princess Royal Drive.

Contractor wanted for a major works package in eastern Perth Request for Proposals has been launched for a major package of work including two grade separated interchanges in eastern Perth. As part of the package, the two grade separated interchanges are at the intersections of Great Eastern Highway Bypass and Roe Highway and the Great Eastern Highway Bypass and Abernethy Road. It will also include new cycling connections, the duplication of Abernethy Road between Grogan Road and the future intersection of Adelaide Street, the extension of Lloyd Street from Clayton Street to Lakes Road with a new bridge over the Helena River and finally an intersection 50

ROADS SEPTEMBER 2020

upgrade at the intersection of Abernethy Road and Kalamunda Road. Construction on the project is expected to start in 2021, subject to environmental and statutory approvals.

QUEENSLAND Tender released for $30M Strathpine Road Diverging Diamond Interchange The Queensland Government has put tenders out to market for the $30M Strathpine Road Diverging Diamond Interchange, expected to create 65 jobs.

Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said with a diverging diamond design, traffic will be switched to the other side of the road, eliminating the need to cross the path of oncoming cars or wait for a green light to turn right onto Gympie Arterial Road. Federal Member for Petrie Luke Howarth said the tender process to upgrade the Strathpine Road interchange in Brisbane’s north has been brought forward to allow initial works to begin later this year.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Contract awarded for investigation works on North South Corridor A contract for the investigations works, including further detailed geotechnical works, on the final 10.5 kilometre stretch of the North South Corridor has been awarded.

Golder Associates and WSP Australia have been awarded a $4.52 million contract to jointly undertake, from their Adelaide bases, the ground investigations work for the Torrens to Darlington Upgrade Project. Onsite investigations will be carried out across around 130 test sites beginning in August.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government Stephan Knoll said we are forging ahead with this mammoth project that will underpin thousands of jobs over the next decade and massively reduce travel times and congestion on one of our busiest roads.

Major contractors awarded seven-year SA road maintenance contracts 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 to DM Roads, Regional South to Fulton Hogan, Regional North to DM Roads, Outback to 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.

EOI’s opened for the $33M Flagstaff Road widening in SA Expressions of interest have been released for the widening of Flagstaff Road to a two-way dual carriageway. The South Australian Government is delivering a $33 million upgrade of Flagstaff Road between Hyland Avenue and Bonneyview Road. The works are hoped to improve road safety and bust traffic congestion. The road goes down to three lanes for 800 metres of the 3.3 kilometre length between Hyland Avenue and Bonneyview Road. This project will see a fourth lane built to ensure the entire stretch of road is a permanent two-way dual carriageway.

TASMANIA Local company awarded $3.8M tender for Great Eastern Drive upgrades A fourth contract of works has been awarded for the Great Eastern Drive in Tasmania, to a local company. Gradco is a Tasmanian civil contractor with a 65 year history. The company was awarded the $3.8 million contract for improvement works along the road. The upgrades come as part of the Tasmanian Government’s Road Package to support Tasmania’s Visitor Economy. In total the Great Eastern Drive Action Plan is supported by $30 million in funding to improve overall safety and travel reliability along the route. Another $4.5 million has also been committed to extend the route to Binalong Bay Road.

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