Roads & Infrastructure December 2019

DECEMBER 2019

& INFRASTRUCTURE

GETTING SOCIAL VALUE McConnell Dowell’s Rebecca Hendy on the influence of social procurement on major projects.

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INCOMING SAFETY CHANGES Safety barrier assessments revamped AAPA YEAR IN REVIEW Industry achievements over 2019

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DECEMBER 2019 CONTENTS

& INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIAL FEATURE: SAFETY 15 Austroads safety changes Austroads updates standards for safety barriers and cushions in Australia.

18 Increased terminal safety Ingal Civil details new changes to Austroads safety standards for crash terminals.

20 Safety for TMAs The Blade TMA by Innov8 already meets new safety standards coming into effect in 2021.

22 Construction-specific insurance TransWest and UAA discuss common industry issues with equipment insurance.

AAPA

25 AAPA member profile Nigel Cartledge from Ian Harrington Group looks back on his advancement in the industry.

26 AAPA year in review Carlos Rial, CEO of AAPA, reflects on a year of growth for the industry, common trends and technical advancements.

ASPHALT IN ACTION

30 EME2 in Kwinana Roads & Infrastructure explores SAMI’s new $30 million bitumen processing plant.

32 Training to last In listening to the needs of industry, Wirtgen Group is expanding its training program for road construction equipment.

34 Sealing solutions Road Maintenance owner reflects on crack sealing done decades ago which is still functional now, and gives insight into best practice procedures.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS

36 Modern procurement Roads & Infrastructure breaks down the increasing expectations from asset owners for the implementation of social and sustainable procurement values.

40 Driverless Vehicle Summit The 4th International Driverless Vehicle Summit announced an Australian-first driverless vehicle trial.

TECH & EQUIPMENT

44 Booming industry Boom Concrete Pumping owner details his latest purchase from Gough Industrial Solutions – the SANY SY30 concrete pump.

46 Supporting equipment Baxter Hire recently purchased Dynapac rollers from CEA Equipment, with the pair working to ensure downtime was unaffacted during a major project.

48 Going global SANY looks back on its history of growth, celebrating its first major order of machinery in Australia.

SOFTWARE

50 Kickstarting turnover InEight’s Rob Bryant explains how document controls are essential to project turnover success.

Redland City Council Mayor Karen Williams and Suncoast Asphalt General Manager Brendan Camilleri celebrate Queensland’s first recycled plastic road.

NATIONAL PRECAST

52 National Precast CEO Sarah Bachmann looks at upcoming industry harmonisation of road and bridge construction products.

EVENTS

54 Transport Future The National Transport Research Organisation’s inaugural awards nights celebrated people and projects shaping Australia’s transport future.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

56 Plastics with PolyPave Alex Fraser and Suncoast Asphalt work with Redland City Council to implement a Queensland-first project.

ARRB THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

58 100 per cent recycled ARRB researchers explore whether their new wheel tracking test could be the key to developing more recycled roads.

REGULARS 4 6

Editor’s note News

roadsonline.com.au

3

& INFRASTRUCTURE PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

LOOKING BACK WHAT A YEAR IT HAS BEEN FOR THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION SECTOR, with changes to safety barrier standards, IMO 2020 and Victoria’s Big Build reaching a record $14.2 billion.

The new changes to safety barrier and crash cushion standards are important, with Austroads updating its guidelines to meet standards set by the American Association of Highway and Transportation.

The Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) standards, explained on page 15, will lead to a more comprehensive test phase of new safety barriers. Meanwhile, existing ones will still have a functional life based on the purpose of the original installation.

Additionally, MASH increases impact testing of crash cushions from 20 to 25 degrees, allowing for greater impact energy and comprehensive trials of the barriers.

The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) has also had a big year and Roads & Infrastructure caught up with CEO Carlos Rial to discuss some of the milestones in 2019, detailed on page 26.

Among them is harmonisation of the test methods for asphalt, an achievement that AAPA has been working on for a long time and cemented through the 2017 AAPA National Proficiency Testing Round.

AAPA is now working with asphalt specifiers, including road agencies, local government and consultants towards harmonisation to align everyone to one set of specifications.

Advancing renewable materials in roads is another major forward step Rial identifies in 2019, with technical advancements in plastic, rubber and glass. As Downer’s Executive Manager Road Services Dante Cremasco highlighted at the AAPA Conference, the recycled roads movement even inspired a visit from the Prime Minister this year to Downer’s Rosehill Detritus Facility. ScoMo extolled the virtues of using recycled materials in roads, holding in his hands a piece of asphalt made from 83 per cent recycled material.

In 2019-20 alone, Victoria’s infrastructure will reach a record $14.2 billion and average $13.4 billion a year over the forward estimates. While projects like the North East Link and removal of 25 level crossing removals are welcome, AAPA more broadly is concerned about industry’s capacity to deliver more projects.

As a result, it started to provide annual reports on the matter to give government the confidence to continue to invest.

In other news, I was delighted to touch down in Sydney for the fourth International Driverless Vehicle Summit. There’s a lot of background work going into forging Australia’s driverless future. Read more on page 40.

We also welcome the Australian Road Research Board’s first contributor piece on page 58, looking at bringing the nation one step closer to 100 per cent recycled roads.

No doubt there will be a lot to talk about in 2020!

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

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

COPYRIGHT

Toli Papadopoulos Managing Editor, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine

4

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

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

EOIS CALLED FOR $215M MITCHELL FREEWAY EXTENSION Contractors are invited to express interest for the Mitchell Freeway extension contract from Hester Avenue to Romeo Road.

EOIs are open for the design and construction of the 5.6-kilometre extension in Perth’s outer northern suburbs. The expansion will include the completion of the Mitchell Freeway interchange at Hester Avenue and a new freeway interchange at Lukin Drive.

A rail tunnel will also be constructed alongside the construction and connection of Romeo Road between Marmion Avenue and Wanneroo Road. Wanneroo Road will then

be duplicated for 1.8 kilometres between Romeo Road and Trian Road.

The freeway extension will service the rapidly growing north western suburbs of Butler, Yanchep, Alkimos and Eglinton as well as areas to the east including Nowergup. State government population forecasts indicate the area will be home to about 118,000 people by 2031 – about 1.5 times Mandurah’s population of around 80,000.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2020. This will rely on all environmental and heritage approvals being obtained.

The $215 Mitchell Freeway Extension project, Hester Avenue to Romeo

Road, is jointly funded by the Federal ($107.5 million) and Western Australian ($107.5 million) Governments. Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said an industry briefing will take place to help local businesses understand the procurement process. In addition, she said, it supports local capacity and capability to ensure surrounding companies are well-placed to take up opportunities.

“The project will provide employment opportunities for local workers and businesses, along with encouraging Aboriginal employment and engaging Aboriginal businesses,” she said.

BRUCE HIGHWAY $481M CONTRACT AWARDED FOR CAIRNS SOUTHERN ACCESS CORRIDOR STAGE THREE Once complete, the project will provide a link for the Bruce Highway from Gordonvale to Cairns CBD.

The biggest road project in Far North Queensland has awarded a construction contract for $481 million. The HSA Group, comprising John Holland, Seymour Whyte and AECOM, was awarded the construction contract for the BruceHighway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage Three – Edmonton to Gordonvale Stage Three project. TMinister for Infrastructure, 6

Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the project would significantly improvesafety on the busy two-lane section of the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Cairns. “This significant infrastructure investment in the Far North region will deliver an upgrade to an essential section of the Bruce Highway,” Mr. McCormack said.

He said the HSA Group has an excellent track record of successfully delivering major infrastructure projects in the North Queensland region. Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said construction of the $481 million jointly funded project was on track to start in 2020. “This project will duplicate and upgrade 10.5 kilometres of the Bruce Highway and relocate 4.7 kilometres of the North Coast rail line,” Mr. Bailey said.

He said once complete, it will provide a link for the Bruce Highway from Gordonvale to Cairns CBD. “As part of the tender process, the potential contractors demonstrated a commitment to engaging local employees and businesses.

“Tenderers were required to include information on how they would deliver the project using local personnel, resources, suppliers and subcontractors.”

Works are expected to be completed in 2023, weather permitting.

The Federal Government has committed $384.8 million to the Bruce Highway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage 3 – Edmonton to Gordonvale project with the Queensland Government contributing $96.2 million.

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

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NEWS

ALLIANCE AWARDED $542.4M LEVEL CROSSING CONTRACT The Victorian Government has awarded a $542.4 million contract to remove four level crossings and build two new stations. The project will remove level crossings at Bell Street, Munro Street, Reynard Street and Moreland Road.

The two new stations will be built at Coburg and Moreland.

The contract was awarded to an alliance of John Holland Group, Kellogg Brown & Root and Metro Trains Melbourne.

The team is currently removing the level crossing at High Street, Reservoir and building the new Reservoir Station.

As part of the project, pedestrian crossing lights along the Upfield bike path will be synchronised with the nearby Sydney

Road lights to help improve the flow of pedestrians and cyclists. Both new stations will offer lifts and stairs, a landscaped civic plaza and a total of 132 new bike parking spaces.

Investigative works and service relocations are underway in preparation for major construction next year. The level crossings will be gone in late 2020 and the open space ready for locals to enjoy in 2021.

Member for Pascoe Vale Lizzie Blandthorn said she is excited to soon see major works begin. “This important project will make the area precincts safer and deliver new open space for locals to enjoy.”

The project will remove level crossings at Bell Street, Munro Street, Reynard Street and Moreland Road.

SA COUNCILS TAKE PART IN CRUMB RUBBER TRIAL At least six South Australian councils have agreed to take part in a trial using crumb rubber derived from end-oflife truck tyres.

With funding from Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), a special gap graded asphalt modified with crumb rubber will replace regular asphalt on a number of roads.

The trial involves TSA, Topcoat Asphalt and the cities of Mitcham, Port Adelaide Enfield, Campbelltown, West Torrens, Onkaparinga and Sailsburg. The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure will provide technical advice.

TSA CEO Lina Goodman said the trial is the largest of its type conducted in Australia.

“These councils are playing a vital role in finding modern and environmentally sound solutions to a problematic waste problem,” Ms. Goodman said.

“South Australian councils are leading the way by embracing this landmark opportunity in the development of the circular economy in Australia.”

According to a TSA statement, the equivalent of 29 million passenger tyres are up-cycled, recycled or processed

locally for productive uses such as roads, playgrounds, polymers and tyre-derived fuels each year.

“But over 27 million passenger tyres in Australia are not being recycled. These often end up in landfill, stockpiles or are exported overseas,” the statement reads.

The trial will use the equivalent of roughly 3400 passenger vehicle tyres or more than 20,000 kilograms of crumb rubber. Each of the six sites will use what equates to 566 passenger tyres.

Topcoat Asphalt will mix the crumb rubber into a special high-grade mix, which, according to the statement, has a high rubber ratio.

“A similar trial was conducted earlier this year on a small section of road in the City of Mitcham which is so far showing positive results,” the statement reads.

“However, this larger trial will use a higher proportion of crumb rubber.”

Each trial site will consist of two adjacent road sections. One 200-metre section will contain the high-grade mix and the other will be normal asphalt.

The roads will be tested for resistance to rutting, susceptibility to cracking and moisture damage over

a minimum of two years.

TopCoat Asphalt Technical Manager Rod McArthur said testing in other countries shows crumb rubber from old tyres works well, or even outperforms, regular asphalt.

“This trial is about proving that the product works just as well here in South Australia, using the tried and tested Californian technology, without having to reinvent the wheel,” Mr. McArthur said.

City of Mitcham Principal Engineer Russel King said he believes more councils and other levels of government should be using crumb rubber technology in their roads.

“We have shown through our trial that it improves the performance of roads due to less cracking and it increases the life span,” Mr. King said.

Ms Goodman said using crumb rubber is a win-win for the rate payer and the environment.

“It’s time we saw old tyres as a valuable product that can be used to make roads last longer all around Australia,” Ms. Goodman said.

“The recent COAG announcement banning the export of old tyres is another reason governments should embrace this technology.” roadsonline.com.au

9

NEWS

CONTRACT AWARDED FOR $13M INTERSECTIONS OF ECHUCA-MOAMA BRIDGE

The $320 million Echuca-Moama Bridge project is jointly funded by the Federal, NSW and Victorian Governments.

The contract for the upgrade of the Cobb Highway’s Meninya Street and Perricoota Road intersections at Moama has been awarded. Excell Gray Bruni was selected to build the intersections after a competitive tender process called in April this year.

Work on the New South Wales intersection is expected to start in December and be completed in August 2021, with the new Murray River crossing expected to be complete in 2022. The project is being carried out in partnership with Major

Road Projects Victoria, which is managing the first three stages of the project. The Murray Valley Highway and Warren Street intersection upgrade was completed in mid-2018 the project’s first stage.

The Warren Street upgrade, part of stage two, is almost complete, while the new bridgeover the Campaspe and Murray Rivers, stage three of the project, will start in early 2020. The $320 million Echuca-Moama Bridge project is jointly funded by the Federal, NSW and Victorian

Governments. Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Roads and Infrastructure Chris Gulaptis said this upgrade will provide a key link to a safer and more efficient crossing of the Murray River . “The Echuca-Moama Bridge is used every day by so many people, both commuters and freight operators, and they’ve been crying out for upgrades to improve safety and reliability, so it’s really exciting that we’re one step closer to delivering that,” Mr. Gulaptis said.

MAJOR CONTRACTOR AWARDED $518M M80 RING ROAD UPGRADE The Victorian Government has awarded the contract to upgrade the section of the M80 Ring Road between Sydney Road and Edgars Road. CPB Contractors has been appointed to deliver the new lanes, entry and exit ramps and a freeway management system to boost capacity and improve safety. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the $518 million investment for the upgrade will make a state-shaping project. “This is 10

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

the fifth section of the Ring Road to be undertaken, bringing the M80 one step closer to the completion of a full upgrade.” Construction is expected to begin in early 2020 and the project is due for completion by early 2023. Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan says these improvements will make this section of the M80 much safer. “Since 2014, there have been a total of 88 crashes between Sydney Road and Edgars Road, resulting in 28 serious injury crashes and one fatality. Most of these crashes occur

in or on freeway on-and-off ramps or at on-and-off ramp merging lanes.” A freeway management system will be installed, featuring overhead electronic signs to provide real time travel information for drivers. The system includes overhead variable speed limits and ramp signals to manage access onto the Ring Road. Works to upgrade the road started in 2009.

The Federal and Victorian Governments are jointly investing $1 billion to the M80 Upgrade, which is being delivered

by Major Projects Victoria.

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NEWS

VICTORIA LAUNCHES WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION STRATEGY The Victorian Government is launching a new strategy to encourage more women to consider a career in construction.

Government figures show more women are active in the Victorian labour market than ever before, but they make up only two per cent of the workers in Australian construction, which is the country’s most male-dominated industry.

Minister for Industrial Relations Tim Pallas announced the launch of Victoria’s first Women in Construction Strategy, which will start with three programs.

The first is a new online jobs portal for women candidates who are looking for roles in the construction industry, providing employment opportunities, recruitment and training support, career counselling and resume services. A training program developed by the Victorian Trades Hall Council to create respectful relationships on construction sites will be the second program. This will see trained officers visit sites to educate workers

Women make up only two per cent of workers in Australian construction.

and employers about gendered violence in the workplace and how to best support others. The third initiative will be a new set of recruitment standards and practices for the construction industry, to be developed by the Master Buildings Association of Victoria. The

Women in Construction Strategy will receive $500,000 to implement its three key themes; attract, recruit and retain. It was developed alongside the Building Industry Consultative Council which is made up of employers, industry associations and unions.

COFFEE GROUNDS FOR A CONCRETE CIRCULAR ECONOMY Australia drinks 1.3 million cups of coffee daily and a new project from RMIT University could see the coffee waste turned into concrete used for homes or driveways.

An engineering lecturer and his students have looked to the construction industry for a novel solution to reduce the amount of coffee gounds going to landfill by using them in concrete.

With concrete mixes containing up to 80 per cent sand, the group found coffee grounds could replace up to 10 per cent of sand in concrete mixes. Sand is the third most used resource on the planet, but it is struggling to keep up with demand. Extracting sand from places with fragile ecosystems can also have a significant environmental impact. Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Infrastructure) honours students Senura Kohombange and 12

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

Anthony Abiad worked with Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering Dr Srikanth Venkatesan to test and develop ‘coffee bricks’. Mr. Kohombange said its seems fitting to be working on the project in Melbourne, a city known for its great coffee culture.

“We are very excited to present the project, share the idea with others and showcase how some innovative thinking can turn a waste product into an everyday construction material,” he said.

In 2017, the City of Melbourne was home to an estimated 2,600 cafes, producing around 156,000 kilograms of coffee-ground waste every month. Dr. Venkatesan said as a regular cappuccino drinker he was inspired to find a solution to the waste he was making each day. “The biggest challenge is ensuring the addition of spent coffee grinds does not lead to a reduction in

The group found coffee grounds can replace up to 10 per cent of sand in concrete mixes.

strength of concrete, and this is the focus of further testing and development to make this product viable for use in real-world applications,” he said.

Swinburne University did similar tests in 2016 to determine if coffee grounds could be used in subgrades. Lab testing indicated the mixture was strong enough to compare to other road binder materials. However, it is yet to be tested in practical applications to determine performance over time.

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SPECIAL FEATURE – SAFETY SAFETY

A NEW ANGLE FOR

BARRIER SAFETY

UPCOMING CHANGES TO THE WAY AUSTROADS ASSESSES SAFETY BARRIERS WILL SEE THOSE REACHING END-OF-LIFE REPLACED WITH NEW TESTED AND APPROVED PRODUCTS. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE EXAMINES THE NEW STANDARDS.

T

he Transport Accident Commission (TAC) estimates road safety barriers were hit 1700 times in 2017, reducing the severity of nearly 2000 crashes in Victoria.

Road barriers work to absorb energy and prevent severe or fatal crash outcomes. The TAC estimated barriers have the power to reduce head-on and run-off-road crashes by 85 per cent, ultimately saving lives.

To further increase safety on impact, Austroads updated its product submission criteria for all new safety barriers and devices.

From 31 December 2019, new wire and rope safety barriers and crash cushions need to comply with new guidelines and test criteria. The new Australian standards for all products will follow the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) guidelines, by the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials.

MASH will be used by Austroads as the

basis for assessing the submitted crash test of submitted products. Austroads will not assess any new products unless they have been tested or are referenced in-line with MASH guidelines.

Compared to previous testing standards, the MASH guidelines feature improvements such as changes to test vehicles to reflect modern cars. Changes to the number and impact conditions of test matrices will see further testing for vehicle impacts at different angles, increasing from the existing 20 to 25 degrees.

Changes to evaluation criteria, including updated test documentation requirements, increased component durability and greater work health and safety requirements will also apply. These will coincide with new features to the test guidelines such as the consideration of vehicle rebound during testing for crash cushions.

There will also be a new matrix for cable

(wire rope) barrier testing on slopes to represent off-road crashes that feature a trench.

AS/NZS 3845 is the current standard used

by Austroads and was published in 1999.

A revised version of the AS/NZS 3845 was published in 2015 which adopted the MASH guidelines as the basis for assessing crash testing after the US Transportation Research Board revised its testing conditions.

In 2018, the Austroads Safety Barrier Assessment Panel consulted with the safety barrier industry. In April, it advised that in line with the 2015 standard, Australia would transition its eligibility submission for assessment of safety barrier systems and devices. After consultation, Austroads released a timeframe for the transition to assessing new and existing products in-line with MASH. New standards came into effect for steel rail barriers and permanent concrete barriers

Austroads is incrementally updating its product submissions criteria for all new safety barriers and devices. roadsonline.com.au

15

on 31 December 2018, followed by new standards for terminals on 30 June 2019.

The next change will be for wire rope safety barriers and crash cushions on 31 December 2019. The final update will be for transitions, temporary barriers and part two products such as truck mounted attenuators on 31 December 2020.

David Bobbermen, Austroads Safety Program Manager, says the updated standards were partly a result of the changes to American Federal Highway Association eligibility criteria. In turn, it caused an increase in MASH-tested products being brought to the Australian market.

“Similar to improvements over time to the star ratings of vehicles, MASH guidelines incorporate current technology and the collective judgement and expertise of professionals in the field to improve roadside safety,” he says.

Austroads currently assesses new products in the following stages: document preassessment, technical pre-assessment, technical and risk assessment, assessment outcomes and feedback and technical conditions for use.

The comprehensive testing of crash barriers is crucial to ensure run-off-road crashes and head-on crashes with cushions are reduced in severity, saving lives.

“Safety barriers are intended to provide a more forgiving roadway and roadside by either containing or redirecting the vehicle away from roadside hazards without causing serious injury to vehicle occupants or to other motorists, pedestrians or workers,” Mr. Bobbermen says.

“Run-off-the-road and head-on crashes make up approximately 40 per cent and 10 per cent of road crashes respectively, which reflects the importance for treatments such as this in keeping pace with the context of vehicles and crashes.”

Following the new standards, existing safety barriers and devices installed on previous standards will still have a functional life based on the purpose of the original installation.

Mr. Bobbermen says existing barriers still provide a road safety benefit and through end-of-life cycle maintenance, these barriers and devices on the road network may be upgraded. Furthermore, full-scale crash testing alone does not qualify a safety barrier system or device as suitable for use 16

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

on the road network.

“There are a number of factors outlined in the standard considered during the evaluation process. This includes, but is not limited to, documentation, durability of components, workplace health and safety requirements during installation and maintenance and compliance with other Australian Standards.

“The introduction of a new standard allows road authorities to take advantage of the new MASH products on a priority basis in the context of all road safety treatments.”

Although asset owners are responsible for making decisions to implement road safety barriers and devices, in some cases, the maintenance responsibility may be transferred to another entity.

Road contractors are still responsible for ensuring products are competently installed as specified by the product supplier.

“The introduction of MASH safety barriers and devices allows road authorities to consider contemporary mitigation treatments in response to industry progress, market trends and changes in vehicle size,” Mr. Bobbermen says.

The Local Government Association for South Australia (LGA SA) represents councils that manage 11 per cent, or 75,000 kilometres of the nation’s local road network.

While there is no statewide data for the percentage of these roads supported with safety barriers, LGA SA estimates there are

Asset owners will need to ensure new products being implemented on projects comply with specifications and the MASH standard.

over 56,000 kilometres of unsealed local roads in South Australia. However, road safety treatments at any particular location will be considered on a priority basis.

This leaves around 19,000 kilometres of road likely to already have safety barrier support, with barriers tested on the old standard, that may be considered for upgrades at end of life.

LGA SA Policy Director Lea Bacon says as with any developments in road safety standards and principles, councils will consider the latest safety treatments.

“South Australian councils will consider the South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure [DPTI] Guide to the Selection of Safety Barriers, which includes accepted and unaccepted safety barrier products,” Mr. Bacon says.

However, he notes changes to the Austroads standard on safety barriers may affect the range of products available to all road managers when replacing or implementing new safety barriers in the future.

He says so far, the LGA SA is not aware of any obstacles for councils around procuring safety barrier equipment.

“Councils may also seek advice as required from DPTI engineers or other road safety specialists when undertaking road works and the Austroads Guide to Road Design provides guidance in the production of safe, economical and efficient road designs.”

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SPECIAL FEATURE – SAFETY

NEXT GENERATION

SAFETY

IMMINENT CHANGES TO SAFETY BARRIER GUIDELINES ARE PROMPTING THE AUSTRALIAN ROAD SAFETY INDUSTRY TO CREATE HIGHER QUALITY ROADSIDE SAFETY BARRIERS AND CRASH TERMINALS.

U

pdated Australian standards containing revised criteria for impact performance evaluation of highway safety features will take effect next year.

The new standards by Austroads are expected to further protect drivers in crashes on Australian roads by strengthening barriers and increasing performance for impacts at various angles and load weights.

Since its introduction in 1999, the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/ NZS 3845 has utilised NCHRP Report 350 guidelines as the basis for testing protocols to assess safety barrier related hardware and devices.

The recent revision of this standard, Part 1:2015 and Part 2:2017, recognised the introduction of the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) guidelines, and nominated MASH as a starting point for crash testing. The MASH testing program contains revised criteria for impact performance evaluation for nearly all highway safety features.

Updates include increases in the size of several test vehicles to better match the size and shape of the current vehicle fleet, changes to the number and impact conditions of the test matrices and more objective, quantitative evaluation criteria.

For end-terminal and crash cushion testing, the MASH testing program introduced a wider range of impact angles compared to the old program, NCHRP-350. These include testing at five and 25 degree impact angles. The angle increase for the redirective capacity test represents a 73 per cent increase in impact energy compared to the previous Test Level three.

The need for increased scrutiny of terminal testing was reinforced after research published in 2016. A joint AASHTO-FHWA Taskforce on Guardrail Terminal Crash 18

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

Analysis identified several performance limitations for all types of extruding W-beam guardrail terminals reviewed in the study.

Common extruder type terminals in the Australian market include the MSKT (MASH Sequential Kinking Terminal), ET2000 Plus and the FLEAT (Flared Energy-Absorbing Terminal).

For side impacts, head-on/shallowangle corner impacts and head-on/ shallow-angle high-energy impacts, these terminals saw performance limitations with angled collisions.

To bring end-terminal technology up to new standards, Ingal introduced the new ETSS terminal. The product has been developed with increased tension-based anchoring of the rail to mitigate shallow-angle impact limitations.

According to Ingal, many of the older extruder type terminals extrude the W-beam rail out to the side upon impact.

The company points out this extrusion mechanism has good energy absorbing characteristics. However, a key drawback is that these terminals lose their anchor cable from most end-on impacts.

The ET-SS system uses a proprietary head with front anchored technology to anchor the W-beam from the loads exerted on the rail during an end-on or side vehicle impacts on the terminal.

From end-on impacts within the MASH criteria, the W-beam guardrail is flattened as it is guided through the head to the front anchor. This absorbs impact energy from the errant vehicle, bringing it to a

The capacity vehicle for the basic containment level, TL3, was increased from 2000kg up to 2270kg.

controlled and gradual stop.

The front anchor also minimises the deflection of the downstream guardrail system to help contain and redirect an errant vehicle.

With the W-beam remaining anchored and in line with the run of barrier, the risks to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians who may be behind the unit, are minimised.

The ET-SS system is MASH TL3 and TL2 compliant as a redirective, gating end terminal. The “point of need”, the point at which the barrier becomes redirective, is post three and the unit can be flared at a maximum rate of 1:25.

To offer further protection and for increased hazard awareness, a protective cover and post caps are also available.

The safety additions are particularly suitable for locations with a high volume of motorcycle traffic.

Made from a UV stabilised, proprietary polymer blend, the cover can help mitigate some of the snag points and also improve visibility of the upcoming roadside safety barrier.

For further information on the next generation of highway safety products, or how your state is making the transition to MASH, you can contact a local Ingal Civil representative on 1300 446 425.

New MASH Products Now Available from Ingal Civil

QuadGuard® M10 Crash Cushion

MASH

Reusable Non-Gating Redirective Crash Cushion The QuadGuard® M10 is a redirective, non-gating crash cushion that consists of an engineered steel nose and crushable, energy absorbing cartridges surrounded by a framework of steel QuadBeam™ panels. The system is tested to the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Test Level 3. It can be used to shield fixed objects of 610 mm wide.

The QuadGuard® M10 system utilises two types of cartridges in a configuration designed and tested to address vehicles as defined

by MASH for both lighter cars and heavier, high centre-of-gravity vehicles.

Advantages

• Self-supporting steel nose.

• Tension strut backup with Monorail guide stabilisers.

• Anchorage in concrete or asphalt (does not use anchoring chains or tension cables).

• High strength Quad-Beam™ panels.

• Damaged cartridges are replaceable

ET-SS

MASH

Front Anchored Technology

MASH End Terminal W-Beam End Treatment for End-on Impacts The MASH compliant ET-SS is the next generation of guardrail end terminal and is compliant to Test Level 3. The ET-SS system uses a proprietary head with front anchored technology to anchor the WBeam from the loads exerted on the rail during an end-on or side vehicle impacts on the terminal. This front anchor also minimises the deflection of the downstream guardrail system to help contain and redirect an errant vehicle.

Assembly Advantages

• Splices at mid-span of the posts allow for easy assembly.

• Vertically compressed rail is flattened and maintains connection • • •

to unit for quicker repair and clean up.

Slim design of the impact head, improving shy-line offset.

Compatible with various proprietary and public domain guardrail systems.

Protective cover available for vulnerable road users, ideal for shared use paths.

www.ingalcivil.com.au sales@ingalcivil.com.au

Sydney Brisbane Melbourne Perth

(02) 9827 3333 (07) 3489 9125 (03) 9358 4100 (08) 9452 9111

Optional System Offset up to 610mm over 15.2m Head Width: 178mm Available in TL3 and TL2 configurations Length of Need: Starts at Post #3

Optional protective cover available for vulnerable road users Adelaide Newcastle Auckland Wagga

(08) 8169 2300 0400 235 883 (+64) 9295 1444 0427 779 588

roadsonline.com.au 19 Ref: PP0615

SAFETY ON IMPACT

TO PROTECT ROADSIDE WORKERS WITH THE LATEST IN TRUCK MOUNTED ATTENUATOR TECHNOLOGY, INNOV8 HAS INTRODUCED ITS BLADE AND LIGHT TRUCK-MOUNTED ATTENUATORS.

Innov8 Equipment offers its Light TMA to protect workers on arterial roads.

T

ruck-mounted attenuators (TMAs) are a critical piece of equipment to protect roadside workers from oncoming traffic.

In 2019, INNOV8 Equipment’s Blade TMA stopped a car-carrying truck from harming six roadside workers during night-time construction on an Australian road.

In just one of many examples, workers were less than 30 metres ahead of the TMA which absorbed the high-speed impact of the car carrying vehicle. Had the TMA not been there, in this instance, the outcome could have been much more sinister.

As of 1 January 2021, the Austroads Safety Barrier Assessment Panel (ASBAP) will only recommend TMAs that have been rated under the new Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) standards.

Existing TMAs can be used until impacted, but must be replaced with a MASHapproved crash cushion.

Already MASH-approved and recommended for national acceptance 20

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

by Austroads, INNOV8 Equipment’s Blade TMA works to significantly reduce the danger of oncoming traffic to road construction workers.

The impact speed requirement for the MASH level TL-3 tests 3-50, 5-51 and 3-52 is 100 kilometres per hour at specified impact angles. Test 3-54 is the latest to be added to the standard, in which the vehicle collides with the attenuator at an offset angle. This test is currently optional and the Blade TMA has passed this test.

Nigel McKinley, Owner and Managing Director of INNOV8 Equipment, says in addition to the TMA crash cushion, these vehicles also warn and advise drivers of changed conditions.

“While the crash cushion is an excellent safety device, of course there are advanced warnings in place to try and prevent any impact in the first place,” he says.

In a usual site set up, there are warnings to drivers of changed conditions ahead in the form of signs or perhaps traffic cones placed

strategically alongside the worksite. A TMA is then placed several metres before the working crew for extra protection.

In a last attempt to avoid an impact, the trucks are also equipped with arrow boards, beacon lights and Variable Messaging Sign (VMS) boards to alert drivers of lane closures. The TMAs are deployed at a safe distance before the start of the work zone.

This ensures that if a vehicle does breach the work zone, despite advanced warnings, the impact will be safely absorbed by the attenuator and will not collide with the workers on the ground.

The Blade TMA features a unique design of 12 blades which strategically engage the safety mechanisms that make up the attenuator.

Another distinctive feature of the Blade TMA is the large size of the impact plate.

When a vehicle hits the impact plate at the rear, the first section of the attenuator, called the H-beam, is smoothly pushed forward.

After safely cutting through the aluminium frame, the nylon track gear and drive motor work together to actively slow the colliding vehicle to a safe stop.

The system also ensures any debris is pushed out and away from incoming vehicles, which works to keep the car in a direct line with the truck and reduce further damage.

The design ensures minimal damage to the driver of the errant vehicle, the person inside the TMA truck and the workers ahead of the TMA. “The bottom middle strips which cut the attenuator drop to the ground.

These are referred to as the tongue. The tongue then carries the impacting car along while attached to the attenuator, as opposed to the car bouncing backwards,” Mr. McKinley says.

SPECIAL FEATURE – SAFETY

The vehicles also warn and advise drivers of changed conditions in addition to the TMA crash cushion.

The results for the Blade TMA show exceptional performance across the four MASH tests with ride down values (measured in G-force) below the preferred values.

As the attenuator retracts in a smooth motion, it is designed to reduce whiplash by slowing the force and then safely bring the impacting vehicle to a slow and controlled stop.

As a result, the Blade TMA safely absorbs the force of the crash and brings the colliding vehicle to a safe stop from workers should an impact occur.

In addition to being nationally recommended by Austroads Safety Barrier Assessment Panel, the use of the Blade TMA has been formally approved by state road regulators in NSW, VIC, QLD and WA. There are no special conditions for the use of the Blade TMA due to its nonfixed testing conditions.

INNOV8’s vehicle of choice is the IVECO Eurocargo. Proposed changes to make Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems mandatory in all heavy vehicles across Australia from December 2022 will not impact the Blade TMA package as AEB is already a standard safety feature in the IVECO Eurocargo.

Other standard safety features include stability control and a lane departure warning system. The Eurocargo also features a Euro6 environmental rating which can assist during the tendering process on large projects.

Furthermore, IVECO has given approval

for the Blade TMA to be fitted onto their trucks. IVECO is the only truck manufacturer in Australia that has approved the fitting of a TMA to their truck chassis.

For protection on arterial roads with lower speeds, INNOV8 Equipment also offers the Light TMA. The Light TMA currently does not fit under the category required for MASH testing and adheres to the NCHRP 350TL-2 standard.

The versatile Light TMA TL-2 crash cushion can add a layer of protection to a range of traffic management vehicles, including cone trucks, and is approved for impacts up to 70 kilometres per hour.

Mr. McKinley says the attenuator also helps protect road workers or drivers that may come into harm if a vehicle hits the truck.

The Light TMA is also smaller and weighs less than a regular-sized TMA. This reduces wear on arterial roads and helps minimise traffic congestion during peak times.

For further protection, the Light TMA can be customised with arrow and visual messaging boards. It also features flashing and beacon lights to aid awareness of night-time works.

These extra steps are extra elements of Innov8 TMAs that ensure the best protection of workers.

“The purpose of these attenuators is to save lives. Ultimately it’s a safety device to protect road workers and it is essential these devices meet standards.”

To learn more about INNOV8 Equipment, visit www.innov8equipment.com.au

Visual messaging boards are featured on the TMAs as an extra step to ensure the best protection of workers.

roadsonline.com.au

21

HARD-WORKING

INSURANCE

IN THE FIRST OF TWO ARTICLES, ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO TRANS WEST INSURANCE BROKERS AND UNDERWRITING AGENCIES AUSTRALIA ABOUT TACKLING THE COMMON ISSUES EXPERIENCED IN GETTING REPUTABLE CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY INSURANCE.

R

oad construction industry equipment requires unique insurance as some insurance policies are designed with motor vehicles in mind, not construction machinery.

For this reason, insurance brokers need to be focused on responsiveness, treating every claim with diligence.

Similarly, underwriters must understand the nuances of the construction industry to offer the right cover for complex mobile construction equipment.

Trans West Insurance Brokers was founded in 1975 by Sam Sofi, who remains the Managing Director. The company has worked with Underwriting Agencies Australia (UAA) for many years as its specialist construction equipment broker.

Mr. Sofi was raised in a family of farmers and grew up among machinery, learning, hands-on, how to fix it. He began his career calling door-to-door selling life insurance for AMP. “Growing up, if the machinery failed, there was none of this we’ll call the mechanic up the road, you had to fix it yourself. As a young boy, I learnt to weld and repair, and if my father promised a neighbour that his tractor would be fixed and on the paddock at 6am the next morning, that tractor was on the paddock,” Mr. Sofi says.

“To a large extent, my father’s integrity and honour has flowed throughout our family. If we promise something, we do our very best to deliver.”

He says this approach has helped set Trans West apart from other insurance brokers.

Mr. Sofi says he found many 22

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

construction industry issues relate to brokers over-promising and underdelivering.

“It’s relatively easy for me in the construction equipment world because I understand the machinery. I understand that when you have a multi-million-dollar fleet of gear operating across multiple sites, you want to know it’s being operated in a manner that’s safe for the workers and also the equipment,” he says.

Mr. Sofi says he understands what the impact of a claim does to a business. For operations with only four or five units, each unit can account for 20 per cent or more of the work.

“Specific machinery can be generating a high percentage of your income with the other pieces of gear playing a supporting role. You have to make sure these pieces of equipment have the right level of cover,” he says.

Mr. Sofi says in his partnership with UAA, he discovered the team is experienced and proactive in understanding the construction industry.

“There are times when UAA has responded brilliantly and times where it’s been difficult for them to deliver the required level of service. That’s when I call George [Grasso, UAA, COO] and let him know we’re not getting the responses we need. He will say, ‘we know, we’re onto it’ and the issue gets resolved,” he says.

Trans West’s partnership with UAA provides a large book of construction equipment operators. The two companies work together to understand what stage each client is at during a claim process.

Accountability in business relations is of

importance to Mr. Sofi and communication is a large element of this between UAA and Trans West.

“I need to understand what George and his team are dealing with so I can deliver the promise to my clients,” Mr. Sofi says.

Trans West has always worked with experienced construction equipment repair firms, the first being Baden Services.

“I had a couple of cranes and construction equipment companies and we’d experienced some major losses with them.

Mr. Baden from Baden Services performed repairs and, with his typical German attitude of we’ll fix it, every piece of equipment that came out of his workshop looked as good as the day it was bought,” Mr. Sofi says.

Following this, Mr. Sofi developed a partnership with Mr. Baden and a loss adjuster Paul Kiem to cover all aspects of construction insurance and repair.

“There are good loss adjusters, but Paul is one of the best adjusters that you can work with. Paul now works exclusively with UAA as a crane and construction expert and loss adjuster,” he says.

Complicated claims can be problematic regarding policy wording and experienced loss adjusters are required to work with the broker and client insuring the best outcomes for all parties.

“We had a client that needed some bolts replacing and, technically speaking, UAA didn’t have to pay for them, but on Paul’s recommendation they did and did it happily,” Mr. Sofi says.

“The cost of the bolts was around $10,000 and the gesture sustained that client to this day and that’s been about 1 years.”

SPECIAL FEATURE – SAFETY

Sam Sofi (left) of Trans West and George Grasso (right) of UAA have been in a business partnership for many years.

UAA Chief Operating Officer, George Grasso says UAA will look favourably on claims if clients do the right thing.

“If you’ve got a long-term client who is reputable and paying $250,000 in premiums per annum and they’re not frequent claimants and using insurance for maintenance, we don’t squabble over a few thousand dollars,” Mr. Grasso says.

In his opinion, it is better to make clear to the client and broker that technically it is not UAA’s obligation to cover a particular component, for example. For those situations, the obligation for UAA is only related to the claim. Mr. Grasso explains if there is a grey area, the company will be happy to pay, provided the client understands it is not the obligation.

“The client then knows that you know what you are talking about. We’re not an insurance company that allows you to pull the wool over our eyes. The broker understands and respects that

as well,” Mr. Grasso says.

From there, the broker can speak to the client. Mr. Grasso says when the client knows UAA respects them, the client will respect UAA in return.

“As Sam demonstrated, the client with the bolts has stuck with Trans West and UAA for 15 years because of the levels of respect and understanding,” Mr. Grasso says.

Mr. Sofi explained that insurance, like most other aspects of the construction equipment sector, is based on traditional business values such as respect and loyalty.

“Loyalty in business is honoured less and less, but in UAA’s case I think it’s appreciated. We deal with UAA because we have flexibility in our relationship, we know the parameters within which we can and can’t operate and UAA knows they can trust my word,” he says.

Mr. Grasso agrees, noting there can be instances where the broker makes a mistake but instead of owning up to

it, the company may hide behind the wording in a document.

“It’s not just about the wording. It is about the services provided from the underwriting perspective, the support our business development managers offer and the ability for them to do a deal.

“UAA is the pioneer in mobile plant and machinery with a product that has been developed since 1972,” he says.

The UAA claims services team is based in Australia and Mr. Grasso says competitors have a limited scope to manage claims in $50 or $100,000. UAA on the other hand has unlimited capacity to manage claims and are well respected by its security, with its 47 years of expertise in underwriting machinery risks and managing claims.

“At UAA, we understand how the industry operates and work hard to support the industry as much as we can. This is a fundamental difference between UAA and the competitive underwriters.” roadsonline.com.au

23

THE ONE

LAS VEGAS YOU NEED

SHOW TO SEE

NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST CONSTRUCTION TRADE SHOW

CONEXPOCONAGG.COM MARCH 10-14, 2020

|

LAS VEGAS, USA

AAPA MEMBER PROFILE:

NIGEL CARTLEDGE - ROADWAYS Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AAPA MEMBER? A. Roadways and the Ian Harrington group have been involved with AAPA since its inception over 40 years ago and was one of its first members.

Q. W HY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME AN AAPA MEMBER? A. The business founder Ian Harrington participated in the foundation of the development of AAPA to ensure that the smaller operators had a voice in the larger national industry.

The business continues its membership to enable us to raise issues to a national body and as a vehicle to sustain industry best practice.

Q. H OW DID YOU START YOUR CAREER IN THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? A. I was originally working in the mines, and I thought that my machinery operations skills would be well suited to road construction. I started in road maintenance where I gained experience in guide post installation, pot hole repair, asphalt patching, small civil works, dig out works, car parks construction, culvert installation and pipe laying. I also gained experience operating a wide range of machinery from trucks, bobcats, rollers, excavators, graders and tow brooms.

I started my career in road construction at Roadways as a bitumen crew member, and worked various roles including aggregate spreading, asphalt raking and as a sprayer operator. I was then promoted to a leading hand after five years, then to a site foreman after that.

Q. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? A. I have been the Roadways supervisor for both asphalt and spray seal crews for three years at Ian Harrington Group. I am responsible for employee management, quality, safety and timely execution of projects on a day to day basis.

Q. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE? A. The most satisfying thing for me is ensuring customers are happy with the end result. I take pride in ensuring that we can solve anything that may be problematic for them. I also enjoy working with a great company who put their people first, and crews that display great workmanship and dedication.

Q. W HAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY? A. I recently achieved the state and national title for AAPA’s Flexible Pavement Field Worker of the Year awards. It was an honour to be recognised for my commitment, dedication and knowledge by my employer.

It is also a great achievement when we manage, as a team, to complete multiple projects on time and within specification. There is a real sense of pride when you can see the end result of a successful project.

Q. WHAT

IS A RECENT CHANGE YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ARE YOU/THE COMPANY PREPARED FOR THAT? A. From my perspective, there have been a few such as the focus on safety, especially the emphasis of safety for road workers. The Ian Harrington Group is committed to the safety of its employees and is a vigilant benefactor of state governments’ road safety initiatives to slow down for road workers.

There have been new initiatives such as introducing technology to detect how close workers are to machinery, which I look forward to playing a bigger part in industry safety in the near future.

Another change is the move towards recyclable road surfaces. For the past 10 years, the Ian Harrington Group has been trialling and laying recycled glass surfaces.

We are also at a stage where we have asphalt mix design for crumbed rubber

Nigel Harrington started his career at Roadways as a bitumen crew member.

and are currently working with our client base to commence trials.

Q. HOW HAS BEING AN AAPA MEMBER BENEFITED YOU IN THE INDUSTRY? A. It has provided me with training opportunities, such as the working safely with bitumen, spray seal and design course.

It has also provided the opportunity to be recognised and introduced on a national level and meet peers in others states that I am able to consult with.

Q. W HAT ARE YOUR GOALS WFOR THE FUTURE? A. My goal for the future would be to move into a management role, and I feel that I am on the right path to achieve this. It has been an important part of the journey to start at a grassroots level and understand what it means to be part of the crew and understand what is required in the field.

I am just about to commence a Diploma of Construction, which is the first of its kind, and developed by The University of Tasmania for blue-collar workers who aspire to management roles. The business has initiated this opportunity and is supporting my study as it relates directly to my role and my development plans. roadsonline.com.au

25

A YEAR

IN REVIEW

THIS YEAR BROUGHT A HOST OF CHANGES FOR THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, INCLUDING RENEWABLE MATERIALS, NEW TECHNOLOGY AND INCREASED HARMONISATION. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE CAUGHT UP WITH CARLOS RIAL, CEO OF THE AUSTRALIAN ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION, TO DISCUSS THE ASSOCIATION’S HIGHLIGHTS.

W

ith a significant infrastructure pipeline delivered nationally in 2019, the road construction sector continues to innovate to meet the ever-growing task.

As the peak body for the flexible pavements industry, the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) has spent the past year working and engaging with industry players across the country to

Delegates of the 18th AAPA Conference converged at Darling Harbour for the boat cruise.

26

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

encourage new ways of doing business.

Harmonising national asphalt test methods, advancing the sustainable use of renewable resources and promoting the need to increase roadworker safety are just some of AAPA’s highlights, delivering on its strategic objectives to support a sustainable industry.

AAPA CEO Carlos Rial has spent close to three years at the helm of the

association. In 2019, AAPA’s membership grew by 18 organisational members. AAPA’s members consist of all state transport and road authorities, local government and the private sector that deliver and maintain Australia’s roads.

HARMONISATION Mr. Rial tells Roads & Infrastructure that working in partnership with every

state road authority and the industry to harmonise asphaltic test methods was a testament to how AAPA’s members can work together.

“Each jurisdiction had its own variable way of undertaking asphaltic tests and this is now aligned. In addition, AAPA undertook national laboratory proficiency testing, which further removes variability to ensure construction test results can be relied on,” he says.

“This harmonisation of industry test methods means that if a contractor is doing a job in any state or territory, all of the specifications refer to one suite of tests that are consistent and reliable.”

The catalyst for test method harmonisation arose through AAPA’s Laboratory Proficiency Testing Program.

The results of the 2017 AAPA National Proficiency Testing Round demonstrated the need for national harmonisation to improve consistency and repeatability.

AAPA members agreed on using a single set of national test methods and began to work with asphalt specifiers to move away from localised test methods.

INDUSTRY ADVOCACY AAPA’s remit is to advocate for outcomes that benefit Australia and AAPA members, both industry and government. To keep abreast of international best practice, AAPA conducts regular tours overseas.

In 2018-19, AAPA undertook three international knowledge transfer events.

The first was to China, South Korea and Japan, primarily investigating increased use of renewable materials such as glass, crumb rubber, plastic and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). “In Japan, they use extremely high levels of RAP, sometimes up to 90 per cent,” Mr. Rial says.

In Japan, RAP has been used since the 1970’s so the industry is well versed on the material, with 47 per cent RAP used on average in Japan’s pavements.

“We are seeing most Australian road authorities now allowing increased use of RAP in pavement mix designs,” he says.

The second tour, to South Africa, explored the best engineering practice for using crumb rubber. Finally, a tour to New Zealand immersed AAPA in new technology that will enhance the safety of laboratory

AAPA CEO Carlos Rial reflects on a year of achievements for members in 2019.

technicians in Australia by removing manual handling. This will be achieved through the introduction of a national automated binder extraction test.

Performance-based specifications have also taken the spotlight in 2019. By moving away from prescriptive engineering specifications, contractors can apply their own innovation and smart technology into practices.

In Queensland, AAPA is working with the Department of Transport and Main Roads to establish a framework to move away from prescriptive practice to performance-based specifications for spray sealing.

“Now the asset manager can specify the performance characteristics they are looking for and the contractors are then able to use their knowledge and expertise to deliver the performance outcome. This is a shift towards best international practice,” Mr. Rial says.

He says the transition allows contractors to take on greater responsibility and autonomy, leaving room for innovation.

The trial for performance-based spray sealing specifications in Queensland will commence early next year.

“Traditionally, Australia has used prescriptive approaches to procuring works, which tell the contractor how to undertake the work. This provides little room to take advantage of the expertise our contractors hold. We don’t have enough taxpayers in Australia to fund our essential infrastructure needs and it makes no sense to not take

advantage of the smart thinking our contractors can provide,” Mr. Rial says.

“We need to create a framework here where we allow innovation to take place, and that can only occur when contractors are given the autonomy to innovate and take risk but also responsibility. We are trying to unlock the innovation of industry and better use their capability and capacity to Australia’s benefit.”

In Victoria, following a $13.4 billion increase in infrastructure funding, state government took concerns to AAPA about industry’s capacity to deliver more projects.

Consequently, AAPA worked with companies in Victoria, throughout the year, to assess the industry’s current capacity to take on more work. It has since provided. annual reports on capacity to government.

“These reports give government the confidence it needs to continue to invest in essential infrastructure,” Mr. Rial says.

Over the course of the year, AAPA also has established partnerships with Institute of Public Works and Engineering Australasia, LTT - Laboratory Operations, RMIT University and training organisations Protech and RudTek. KNOWLEDGE SHARING The 50th anniversary of AAPA and its 19th Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition in Sydney in July was a major highlight for Mr. Rial.

Held once every two years, the event roadsonline.com.au

27

AAPA members undertake an international knowledge transfer event in Asia.

attracted 600 industry delegates to share knowledge and workshop the next generation of change required for the industry.

The conference held a central theme of circular economy primarily focusing on using renewable resources.

Mr. Rial identifies the use of renewable materials as a major industry trend for 2019.

“The biggest takeaway from the conference this year was the realisation that the roads sector can do its part to help with the challenge of using renewable materials,” Mr.Rial says.

In step with technical advancements for plastic, rubber and glass, AAPA is working on a national sustainability framework for industry.

“We will be trialling this framework next year in partnership with government around the country to benchmark the sustainability performance, capabilities and capacity of industry. This will then be linked to the procurement requirements of government rewarding companies with strong sustainable practice,” Mr. Rial says.

SAFETY DEVELOPMENTS One of AAPA’s strategic objectives is to enhance the safety of road workers. These individuals are on the frontline, building and maintaining government’s largest asset 28

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

by value and linking communities to each other and essential services.

“We want each and every road worker to return home safely,” Mr. Rial says.

Currently in Australia, there isn’t a comprehensive national safety dataset of road workers, in particular where incidents occur when working around live traffic.

“What we are looking for is to have informed policy and strategy in this space, and this requires good national data. AAPA is moving towards a national road worker safety dataset and has released an app to support this,” he says.

“In regards to working under traffic, AAPA maintains the preferred position to eliminate this risk through road closures.

This results in shorter construction times, higher quality work and of course, safer worksites for our people.”

LOOKING AHEAD With many initiatives in the pipeline already for next year, 2020 is looking to be even bigger than 2019 was for the flexible pavements industry.

Mr. Rial notes International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 2020 changes are imminent and industry does not yet know what the impacts of this will be. “The IMO will, from 1 January 2020, impose a 0.5 per cent global sulphur limit for marine fuels,

reducing the existing 3.5 per cent limit.

This may have flow-on effects for the quality of bitumen,” he says.

As a result, the association’s international knowledge transfer study tour next year will see the delegation further investigate and discuss the possible impacts of IMO with the US and Europe.

“The study tours will help us to better position Australia to manage the impacts of IMO 2020 in the event there are significant changes,” Mr. Rial says.

He adds the tour will also enable the association to expand its knowledge in the use of renewable materials, such as best practice initiatives for plastics and rubber.

As Mr. Rial reflects on achievements past and successes to come, he says that one of AAPA’s most important strategic objectives is knowledge sharing and this has been at AAPA’s core for the past 50 years.

Mr. Rial says the new possibilities in technology and renewables is only going to increase throughout the industry.

“I am excited, looking ahead to the next year, at the opportunity for development and progression in the sector, not only to enhance industry practices but also outcomes for projects and return on investment for government and Australia’s road users,” he says.

Highway Guard

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WA members of parliament say SAMI’s new bitumen terminal is going to give onshore manufacturing a jump start.

ONSHORE

BITUMEN

SEBASTIEN CHATARD, SAMI BITUMEN TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL MANAGER, SPEAKS WITH ROAD & INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT A RESURGENCE IN ONSHORE MANUFACTURING AS SAMI OPENS ITS NEW BITUMEN TERMINAL.

M

anufacturing’s share of the Australian economy has been declining for decades. That said, according to Western Australian members of parliament, SAMI Bitumen Technologies’ advanced new bitumen terminal is going to help grow onshore manufacturing in the state.

When WA passed the Infrastructure Western Australia Act 2019 in July, significant potential opened up for the state’s infrastructure and civil works sector.

The importance of future proofing the state is well understood by SAMI, which opened a new import and bitumen processing plant in Kwinana, Perth in November.

The facility’s opening was attended by Roger Cook, WA Deputy Premier, and Rita Saffioti, WA Transport and Planning Minister.

Sebastien Chatard, SAMI General Manager, said that material produced at the facility would help improve the durability and longevity of pavements across the state.

Additionally, he said the facility’s stateof-the-art technology will help reduce the amount of natural resources required to build and maintain heavy trafficked roads.

By installing a blowing column to produce EME2 bitumen, which SAMI has, material consumption requirements are reduced and maintenance costs minimised, he said.

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ROADS DECEMBER 2019

“Bringing the latest bitumen processing technology to Western Australia, SAMI Bitumen’s new manufacturing facility in Kwinana will produce high-performance bitumen in Perth for the first time,” Mr. Chatard said.

At a networking function held after the terminals opening, Deputy Premier Roger Cook called the facility an “excellent development for Western Australia”. He added that the bitumen plant would bring much-needed jobs to the state’s critical manufacturing industry.

“Having a global company like COLAS invest for the long-term shows the confidence it has in the state’s future,” he said.

The opening events ran from noon to late in the evening, with lunch at the Boat Shed restaurant, followed by an official opening ceremony and tour of the new facility.

Frédéric Gardès, Global CEO of SAMI’s ultimate parent company COLAS Group, attended the opening. Mr. Gardès and Ms. Saffioti marked the occasion with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Following this, the Transport and Planning Minister suggested that SAMI’s investment in Perth would allow the state to continue manufacturing the integral material required for the government’s road delivery plans.

“What is manufactured at this plant will

become the foundations of WA’s growth, being used to construct roads that are the veins and arteries of our economy,” Ms. Saffioti said.

The day was capped off with networking, cocktails and canapes at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle.

Speaking to Roads & Infrastructure, Mr. Chatard said all attendees were in high spirits, excited by the future infrastructure opportunities presented by the terminal.

“Bitumen processing at this scale will provide huge benefit to WA. With its growing population and ageing infrastructure, road network investment is now more important than ever,” he says.

Of the import facility itself, Mr. Chatard says it’s SAMI’s largest in Australia, and will replace SAMI’s Fremantle operations and BP’s Kwinana oil refinery.

Mr. Chatard says Main Roads Western Australia has, in recent years, identified a need to use improved asphalt performance applications and pavement design in the state’s heavy-duty road projects.

“At SAMI we strive to develop, innovate and improve. Main Roads wants the best possible outcomes, as we can expect from a customer of that size, but they are also willing to try new innovations,” he says.

“The terminal represents decisive progress

ASPHALT ASPHALT IN ACTION NEWS

for the state’s road construction industry, with bitumen from Kwinana to be laid on thousands of kilometres of new roads, improving transportation links across WA.” Now that the facility is operational, bitumen will be imported by ship, off loaded at the Kwinana wharf and pumped via a heated pipeline into three 6700-tonne holding tanks.

“At the new facility, SAMI will produce hardgrade binders and EME2 bitumen using the new blowing column at the terminal,” he says.

“The blowing column will allow us to manufacture EME2 at a commercial scale for the long-term, which is important for our company in the context of WA’s anticipated infrastructure boom.”

Mr. Chatard says the blowing column and subsequent EME2 technology allows pavement design engineers to reduce the thickness of the structural asphalt layer by up to 30 per cent. This, he says, is an economically beneficial development, particularly when dealing with large material quantities.

WA Transport and Planning Minister Rita Saffioti cuts the ribbon on SAMI’s new import and bitumen processing plant with Frédéric Gardès, CEO of parent company COLAS.

With the blowing column, Mr. Chatard says base bitumen properties are enhanced through air rectified to produce a binder that is less susceptible to low-temperature cracking and high-temperature rutting under traffic.

“It is always a partnership between SAMI and it’s customers, and it is through this partnership with Main Roads Western

Australia that we will carry on supporting the economic development of this amazing region,” he says.

“The COLAS Group is backing us up with its global network and powerful R&D, to provide our stakeholders and customers with the support necessary to build the best road projects together.”

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Trainees at the Wirtgen Group Vogele machinery training in Germany.

TRAINING THAT LASTS FOCUSING ON THE OPERATOR, WIRTGEN HAS DEVELOPED SPECIALISED TRAINING PACKAGES THAT INCORPORATE TAILORED LEVELS OF CONTENT AND DELIVERY MODES TO MAKE THE REWARDS FROM TRAINING ENDURE.

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aving an in-depth understanding of a machine’s capabilities is imperative to produce a quality job efficiently.

By understanding the ins and outs of a machine, operators can maximise their productivity and deliver efficiency gains.

Equally, without a good level of understanding and practical knowledge, quality and productivity can suffer and costs increase.

With perpetually advancing technology on its equipment, Wirtgen recognises consistent and comprehensive training is needed. This ensures operators maintain high levels of fundamental skills and keep pace with advances in machine capabilities.

However, some businesses may be wary of investing in operator training, especially when considering staff turnover and consequently the expense lost in training.

According to a survey commissioned for recruitment firm Robert Half, Australian employers experienced an average yearly staff turnover of 15 per cent, attributed in part to losses from practical training investment.

Wirtgen acknowledges the cost of training can seem prohibitive if viewed in isolation.

However, the cost of rework, including injury when untrained workers make mistakes, can quickly exceed training costs.

Effective ongoing training is therefore imperative to ensure staff have the required levels of knowledge and skills to deliver on the job. Growing staff through training can

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ROADS DECEMBER 2019

also result in lower staff turnover.

Stuart Torpy, General Manager of Road Technologies at Wirtgen, says often a lack of training is unfortunately not the first issue that comes to mind when mistakes occur.

“I think all Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) suffer from undue attention created by a poor-quality job. In these cases, the equipment tends to be the first target, with the next being the crew operating it,” he says.

“Of course, the answer could be either or both. However, in the vast majority of cases, it’s the interaction of the crew with the machine that can lead to exceptional or unsatisfactory outcomes.”

While companies make careful and considered selection of equipment, investing in training is just as important but often overlooked for the long term.

“When paving a road, a well finished job is the result of a genuine team effort of which the paver and roller operators play a big part,” Mr. Torpy says.

But unfortunately, Mr. Torpy says he often sees inexperienced operators working on machines with only verbal instruction.

He says in an industry where quality expectations, safety demands, specification requirements and the challenges of turning a profit are all increasing, training will be needed to deliver quality.

These drivers led Wirtgen to expand and enhance its training offerings to provide customers with solutions that address

cost, time and content.

Wirtgen offers both general and detailed content-specific training for the activities undertaken by crews opearating Wirtgen Group Equipment, using combinations of in-classroom, hands-on practice and onthe-job learning modes.

Mr. Torpy says Wirtgen recognised the need for road construction businesses to balance training investment with other business needs such as time and money.

The training can be done at the business’ site, at Wirtgen’s regional Centre of Training and Technology (CTT) in Perth or at its CTT in Germany.

“It’s always a bit of an eye-opener when crew members get the chance to go to Germany for training. They see how the equipment is made, hear broader perspectives or alternatives from the factory trainers and mix with like-minded colleagues,” Mr. Torpy says.

The training at Wirtgen’s CTT in Australia or Germany makes use of simulators, tools and training aids developed specifically for each machine’s application.

“Both Wirtgen’s classroom and onmachine learning experiences can be specifically tailored to the activities being targeted by the training or the crew member’s existing skill levels,” Mr. Torpy says.

“On completion of the training, operators come back with a better appreciation of their role in producing great work.”

ASPHALT ASPHALT IN ACTION NEWS

Ross Phillips, Servicing Manager at Topcoat Asphalt, recently attended a Wirtgen training program for the Vogele pavers in Germany and found the training to be engaging.

“Rather than getting a quick demonstration, you are learning more of the internal capabilities and limitations of what the machine can do,” he says.

Mr. Phillips, says walking through the factory was exceptional.

“To see all the components of the screed pulled apart, how they are manufactured and put together, you get a really good internal look, so you get a better understanding of the components and what is involved,” he says.

Mr. Phillips says following the training, he could teach his workers that had a basic understanding of screeds how to get a better output on the ground.

“The learnings actually enabled us to minimise our workload out on the field compared to how we used to do it.”’

Each individual training session with Wirtgen

will take into account different learning modes and styles, in addition to the specifics of the machines trainees use daily and the specified outcomes required by the business.

Through focused training on individual machines, workers that complete higher level training can also become knowledge specialists for their business.

“A section of our customers have the volume of crews and demand to justify having activity specialists within their businesses. Some of these activities are core to the success of their projects. Therefore, the justification for an internal specialist is easy,” Mr. Torpy says.

It is Wirtgen’s goal to ensure all its customers get the best out of the Wirtgen Group equipment purchased. The company’s support structure has been designed to supply expert knowledge and resources locally.

Wirtgen’s local structure was important to ensure support can be provided to customers in any location while being cost-effective for businesses in Australia.

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When needed, supplementary training resources can be sourced from the Wirtgen Group brand headquarters in Germany. But this is an exception, as Australian based qualified and highly knowledgeable trainers are on hand for every need. Wirtgen has brand-specific specialists each with a range of knowledge spanning across machine operations to application and servicing.

Mr. Torpy says it’s important to Wirtgen that the relationship with the customers doesn’t end once the machine is purchased.

“Once the machine is put to work, we think we can add ongoing value to our customers’ businesses. Whether that be specialist project assistance, machine or crew assessments or anything else, the quality and breadth of our after-sales support is at least equal to those of the machines themselves.”

For more information on Wirtgen’s training programs visit: www.wirtgen-group.com/ australia/en/customer-support/know/ training-program/

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SUSTAINABLE SEALING

SOLUTION

CRACK SEALING ON SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST ROADS, THE HUME HIGHWAY AND MONASH FREEWAY, WAS PERFORMED BY ROAD MAINTENANCE TO LENGTHEN ROAD LIFE AND AVOID RE-SURFACING.

J

An example of crack sealing prior to overlay.

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ROADS DECEMBER 2019

ust 29 years after Australia was colonised by European settlers, the first section of what is now the Hume Highway was created in 1817.

Over 200 years, the Victorian road has grown significantly and is now used by 10 million people yearly. Naturally, this puts exceptional strain on the strength of the asphalt, sometimes resulting in cracking.

Turning or breaking vehicle motions often cause asphalt to crack, and extreme heat, especially in Australia, causes asphalt to expand and split.

When substantial cracking occurs, asset owners either repair cracks or completely resurface the road to meet safety standards. Road Maintenance is an Australian owned and operated company with 30 years’ experience sealing asphalt road cracks across Australia. Owner Max Fitzgerald says Road Maintenance resealed the Hume Highway from Melbourne to Wodonga two years ago and the company also did crack sealing nearly 25 years ago on a section of the Monash Freeway, which is still performing well.

He says crack sealing is a significantly more cost-effective alternative to replacing the road.

“The crack sealing we did at the entrance to the Burnley Tunnel can still be seen today when you drive past,” Mr. Fitzgerald says.

The Hume Highway was resheeted with asphalt after Road Maintenance had sealed the cracks and Mr. Fitzgerald says there has been no cracking since.

Road Maintenance’s crack sealing mix is manufactured at its Dandenong facility in Melbourne and is made entirely from Australian supplied materials

ASPHALT IN ACTION

THE CRACK SEALING WE DID AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE BURNLEY TUNNEL CAN STILL BE SEEN TODAY WHEN YOU DRIVE PAST.

and equipment.

Mr. Fitzgerald says there are two main elements to ensure crack sealing is performed correctly, enabling the pavement to last in Australian conditions with high vehicle loads and extreme heat.

“The first thing is to ensure that the crack is correctly cleaned. It must be blown clean before the crack sealing mix is applied,” he says.

Cleaning cracks in asphalt ensures the mix can properly adhere to the surfaces over the entire length of the breach.

“When a crack isn’t properly cleaned, the mix doesn’t stick and becomes just like a band-aid over the top of the crack.

Sometimes grass can grow through the seal and this results in further cracking below the surface,” Mr. Fitzgerald says.

The second element, he says, is to ensure once sealed, the cracks revisited multiple times. Mr. Fitzgerald says one application will not be enough to hold the asphalt long-term.

“When you are sealing a breach, often for years there has been moisture going through the crack and this causes the subgrade below the road to get wet.”

He says after the first sealing application, the subgrade begins to dry out, causing the material to move. Once the subgrade has settled, it is important to do another application of sealant to ensure it covers any movement in the asphalt.

“Sometimes, after the first seal, the crack will actually open wider as the subgrade dries, so it’s really important to go back at least one more time,” he says.

Recently, Road Maintenance sealed Longwarry Road in Victoria for the Department of Transport. The crew returned four times as the cracks were approximately one metre deep.

“On the final seal, all movements had stopped which allowed for new pavement to be laid over the top with no reflective cracking afterwards,” Mr. Fitzgerald says.

The Road Maintenance mix uses crumb rubber to increase elasticity. This enables a crack to be stable as the subgrade changes and through varying temperatures.

Crumb rubber is elements Mr. Fitzgerald says ensures the mix passes a torsional recovery test, which each sealant must pass for use on Australian roads.

The test measures the elasticity of a binder or sealant when applied asphalt to ensure it can hold the pavement through different temperatures. Mr. Fitzgerald says to retain the elasticity, it must be kept at a consistent temperature throughout its manufacturing and transportation processes.

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Road Maintenance has sealed a number of major roads in Victoria.

“Our hold units are all hot oil heated, including in manufacturing, because different options like tube burners can get up to 700 degrees, which is too hot and damages the mix,” he says.

“When it can maintain a comfortable temperature, only a little above what the sealant is created it will not damage the product and you get a quality seal.

But if it is done wrong, the final outcome will be low quality because the mix will lose its elasticity.”

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THE ART OF

MODERN PROCUREMENT

ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT CHANGING EXPECTATIONS FROM GOVERNMENTS AND THE PUBLIC FOR SUSTAINABLE AND SOCIAL PROCUREMENT INITIATIVES.

A

s the road construction sector advances, the industry is discovering countless opportunities to improve its service provision beyond the bottom line.

Social procurement is a broad term to define organisations using their buying power to generate social value above the value of goods and services being procured.

Not only can businesses provide vulnerable groups with access to employment, but they also have the ability to help solve the world’s complex social, economic and environmental problems.

While project timelines and budgets remain a prominent consideration, a host of other factors are now being looked at to determine the legacy a project will leave.

As a result, contractors are looking at the overarching effects of projects and how the works can provide positive community outcomes during construction and long afterwards.

For road construction, factors such as a project’s carbon footprint are holding more significance with decision makers in the tender process.

To embed these outcomes into decision making, governments around the country have set out social procurement guides.

Many of these guides encourage businesses to incorporate a variety of initiatives into construction projects, including working with social enterprises, Indigenous businesses and employing disadvantaged jobseekers in the supply chain.

The Queensland Government has a social procurement guide, while South Australia and the Local Government Association 36

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

for Western Australia have guides to sustainable procurement.

In 2018, the Victorian Government released its Social Procurement Framework, outlining a number of social and sustainable objectives for consideration to any businesses contracted to government projects.

Its social procurement framework states that for any contracts over $50 million dollars, the contractor must include targets and contractual requirements based on the framework that pursue social procurement objectives, including in sustainability.

SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT Recently, the country’s environment ministers signed off on a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) timeline to ban the export of waste glass, plastic, paper and tyres.

The phased approach to the ban will start with waste glass in July 2020 and mixed waste plastics will follow in July 2021. December 2021 will then see all whole tyres, including whole baled banned from export.

All remaining waste products, including mixed paper and cardboard will be subject to the export ban by 30 June 2022.

By repurposing these materials onshore, the country will need to identify viable end markets to consume the repurposed materials.

All ministers have committed to identifying any significant procurement opportunities over the coming months such as major road projects that could use considerable amounts of recycled material.

Recycled glass sand is already well used in roadbase and on infrastructure projects,

specifically in Victoria. Trials are now being undertaken in various municipalities for the use of recycled plastic in asphalt and crumb rubber has long been used in spray seals, dating back to the 70s.

In light of developments like the export ban, the inclusion of recycled materials will be increasingly considered in the construction tender process.

The Victorian Government sets out three environmentally sustainable objectives in its Social Procurement Framework. In particular, the objective Environmentally Sustainable Outputs, strongly encourages the use of recycled materials in construction projects.

The other two: Environmentally Sustainable Business Practices and the Implementation of the Climate Change Policy Objectives focus on reducing the environmental impact of suppliers and project delivery.

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) rating scheme is also gaining traction across industry. The scheme ranks the planning, design, construction and operation of infrastructure projects against strict criteria for a project’s success in implementing sustainability objectives.

Sustainability Victoria is a statutory authority whose role in supporting the Social Procurement Framework is to advocate for the inclusion of environmentally sustainable practices across all government procurement activities.

Matt Genever, Sustainability Victoria’s Director of Resource Recovery says one of the organisation’s roles is to work with agencies, government and the industry to find opportunities for recycled products to be

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – PROCUREMENT

The Level Crossing Removal Project at Kororoit Creek Road was the first rail infrastructure project in Victoria to obtain approval to use recycled glass sand.

identified through the tendering process.

The organisation funds grants to support the private sector’s use of recycled materials such as recycled glass and plastic in a concrete footpath at Hoppers Crossing.

“We make sure there is consideration for recycled products particularly in larger infrastructure projects,” he says.

In Victoria, 14 million tonnes of waste was generated in 2017-18 and about 10 million tonnes of that is recycled.

The state government is the largest single procurer of infrastructure and goods or services in the state, which helps to shape industry trends.

“We need to make sure within our local economy we have the right products and markets to sustainably and economically turn those materials back into new products and new opportunities. Government procurement can really play a significant role there,” Mr. Genever says.

“The power of government spending can drive demand and innovation and new products that have recycled content in them, and we want to make sure we are supporting our local recycling industry.”

He says currently there are two stages of opportunity for the infrastructure sector. The first is the recycled materials that are already available for infrastructure projects such as using recycled glass sand or reclaimed asphalt pavement in construction projects.

“I think glass is a really good example of where Victoria has had some considerable wins in the last 12-24 months. With 120,000 to 150,000 tonnes of glass sand used in infrastructure projects annually in Victoria,

we are way above most other jurisdictions not just in Australia but internationally,” Mr. Genever says.

The second opportunity, he says, is the emerging opportunity for recycled products such as plastics.

Earlier this year, the organisation helped to fund a project which saw recycled plastic railway sleepers installed at Richmond Train station in Melbourne.

Queensland are also testing plastic railway sleepers and Mr. Genever says ideally this will support greater and quicker uptake of those products in other states and territories.

The railway sleepers have also been replicated in a new storage yard for regional trains near Wyndham Vale train station.

The construction industry, however, can be apprehensive to use such materials as in many cases the responsibility for performance falls to the contractor. This is an issue that continues to be worked through.

SOCIAL PROCUREMENT The Victorian Government’s Social Procurement Framework is split into 10 objectives comprising seven social and three sustainable.

Many of the social objectives include giving opportunities to minority groups such as Victorian Indigenous people, Victorians with disability or disadvantaged Victorians.

The Queensland Government also has a procurement policy with objectives to support disadvantaged Queenslanders and maximise opportunity for Queensland suppliers.

The West Gate Tunnel, Metro Tunnel

Project and the Level Crossing Removal projects are some examples of major infrastructure initiatives taking on social procurement in Victoria.

Each of these projects works with a social enterprise, including Outlook Environmental, which delivers services for waste management and resource recovery.

The organisation employs primarily people with disabilities as well as other priority groups such as asylum seekers, refugees and long-term unemployed.

Outlook Environmental CEO Sam Sondhi says one of the obstacles for reaching social procurement outcomes can sometimes be a business’ ability to convey its capacity to deliver for larger infrastructure projects.

The organisation processes 100,000 tonnes of waste per annum and works across a range of commercial and government projects.

“Typically, procurement is based on trust relationships and an understanding of who is in the market, at no fault of the contractor.

Social enterprises are sometimes still not seen as the organisations that can deliver these core services,” Mr. Sondhi says.

Outlook Environmental relies on a portfolio of projects, past and present to secure new work.

“We bring people out to site to show people the activities that we do and the staff that we employ as a result of the work we pick up,” Mr. Sondhi says.

He says one thing that some contractors do really well is engage widely in the sector.

There are also peak organisations contractors can engage with that exist to give a profile to some of these organisations roadsonline.com.au

37

and Mr. Sondhi says engaging with those is important.

“When you engage with a social enterprise that is employment driven then you are directly creating jobs for priority employment groups that would otherwise face barriers to sustainable employment,” Mr. Sondhi says.

“Today the most important thing for us through the social procurement framework is that it has been embedded in contracts and this has encouraged people to have that discussion which has been the real enabler.”

However, he says implementing social procurement requires an investment of time and understanding of what the market looks like.

“It’s not easy, but it is getting easier. What we find with a lot of our contractors is the first project is a learning curve for both of us. But the next time they win a contract, there is a ready-made formula and there is a relationship. It gets easier over time.”

With a growing number of infrastructure investment and projects across the country Mr. Sondhi says he still thinks there aren’t enough social enterprises delivering services to infrastructure.

“There are a small number of capable social enterprises and a much larger number of smaller enterprises out there, so I think visibility has been one of the issues,” he says.

Now with increasing pressure on contracts, the industry is seeing specialist roles within infrastructure organisations such as social inclusion managers whose job is to find social enterprises and educate internally about the importance of those contractual requirements.

“What we are seeing with the Victorian Government is a policy, it’s not legislation but it is moving towards that point where I think it will be legislation in time,” he says.

“This is becoming business as usual, so it’s important to embrace it and go on that learning journey because it will start to influence the contracts that are won.

Those that are embracing it early and innovating with the changes are the ones that we’re finding are winning followon work,” Mr. Sondhi says.

INDIGENOUS VALUES IN PROCUREMENT The walking track to the top of Uluru was officially closed on 25 October, 2019. For years, the Indigenous elders had been calling for the walk’s closure because of the spiritual significance of the site.

38

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

Melbourne’s Richmond Station used recycled plastic in its railway sleepers.

As more Indigenous voices are being heard, it is becoming increasingly important for infrastructure owners to consider Indigenous values and listen to people’s concerns before creating structures on land.

Recently, the Auckland Council in New Zealand introduced a new principle for its procurement strategy to recognise and respect the country’s Indigenous peoples, Māori values and commitments.

The council’s procurement principles provide direction for decisions made to procure goods, services or works to deliver objectives for Auckland Councils.

A second principle, Value te Ao Māori, ensures the procurement process supports the council’s commitments to Māori including responsibilities under the Treaty of Waitangi and broader legal obligations.

Brandi Hudson, Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Māori Statutory Board, tells Roads & Infrastructure that Indigenous people don’t differentiate between the sky, the human and the land.

“In the Māori culture we call the land our ‘whenua’, which is the same as the womb. Land is called earth mother, whaea whenua, and the sky is Ranginui, the sky father,” she says.

It is these types of values that contractors need to respect in procurement for Auckland Council projects. In a tender, contractors have to answer a question about how the project is going to give rise to Indigenous values.

“The unfortunate thing is that Indigenous component of the tender has a low ranking so if they give a substandard answer, it doesn’t really effect who wins the tender in the end,” Ms. Hudson says.

She says the board has been working with

council to demonstrate when these factors must be mandatory.

This would require a tender to have a very strong explanatory component covering how the project would work in partnership with Indigenous people, what the partnership will look like, what the design will then look like and what will the mentoring or career opportunities will look like for Indigenous people.

“These partnerships can be used to build strong relationships and enhance the project overall,” Ms. Hudson says.

Ms. Hudson says that often people don’t have an appreciation of the suffering created in some of these places and they don’t have empathy with the history or are aware of the aspirations of the local tribe.

The most recent Victorian Government social procurement framework’s first objective is to provide opportunities for Victorian Indigenous people, giving weight to the importance of considering Indigenous values for infrastructure projects.

Most states and territories across Australia have Indigenous procurement strategies or policies to ensure all tenders take these aspects into account.

“I think that there is a such great opportunity for infrastructure in Australia given you can leverage off diversity, equality and youth. I would be really strongly encouraging anyone that is working in the infrastructure or planning space to have regard for cultural competency of their staff,” Ms. Hudson says.

LEVEL CROSSING REMOVAL PROJECT The Kororoit Creek Road Level Crossing Removal Project was the first rail

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – PROCUREMENT

infrastructure project in Victoria to obtain approval to use recycled glass sand.

The recycled material, commonly used in road bases, was used as bedding material for the combined services route, which are underground pipes containing services such as telecommunications, on the project.

The Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) is delivering one of the largest rail infrastructure project in the state’s history, with 75 level crossings to be removed by 2025 alongside a range of other associated rail upgrades such as new train stations, track duplication and train stabling.

LXRP Program Director, Tony Hedley, says the large scale of the project provided more opportunities to innovate and share learnings across different worksites.

“We’re always encouraging new ideas and approaches to address certain challenges within the industry,” Mr. Hedley says.

“Using recycled glass sand is just one way we can make a difference. We also benchmark our projects against Green Star and ISCA rating tools to strive for more sustainable outcomes.”

The LXRP has embraced the Victorian Government’s social procurement framework and encourages its alliance partners to engage with suppliers that provide additional social benefit.

For the Kororoit Creek Road Level Crossing Removal Project, the LXRP and its alliance partners – McConnell Dowell, Arup, Mott MacDonald and Metro Trains Melbourne – examined where the works could have the greatest level of positive impact.

Rebecca Hendy, Senior Sustainability Advisor at McConnell Dowell, says the project team pursued initiatives to partner with social enterprises and sustainable materials suppliers, maximising positive social and environmental benefits.

The project team partnered with Outlook Environmental to manage the project’s construction and demolition waste and increase its recycling rates, while helping to provide opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians to work.

The pinnacle for procurement was the use of recycled glass sand, allowing the project to maximise its use of recycled products and reduce reliance on local quarries, which extract virgin resources.

The decision sparked a partnership with Metro and the glass sand supplier, with a risk assessment undertaken for the use of glass

sand in rail corridors.

Following the assessment, Metro issued a formal ‘type-approval’ in October 2018 for its use in rail corridors, paving the way for the future use of glass sand in rail projects.

However, this approval was not a simple process, Ms. Hendy says rail specifications and standards ensure the safety of commuters.

She says any change to standards must be risk-based to ensure the network is not compromised by new products introducing operation risk.

“Our team undertook a nine-month process of consultation and risk assessments which included the supplier Alex Fraser completing additional testing, to ease concerns about abrasiveness and conductivity of recycled glass sand,” Ms. Hendy says.

The project team then developed a new specification, highlighting how the performance standards of recycled glass sand meet existing standards.

“This was backed up by the clear evidence of successful outcomes achieved by VicRoads and Melbourne Water in other projects, which helped to present the sustainability benefits that contribute to the circular economy,” she says.

The resulting Metro ‘type-approval’ now enables the use of recycled glass sand and material for combined services routes and drainage applications, in any future rail project without further approval.

“This has resulted in over 2000 tonnes of glass particles – that were otherwise too fine to be recycled back into high value glass bottles – to be diverted from landfill through use in infrastructure,” Ms. Hendy says.

The Kororoit Creek Road project overall received a ‘leading’ As Built rating from ISCA for implementing many sustainable procurement outcomes, and Ms. Hendy earned ISCA’s Individual Leadership in Infrastructure Sustainability award for her role in championing the outcomes and sharing the learnings for future projects.

Building off this momentum, the project team continues to look at further opportunities to contribute to a circular economy.

Using innovative asphalt mixes that maximise recycled content, recycled plastic piping for underground services and looking for renewable energy opportunities through Indigenous businesses were other considerations the project team took into account.

“It has been important for our projects to increase the use of lower embodied energy materials, provide smart and sustainable solutions to Australia’s waste crisis and alleviating mounting pressure on Victoria’s quarries,” Ms. Hendy says.

Ms. Hendy says the rail infrastructure industry still needs to look to other industries, such as the roads sector, which have been changing specifications to maximise recycled content for years, to continue to develop initiatives that embrace sustainability and social procurement outcomes.

A Victorian Government spokesperson says the government is constantly looking for ways to improve the framework for businesses and suppliers. This includes updating guidance and communication for government buyers and suppliers on the Buying for Victoria website and providing tailored supports for businesses in regional Victoria.

“The government is eager to look at ways to work with small and medium businesses across the state to ensure they have the same opportunities as larger businesses,” the spokesperson says.

Repurpose It’s contribution to social procurement is embedded into its business model of industrial ecology, which focuses on shifting industrial processes from linear systems to a closed loop process. But the company decided to take its social procurement offering a step further by providing employment to disadvantaged communities.

To date, Repurpose It has employed about a dozen employees facilitated by the Brotherhood St Laurence’s Given the Chance program. The program aims to build social and business networks and lower market risk for employers and job seekers.

The model is highly specialised to multicultural groups, including more than 70 per cent from refugee backgrounds, with 91 per cent of those participants completing the program.

Repurpose It’s George Hatzimanolis says that as a result of major infrastructure contracts issued by the state government, including the level crossing removals, Metro Tunnel and Westgate Tunnel projects, demand for social procurement is growing.

“For Repurpose It, we’ve seen a growing demand for social procurement outcomes for our customers,” Mr. Hatzimanolis says. roadsonline.com.au

39

DRIVERLESS FUTURE WELL UNDERWAY IN AUSTRALIA

THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL DRIVERLESS VEHICLE SUMMIT OUTLINED LEADING GOVERNMENT AUTOMATED VEHICLE PROGRAMS AND CAR MANUFACTURING CASE STUDIES IN THE US, WHILE ANNOUNCING AN AUSTRALIAN-FIRST DRIVERLESS VEHICLE TRIAL.

W

hen the International Driverless Vehicle Summit (IDVS) launched four years ago in Adelaide, Volvo had become the first commercial vehicle operator to launch a connected and automated vehicle (CAV) trial in Australia.

Now four years on, Transport for NSW has been trialling automated passenger shuttles at Sydney Olympic Park.

In Queensland, the Mount Cotton driving centre is expected to be handed over soon to the Royal Automotive Club of Queensland to launch an off-road CAV test bed.

WA has, since 2015, tested an electric shuttle bus on public roads which has to date travelled more than 22,000 kilometres inautonomous mode.

The Australian Road Research Board’s

(ARRB) National Transport Research Centre at Fisherman’s Bend has also been earmarked as a new test bed for CAV. Additionally, ARRB has completed a world-first sign and line recognition project, which has drawn significant interest from US researchers.

Roads & Infrastructure attended the fourth International Driverless Vehicle Summit, hearing from overseas best practice and household names like General Motors International.

Spruiking the tagline “forging the future”, the three-day event, held 27-29 October, offered an interactive experience for visitors.

This comprised a ride in an autonomous shuttle by autonomous car company NAYVA and the debut of the world’s first portable connected bus stop and

Monash Motorsport were invited to showcase their new driverless race car at ANZ Stadium.

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ROADS DECEMBER 2019

transit hub, developed by SAGE Automation.

As much has changed since IDVS made its debut, ARRB CEO Michael Caltabiano set the scene on day two.

He said the future is about ensuring CAVs are certified and operationally tested for Australian conditions, with on-road and offroad testing at the heart of it.

Speaking to a diverse audience of road managers, government and commercial road vehicle manufacturers, Mr. Caltabanio highlighted the evolving nature of transport.

Clean, green, efficient, carbon-neutral and mobility-enabled, he said this was the future ARRB envisioned for transport with CAV a key part.

“Connected and automated vehicles, you look at Japan, Korea, the US and Europe, you don’t look to Australia. We need to be much better at engaging,” he said.

He said that for the past century we have been building the same infrastructure, but the world had changed.

“The new generation thinks of journeys completely differently. They think of journeys that are connected,” he said.

He said that ARRB had begun conversations with the Victorian Government regarding making Fisherman’s Bend a CAV test bed.

However, in order to move towards mobility as a service, strong relationships with the private sector and government were needed.

“What does a mobility enabled-community looks like and feel like? We don’t know, because we don’t have one.”

Fortunately, Mr. Caltabanio said a transition was underway with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and NSW Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance both stating their

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – PROCUREMENT

Rita Excell, ADVI Executive Director, Andrew Constance, NSW Transport Minister and Rohan Lund, NRMA CEO, front the media in announcing an Australian-first driverless shuttle bus service at Sydney Olympic Park.

governments stand ready to invest.

Building on this momentum earlier in the day, Mr. Constance announced an Australianfirst trial of a driverless shuttle bus service at Sydney Olympic Park.

The trial will permit the first vehicle in the country to interact autonomously with live traffic conditions. The vehicles will communicate autonomously with live traffic signals to negotiate an intersection, connecting passengers to Olympic Park Stadium, restaurants and car parks.

“This new stage is important to help us understand how autonomous vehicles can connect to our infrastructure, like traffic lights and digital bus stops,” Mr. Constance said.

National Roads and Motorists’ Association CEO Rohan Lund said some 94 per cent of crashes were caused by human error, so autonomous vehicles had potential to save thousands of lives and dramatically reduce congestion.

In an address to IDVS earlier in the day, Mr. McCormack said automated vehicles and connected infrastructure can contribute to making Australian roads safer.

“Whether it’s the safe system approach, placing emphasis on both vehicle and infrastructure design as to prevent death and serious injury, connected and automated vehicles have the potential to contribute to a safe system through providing and analysing data,” he said.

He said that it wasn’t just about ensuring lines and barriers were in the right place, but having a strong road surface.

“And of course, automated vehicles also promise to boost the quality of life for many people who have restricted mobility, whether through disability, older age or simply a lack of transport services,” he added, signalling a key theme of the conference – mobility as a service.

CALIFORNIA’S FIRST CONNECTED CORRIDOR On day one, Randall Kawasaki, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, discussed Innovate 680 – California’s first connected corridor for the future.

With a population of more than 1.1 million residents in 19 cities in the San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County has an extensive transport network of major freeways, regional rail services and bus operations.

Innovate 680 is characterised by seven component strategies, including carpool/ express lanes, high capacity transit with first/ last mile connectivity and transportation demand management such as a shared mobility program.

“The second biggest issue of the Bay area [is] congestion…We know we can’t build our way out of congestion,” Mr. Kawasaki told the audience.

Contra Costa County has been awarded

a $7.5 million grant to support three autonomous vehicle demonstration projects as part of an automated driving system pilot program.

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority also received an $8 million grant from the US Department of Transport to deliver a mobility as-a-service platform. A report will be produced to analyse the service’s platform, which will be verified by the University of California, Berkeley.

Speaking to Roads & Infrastructure, Mr. Kawasaki said initiatives include the development of an open platform for a trip planner with the county’s subway system named BART. He said the goal was a three-year rollout, interstate and then ultimately to other counties over time.

Highlighting the nuances of autonomous vehicles, Mr. Kawasaki pointed out that pedestrian bridges were even being widened for self-driving vehicles, negating the need to retrofit bridges, which could be a costly exercise.

In terms of cybersecurity issues, Mr. Kawasaki said as it was a pilot project, it was best to isolate the vehicle.

Broadly speaking, he said the possibilities of technology were wide-ranging.

“I think that’s the future from a transportation perspective. We’ve been on the reactive side for a century. Now let’s move to the proactive side using roadsonline.com.au

41

technology,” he said.

“Bridges can tell you when they’re getting stressed with sensors so there’s a lot of opportunity in the infrastructure using future technologies as well.”

Mr. Kawasaki said Contra Costa County was planning on signing an agreement with ARRB to data share on CAVs and help inform outcomes in Australia.

However, he stopped short of predicting a reduction in private ownership for vehicles, highlighting it will help reduce the cost of transportation.

CATERING TO THE CUSTOMER Evan Walker, Director of the Smart Innovation Centre Freight, Strategy and Planning at Transport for NSW, also spoke of designing trends for the customer experience.

“Our job is about moving people and goods and using technology to do that,” Mr. Walker told Roads & Infrastructure.

“This is a technology sphere but it’s really for us to deliver outcomes for customers.

But to do that, you can’t just expect it to work straight away, so we need to trial the technology, develop infrastructure and take all the steps to get to the point where it’s useful for customers.”

In 2017, a trial of the state’s first automated smart shuttle began at Sydney Olympic Park, carrying up to 12 passengers at a time.

Mr. Walker said this was a great example of collaboration with local businesses and the community.

“We spoke to people in the precinct, we spoke to customers, we found out what

ARRB’s Alan Hay and the Deputy PM engage with Bossley Park High School students on the technology floor.

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ROADS DECEMBER 2019

they wanted to do but we realised the tech wasn’t quite there,” Mr. Walker said.

“We had to do some integration with traffic signals, real-time bus stops … so it’s taken us a while to do that integration.

There was no point in us putting it out as a separate service until it could deliver at a level we thought was useful for customers.”

Transport for NSW has also partnered with industry, researchers, local councils and businesses in Australia-first regional trials of four automated shuttle buses in Armidale and Coffs Harbour.

Commenting on the potential for mobility as a service in NSW, Mr. Walker said one of the regional trials had already been incorporated into a trip planner.

On questions of whether NSW could become an important state for CAV testing over the next 20 years, Mr. Walker said he hoped to bring the technology into the main a bit sooner.

“We’re really interested in scale deployments of technology that has really meaningful impacts onto our transport network,” he said.

He added that Transport for NSW hoped to accelerate it with proof-of-concept trials.

“Some of that might be 10, 20 years away, some of it might be much sooner.”

The Society of Automotive Engineers developed six levels describing the road from a normal vehicle to a fully autonomous Level 5 vehicle. It has become a globally accepted standard for autonomous vehicle development. Level 1 and 2 (Driver Assistance and Partial Automation)

Minister Constance and ARRB CEO Michael Caltabiano shared cordial conversations at the fourth IDVS.

technology covers automated brake assist, fitted to vehicles since 2000.

Level 3 is conditional automation, capable of overseeing the driving task in limited stations with a driver behind the wheel.

Level 4 (High Automation) removes the need for a driver, but the technology cannot operate under all road conditions.

Finally, Level 5 removes the need for pedals and a steering wheel and takes the driver away from the driving task under all conditions.

“I think when it comes to driverless vehicles, when you look at the private market, we’re already seeing some of the tech in vehicles now.

“But I think the point where you or I purchase a Level 3 or a Level 4 or Level 5 private vehicle, that is a long way off,” Mr. Walker said.

Anthony Riemann, Director of Urban Mobility of General Motors (GM) International, cited the failure of 90s camera tech giant Kodak. The company declared bankruptcy in 2012, after being arguably slow to respond to the digital revolution.

GM launched a carsharing service at the beginning of 2016, giving users the ability to reserve cars by the hour or the day for personal use.

Pointing to the growth of mobility services, he said companies can’t ignore customer demand and that GM customers are looking for more choice and less commitment when it comes to vehicle ownership.

He noted that vehicle ownership would stay strong for decades, but businesses needed to adapt.

DRIVE INTO THE FUTURE 1 ST - 3 RD A P RI L 2020

M E LB O U R N E CO N V ENT ION & E X HI B I T I ON CENT RE

SUP PORTING S PO NS O R S

ASSOCIATI O N PART NER S

CO N FEREN CE S PO N S O RS

A BOOMING

INDUSTRY

BOOM CONCRETE PUMPING IS AMONG THE FIRST IN AUSTRALIA TO PURCHASE THE SANY SY30 CONCRETE PUMP WHICH WORKS TO INCREASE SAFETY AND EASE OF OPERATION.

A

s a hazardous activity, concrete pumping prompted Work Safe Victoria to release an industry standard, outlining obligations to protect employees and the public.

The standard lists possible manual handling hazards, one being that during set-up, pump workers are required to manually handle sometimes dangerous items such as timber pads, pipes and hoses holding concrete.

With some older machinery, strong winds or oscillation from pumping can displace the boom. Workers can also be required to move beneath the pump while carrying pipes, which can be dangerous.

To mitigate the risk associated with concrete pumping, high-performance machinery with preventative technology is needed.

Michael Flammea, owner of Boom Concrete Pumping, was looking for a new 44

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

pump capable of increasing on-site safety and productivity. After nearly a decade in the industry, he has worked with many different concrete pumps and wanted to try a new brand.

In mid-2019, Boom Concrete Pumping acquired one of Australia’s first SANY SY30 42-150 concrete pumps from Gough Industrial Solutions. Mr. Flammea needed the pump to perform a wide range of jobs from slabs for infrastructure to house bases.

Equipped with a smart boom system and fault self-diagnosis technology, Mr. Flammea thought it would be the best pump to increase safety and productivity on site.

“I haven’t tried SANY machines before as the product hasn’t been introduced in Australia for long. It’s a state-of-the-art machine with the latest technology,” he says.

Using a tablet, the self-diagnostic system on the pump continually monitors nearly all aspects of the machine’s system during operation.

If any faults occur, they are displayed on the monitor enabling operators to quickly fix any issues and reduce downtime, though Mr. Flammea says he hasn’t experienced any faults.

This proves to be valuable as when working with quickly drying concrete, prompt fixes are essential.

“I’ve had it for just over a month and everything I have tried to do with it, I’ve had no issues,” he says.

The smart boom system is another important safety aspect of the SANY pump. The boom is operated by a handheld device that enables height and section operation limits to be set, avoiding collisions with overhead or onsite objects.

Mr. Flammea says powerlines and other

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

“I USED TO SHOP AROUND A LITTLE BUT NOW YOU JUST CAN’T BEAT GOUGH FOR WHAT THEY OFFER, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THE MACHINE TO ANYONE. FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN IT’S A REALLY GREAT MACHINE FOR A VARIETY OF PROJECTS.”

SANY’s boom is operated by a handheld device that enables height and section operation limits to be set.

objects close by can be a challenge if the operator and machine are not aware of height restrictions.

The placement of the boom is then moved by an operator using the device by entering the desired directions on the device’s switchboard.

“Operators love it. They say it is very easy to operate and I have noticed the boom moves really well under the amount

of pressure that is required to pump. The hydraulic pumps have got a lot of power in them,” Mr. Flammea says.

Currently, the SANY pump at Boom Concrete Pumping is used for work in industrial areas, such as factory floors and concrete slabs, though it is easily scalable for infrastructure projects.

“The concrete is the same on big projects and the domestic sites. I don’t think there would be any problems scaling it up for use on large infrastructure projects at all,” Mr. Flammea says.

Depending on the size of the site, the SANY pump features flow control, enabling it to be set to pump as fast or slow as needed.

“You set the flow control to how fast you need the concrete to come out of the pipeline so it can do anything from block filling to slabs with ease,” Mr. Flammea says.

“Being new, it has a computer that does it all for you. When you push pump, it knows exactly what to do and it does it. It even has pressure measurement inbuilt to calculate the number of revolutions that are needed for the level of pressure.”

These technological solutions work

together to simplify the operator’s job, so they can concentrate on ensuring the concrete is being poured correctly and efficiently.

Mr. Flammea says he wanted to try out the SANY pump and his strong relationship with Gough Industrial Solutions, which is newly owned by Sime Darby Motors, meant that he listened to their suggestions and opted for the new product.

“I currently own a few other pumps and I thought there was nothing to lose by trying a new brand,” he says.

Mr. Flammea says Gough is very good with spare parts and is always there on the same day if it’s needed.

“I used to shop around a little, but now you just can’t beat Gough for what they offer and I would recommend the machine to anyone. From what I have seen, it’s a really great machine for a variety of projects.

“Following the success of this SANY pump, we do have plans to buy more from Gough. We just want to give this pump a good trial. We will look at getting another SANY30 when we replace some other machines in another six months.”

Faults detected on SANY’s concrete pump are displayed on a tablet, enabling operators to quickly resolve issues.

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The Dynapac rollers are suited to different projects and job sites, weighing eight to 16 tonnes.

SERVICE SUPPORT WINS THE RACE

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AUSTRALIA AND BAXTER HIRE WORKED TOGETHER TO SUPPLY AND SUPPORT A DYNAPAC ROLLER ON THE MOUNT GAMBIER AERODROME RUNWAY UPGRADE, ENSURING DOWNTIME WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THE PROJECT’S RURAL LOCATION.

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he Mount Gambier Aerodrome runway upgrade is just one of many projects Baxter Hire has provided construction equipment to recently in Mount Gambier, South Australia.

For Baxter Hire, machine availability is key. As the only supplier of construction equipment in the area, it is essential all of its machines are running, to service the local construction industry.

Recently, the company purchased two Dynapac single drum vibratory rollers, from Construction Equipment Australia 46

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

(CEA), to diversify its range of construction equipment on offer to the local industry.

Owner Peter Burchell says he purchased the Dynapac rollers from CEA to add to his fleet of rollers. This ensured machines were available to service major projects, roadworks, council works and construction development sites in the area.

Baxter Hire was started in the early 1970s as a family business and has provided hire equipment for close to 50 years through its recent relationship with CEA. “We already have five other soil

compaction rollers and it was really through the work of CEA that we decided to try the Dynapac product. The major difference is really the support for the machines. I feel we get really good back-up support from CEA,” he says.

In a rural town like Mount Gambier, support for equipment and presence in the area is a crucial deciding factor for businesses like Baxter Hire when purchasing equipment.

Comprehensive support allows contractors in rural areas to have

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

confidence in machines and know any faults will be corrected, regardless of location.

Mr. Burchell says service support was the main factor that set Dynapac and CEA apart from competitors.

“With CEA, if it’s not fixed over the phone, they have been straight down to us with a technician to get on top of whatever issue might have occurred,” Mr. Burchell says.

“The major benefit is the support that we receive from CEA is superior to other support. I feel we are getting a lot better back up with the Dynapac units.

“We’ve never had to wait a week or anything like that. They don’t want to see the machine laid down so they are pretty quick to respond and have everything going in the right direction.”

Dynapac rollers are suited to different projects and job sites, a good option for Baxter Hire to offer, with the CA1500, CA3500 and CA4600 weighing between eight to 16 tonnes.

“They are job-specific depending on the client’s needs; [for instance] if you want a large or smaller roller. It relies on the site size and the compaction requirements of the job,” Mr. Burchell says.

The unique platform is design equipped to the Dynapac rollers with a 180-degree rotating seat. Coupled with the operator’s console mounted to the seat frame, the platform allows the console to follow the seat as it rotates. This means operator comfort is at an all-time high.

The Dynapac rollers are also designed with an east-west configured engine and pump package, allowing for superior access to all service and daily check points. Additionally, an easy-to-open bonnet means manual pumping or tilting of the cabin is not required.

Mr. Burchell owns five other rollers from a different manufacturer but says features like these make Dynapac machines attractive to clients.

“Their performance and reliability has been extremely good and the quality of the manufacture is excellent. They are just a very serviceable unit,” he says.

As the owner of Baxter Hire, Mr. Burchell doesn’t get too close to roller operators, but says the company hasn’t had many issues with Dynapac machines.

“Lack of issues suggests the client is making their way around the roller features easily,” he says.

“We have three JCB machines and now

“I THINK DYNAPAC’S COMMITMENT TO THE REGION HAS REALLY SHOWED. I KNOW OF OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE AREA THAT HAVE PURCHASED THE DYNAPAC PRODUCT AND THAT JUST GOES TO SHOW DYNAPAC IS ACTIVE AND COMMITTED TO THE REGION.” the two Dynapac rollers and it’s really come about through a good customer supply relationship.”

Since the rollers arrived at Baxter Hire, the machines have also been popular with local companies.

“One of our major clients is now also buying Dynapac machines too. I would think we influenced that purchase because the company has seen ours and is impressed. That means Dynapac is ticking boxes for both hire and end user purchases,” Mr. Burchell says.

“I think Dynapac’s commitment to the region has really showed. I know of other businesses in the area that have purchased the Dynapac product and that just goes to show [Dynapac is] active and committed to the region.”

Baxter Hire rollers were used in the Mount Gambier Aerodrome runway upgrade.

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47

A ROLLING

ORDER

AS CHINESE HEAVY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER SANY HEAVY INDUSTRIES EXPANDS INTO THE GLOBAL MARKET, ITS LOCAL SUCCESS IS BEING REFLECTED IN ITS LARGEST SINGLE ORDER OF ROLLERS FOR AUSTRALIA.

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aking a business to the global market can be a major challenge. In 2014-15, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported the proportion of Australian businesses selling goods or services in overseas markets was 7.1 per cent.

Australia’s International Business Survey conducted in 2017 stated international business is essential to sustaining Australia’s ongoing economic prosperity, and the same can be said for economies around the world.

While conducting business in overseas markets can help businesses expand their market share and footprint, there are some risks and challenges to overcome first.

In the article, “10 key steps to expanding your business globally”, Forbes lists the number one thing for businesses to consider when looking to go global is due diligence.

This involves understanding the full business impact of going overseas. It goes on to list other factors such as developing a strategy, product readiness and budget preparation.

Additionally, establishing relationships with local businesses is crucial to success.

Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer SANY is one successful example of a company that has gone global. After implementing many of these initiatives, SANY is now well established in the Australian market and has received its first major order of construction machinery.

Before its international success, SANY Heavy Industries began in 1986 in China, with a view to globalisation. By 2003, the 48

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

company was listed on the Shanghai stock exchange and was supplying equipment all over Asia.

SANY’s approach to going global was a measured one. Its first introduction to Australia was the import of four motor graders in 2002, establishing a relationship with a local client.

In 2007, after years of success importing machines to Australia from China, SANY further invested globally to build and create a production base of construction equipment in Pune, India.

This was the SANY Group’s first major overseas investment and is where many of the Australian SANY machines are manufactured.

Since the SANY Pune Industrial Park was inaugurated in 2009, machinery feedback has been passed from countries in Oceania to the main factory in China for research and development of new machines.

Now, with more products than ever before ready for the Australian market, the company is pushing to bring more machinery into Australia. SANY’s increasing investment in its two Australian branches has reinforced the company’s globalisation success.

SANY Australia recently received its first major order of large machinery in Australia, with a hire company client purchasing more than 60 SANY rollers for use throughout the country.

SANY’s General Manager in Australia and New Zealand Nitin Khanna says the

SANY rollers were chosen because of the company’s ability to offer an overall package of quality, reliability, performance and support.

“Our attention to detail in meeting the customer requirements and customising our support and service to suit their needs was the major factor in closing the deal,” he says.

The Australian customer purchased many different sizes of the SANY rollers to offer flexibility to customers. The SANY range includes 12 different rollers weighing from three to 26 tonnes.

“Depending on the weight and height of the rollers, they are suited to a wide range

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

of applications such as subdivisions, roads, airport runways, highways and where other compacting practices are needed.”

All new SANY rollers feature intelligent compaction control to give operators access to mapping, pass counts and weak spots, which Mr. Khanna says is another attractive feature for SANY’s client.

This roller order is not the first for SANY in Australia, but it is the largest single order the company has executed here.

“SANY is investing in growing its presence through a commitment to after-market support and a growing dealer network.”

As SANY has grown and expanded across the globe, its customer support efforts have increased alongside its range of equipment.

“SANY offers excavators, wheel loaders, motor graders, cranes, concrete equipment, drilling rigs, road headers, compaction equipment, reach stackers and container

handlers,” Mr. Khanna says.

One of the major investments the company is making in Australia is a long-term commitment to establishing a brand-new head office and spare parts facility in Sydney.

The facility and spare parts warehouse will be ready in early 2020.

Mr. Khanna says it will be used to help support customers across Australia, New Zealand and other nations in Oceania.

Since the creation of SANY in China, support and customer service has been of utmost importance.

“Our customer relationship is built on trust and our ability to provide world-class equipment with support and service to suit the client’s need in a niche market like Australia,” Mr. Khanna says.

He says the client for the rollers had established a strong relationship with SANY and is experienced in using the

company’s equipment.

“This relationship was further strengthened and enhanced by their trip to our factory in China to see our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and conduct a predelivery inspection on the equipment to be shipped out.”

SANY supports its customers in Australia through its growing dealership network. It also provides dedicated machine technicians who specialise in repair and maintenance of SANY equipment.

Mr. Khanna says SANY’s wide range of machinery and strong service is one of the main reasons it has been so successful as it has continued to expand across the globe and in Australia.

“This is just one of the major orders in 2019 for us and several important orders are in the pipeline which are in line to be executed over the course of 2020,” he says.

SANY Australia recently received its first major order of large machinery in Australia, with a hire company purchasing 60 SANY rollers. roadsonline.com.au

49

A HEAD START

ON TURNOVER

ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE TALKS TO INEIGHT ABOUT WHY RIGOROUS DOCUMENT CONTROL IS CRUCIAL TO SUCCESSFUL PROJECT TURNOVER.

Infrastructure projects are becoming more sophisticated, prompting an explosion in document management technologies.

I

n today’s technology-driven world, there are many ways to share individual files, such as Dropbox, Google Drive and SharePoint.

Every day, consumers around the world use these platforms to enable various parties to access, view and edit shared documents.

In the infrastructure sector, projects are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, prompting an explosion in document management technologies.

Contractors are no longer dealing with a few drawings or documents – most infrastructure projects have hundreds of thousands of documents, each with many different versions.

This is where the distinctions between file sharing and document management and control become evident. It is easy 50

ROADS DECEMBER 2019

to imagine how cluttered hundreds of thousands of files might look in a standard directory like Windows. And if you were to stack those documents on top of each other, they would reach higher than a 12-storey building – try finding the right drawing in that!

As such, a file management system where all parties can view registers and filters, and implement document controls, is crucial from a project’s start until turnover and beyond.

InEight Executive Vice President – Asia Pacific Rob Bryant explains that a successful project turnover ensures all correct evidence is presented from across the project.

“At the end of any construction project, the turnover process ensures all documentation and evidence are handed

over to the asset owner. This can help prevent or resolve potential claims and progress the asset to its operational phase,” Mr. Bryant says.

A formal document control solution enables any files or correspondence containing contractual requirements to be tracked and audited throughout the project lifecycle.

Furthermore, version control establishes a single source of up-to-date project documentation accessible by all collaborating parties. This means owners can account for commercial sensitivity, monitor the most recent file and see who accessed the latest version, helping thwart potential disputes.

On infrastructure projects containing thousands of documents, the handover process can be lengthy, as all files must

SOFTWARE

be located and validated as the correct or latest versions. While document management and control are crucial at the turnover of a project, they are also effective when implemented from the project’s outset.

“You can’t start too early. We encourage contractors and project owners to use the document control solution from the bid phase,” Mr. Bryant says.

Implementing document controls from this early stage enables owners or contractors to capture initial design works and contractual agreements and retain a record of them for future referencing, he explains. This way, when the contract is won and construction begins, there is a complete audit trail of the design vision and correspondence between all parties from the outset, so everyone is on the same page.

“Often, it’s only when you get to turnover and you want to go back and reference the initial designs to see where things changed that you really appreciate the importance of starting early,” Mr. Bryant says. Once the contract has been awarded, on-site works are additionally made easier for the entire project team.

“Providing a mobile interface to ensure teams on site are working from the latest version of a drawing or document is extremely critical,” Mr. Bryant says. InEight’s document management solution allows workers to validate they are working from the latest version of a file through

As the technology used in road construction advances, the amount of information associated with an asset increases.

Document management is crucial at the start of the project, even at the bid phase.

a QR code, which stays across printed or digital files.

“If they aren’t using the latest version, the code will take them to the correct file electronically,” he explains.

The system also helps increase productivity for inspections and reporting.

“You can conduct site inspections with a mobile device, capturing images and referencing those to documents with geospatial data.

“This way, in the future, workers can use a GPS to help identify which drawings they are looking at, or which area to work in.”

Following completion of construction, the turnover process begins. Mr. Bryant says contractors often talk about the challenge of gathering all the information at the end of construction.

“Some of the projects take place over five years and there is turnover of staff and even turnover of collaborative parties and sub-contractors, so to gather all of the information in retrospect is verging on the impossible,” Mr. Bryant says.

If a document such as a drawing or site survey results cannot be validated at turnover, when a project moves into the operational phase, survey work may have to be redone, which can be costly.

“When you see surveys being conducted on existing roads, this is typically because the drawings or survey results can’t be located when they have come to do future work or maintenance,” says Mr. Bryant.

It is common for contractors to bring in consultants to collate the documentation, which is expensive. However, if the information is gathered from the beginning and documents are managed consistently throughout the project’s lifecycle, contractors can enjoy a simple and efficient turnover.

“Owners and contractors rely on documentation to avoid any claims during turnover, to make sure that work is completed effectively and to ensure rework and further inspections aren’t required,” Mr. Bryant says.

Significantly, as the technology being utilised in constructing new roads advances, the amount of information associated with the asset also increases.

“Moving forward, there are more technology assets as part of the road – it is not as simple as maintaining tarmac and line markings anymore,” Mr. Bryant says.

“There is technology to consider, including ramp metering, traffic sensors and lane use signs to maintain. That will entail more documentation and make effective turnover even more important.”

A robust document management and control solution can play a key role in helping owners and contractors keep pace with these changing requirements and optimise their project outcomes, he says.

To learn more about InEight’s portfolio of capital project management solutions, visit www.InEight.com. roadsonline.com.au

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ARE NATIONAL SPECIFICATIONS ACHIEVABLE? NATIONAL PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION IS CALLING FOR AN AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS-BASED APPROACH AS ROADS AUTHORITIES DEVELOP AND REVISE TECHNICAL PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND AUSTROADS PROGRESSES SPECIFICATION HARMONISATION.

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s the peak body for the precast construction industry, National Precast has for many years called for state road authorities to put Australian Standards at the forefront.

The calls serve as reminders to authorities as they review, develop and revise technical specifications for products used in the construction of roads and bridges.

According to National Precast’s CEO Sarah Bachmann, road authority specifications at a state level are in a constant state of evolution as they are

National Precast frequently works with government on the development and review of specifications.

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developed and periodically revised.

Each jurisdiction has, over time, developed its own series of specifications, which has resulted in different rules applying in every state or territory.

Different rules can result in varying manufacturing requirements as well as inconsistent performance outcomes such as durability, strength and safety.

“There’s a natural inefficiency in that, especially given that many product suppliers supply across borders,” Ms. Bachmann says.

REQUIREMENTS MUST BE JUSTIFIED “We understand that due to climatic and other geographic considerations, there can be a need to impose requirements in addition to those found in Australian Standards. These need to be properly justified to minimise inefficiency,” she says.

Ms. Bachmann explains that Australian Standards are comprehensive, as they establish minimum requirements to define quality and safety criteria.

“Standards have been and are developed by an exhaustive cohort of industry, academia, professionals,

unions and government authorities.”

Ms. Bachmann adds that cost implications arise when specifications impose requirements that have not been subject to a deliberate justification process based on factual evidence, research and sound engineering judgement.

“Any perceived benefit, implemented in specifications, must be fully measured against additional cost,” Ms. Bachmann states.

“Australian Standards are subject to a transparent development and review process. They offer an ample framework, ensuring minimum requirements are robust and well tested. We shouldn’t underestimate their value,” she says.

EFFORTS TO HARMONISE SPECIFICATIONS As government and industry look to both Australian Standards and different jurisdictional specifications, Austroads is currently developing National Technical Specifications (NTS). The NTS will apply to products that are used in the construction of roadworks and bridgeworks across Australia.

The NTS is part of an effort to reduce complications for road and bridge building.

This will offer certainty for businesses working in the sector and simplify processes for suppliers that work across state borders.

“This is a good move and the benefits of harmonisation would be significant,” Ms. Bachmann says.

She adds that many of National Precast’s members operate in more than one state.

“Simplifying the approach with one set of rules should ultimately reduce costs. In an ideal world, this is what should be.

“Harmonisation is something we have been encouraging for some time now, not just in this space. It is equally important and beneficial in other areas like work health and safety and even in sectors outside the construction industry.”

WHEN INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT WORK IN COLLABORATION AND BOTH UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER’S PRIORITIES, SOLUTIONS CAN BE SENSIBLY DISCUSSED, AGREED AND IMPLEMENTED. WE’VE EXPERIENCED THIS A NUMBER OF TIMES. EVERYONE WALKS AWAY HAPPY. “For true harmonisation to take place, the new national specifications should be implemented in each jurisdiction withoutamendment.”

Ms. Bachmann says developing these national specifications is a positive move but that the measure of success should be adoption in every state without modification.

“Otherwise, let’s revert back to Australian Standards, along with minimal additional state-based requirements in jurisdictional specifications that are well consulted, well researched and include requirements that can be properly justified.”

Ms. Bachmann says National Precast members are invested in ensuring their products are good quality, fit for purpose and deliver the required performance parameters. Members of the association follow Australian Standard requirements, which helps to ensure industry confidence in quality and safety.

“Just as roads authorities want durable

products that meet strength and durability requirements, so do our members. Their reputations are on the line,” she states.

GIVING MANUFACTURERS A VOICE As well as representing the precast concrete industry on over 20 Australian Standards’ committees, National Precast frequently works with government on the development and review of specifications.

“Our contribution to Australian Standards is significant. All precasters, members or not, benefit from this work,” Ms. Bachmann says.

She invites precasters who are not currently members of the association to consider membership and to become involved in industry developments.

“We are now also offering precasters access to Australian Standards as part of their membership,” she says.

“Our work with government is very important to our members as well. Being able to have a say and be heard through our collective voice is a key benefit of membership that is highly valued.”

She says when it comes to government, National Precast has proved that a more collaborative approach offers positive outcomes for government and industry.

“When industry and government work in collaboration and both understand one another’s priorities, solutions can be sensibly discussed, agreed and implemented.

We’ve experienced this a number of times. Everyone walks away happy.”

National Technical Specifications will apply to products that are used in the construction of roadworks and bridgeworks across the country.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BUY-IN While Ms. Bachmann commends the Austroads board’s decision to commission the work, she questions whether there will be widespread uptake.

She says it is important that the development of the NTS is undertaken with full involvement with comprehensive industry input. roadsonline.com.au

53

By exploring the horizon of research and road technology, the event was an exploration of Australia’s collective transport future.

INTER-STELLAR RESEARCH

THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT RESEARCH ORGANISATION’S INAUGURAL AWARDS NIGHT AND GALA DINNER CELEBRATED INNOVATION AND FUTURE THINKING IN THE ROAD RESEARCH SECTOR.

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ancers adorned with silver face paint, resembling both space-age warriors and prehistoric birds, welcomed attendees to the National Transport Research Organisation’s inaugural awards night and gala dinner. Both graceful and alien, the dancers symbolised the theme of the evening – stellar.

By exploring the horizon of research and road technology, Niva Thongkham, ARRB Knowledge Hub Professional and Event Organiser, says the night was an exploration of Australia’s collective transport future.

“As Australia’s National Transport Research Organisation, we are in a unique position to provide a platform to recognise the brightest stars in our roads and transport industry and to celebrate road research excellence at its best. That’s what this night is all about,” Ms. Thongkham says.

At 6:30 on a Friday night in November, a crowd of researchers, government representatives and engineers converged on South Wharf’s Cargo Hall in Melbourne.

Attendees were heard commenting on the unique nature of the styling, with one calling the blue-lit event unusually “cool”

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for a roads research function.

Michael Caltabiano, ARRB CEO, welcomed guests including Collette Burke, Victoria’s Chief Engineer, Roma Britnell, Rural Roads, Ports & Freight Shadow Minister and Michael Kilgariff, CEO of Roads Australia. Mr. Caltabiano then outlined ARRB’s innovative approach to research and development over the past 12 months.

Mr. Caltabiano specifically highlighted the National Transport Performance Centre, Australian Driver Frustration Index and multiple sustainable road design and asphalt production trials.

“A wonderful night celebrating the great talent and diversity in the transport infrastructure research environment for Australia can best describe the National Transport Research Awards and ARRB Gala Dinner,” Mr. Caltabiano said.

He then introduced the night’s guest speaker Elizabeth Finkel AM. Before inviting Dr. Finkel to the stage, Mr. Caltabiano noted that in addition to receiving an Order of Australia in 2016, the science writer and one-time biochemist

was awarded the Australian Society for Medical Research Medal earlier this year.

Dr. Finkel, who co-founded Cosmos Magazine, told the crowd that she was initially confused by the invitation to speak at a road research event. She added that upon further reflection, it made total sense, noting links to experimentation, boundary pushing and systems thinking.

Her speech, From Roads Research to General Relativity, explored the present-day relevance of Einstein’s theory of general relativity and scientific developments postgravitational wave detection.

Despite the complex nature of her content, Dr. Finkel kept the audience engaged with a mix of humour and localised history. Detailing astronomer William Wallace’s 1922 expedition from California to Wallal Western Australia, Dr. Finkel explained Australia’s role in the history of relativity.

“Mr. Wallace travelled to remote Western Australia to observe a solar eclipse under perfect conditions and examine whether light from distant stars would bend around

EVENTS

the sun, and it did,” Dr. Finkel said.

She then linked Einstein’s theory to engineering and road construction and stressed the importance of widespread scientific understanding.

Following Dr. Finkel’s presentation, MC’s Brittany Croft, ARRB Senior Professional Engineer Data Collection & Analysis, and Luke Warren, ARRB Victoria State Technical Leader, interacted with the audience, including Dr. Finkel’s husband and Australian Chief Scientist Alan Finkel AO. “The awards night might well be best remembered by the double act of two doctors, Dr. Finkel AM and Dr. Finkel AO,” Mr. Caltabiano says.

With the first course over and dinner on its way, Mike Shackleton, ARRB Chief Research Officer, presented Geoff Rose with a 50-year acknowledgement from Monash’s Institute of Transport Studies.

As director of the institute, Prof. Rose’s research has historically examined transport planning and policy, traffic flow and bicycle accessibility. His present-day focus is enhancing usage patterns and policy issues associated with motorised mobility scooters, electric bicycles and motorcycles.

From there, the official awards portion of the evening began, with a judging panel comprising Julia Page, Endowment for Science, Knowledge and Innovation CEO, Mary Lydon, past Centre for Automotive Safety Research Director, Gary Dolman, Bureau of Infrastructure Head and awards convenor Dr. Shackleton, awarding individuals and organisations in five separate categories.

Brody Clark, an WSP Pavement Engineer and Queensland University of Technology PhD graduate, took out the Research Rising Star Award.

The category aims to celebrate an individual under the age of 35 that has shown significant problem-solving progress over the last 12 months.

To date, Dr. Clark’s research has focused on fatigue performance of multigrade bitumen asphalt blended with recycled asphalt pavement. Sporting a yellow road safety ribbon and a Movember moustache, Dr. Clark used his stage time to bring attention to men’s mental and physical health.

Jayantha Kodikara and Monash

ARRB CEO Michael Caltabiano said the gala was a celebration of the great talent and diversity of the transport infrastructure research sector.

University were presented with the Research Impact Award for their pipe fracture prediction project.

The project aims to help water utilities manage critical waste pipe assets through pipe deterioration, failure predication and knowledge management research.

Prof. Kodikara told attendees that given his project’s focus on water rather than road transport, he was surprised by the recognition. He added that the fact that he did win highlights ARRB’s tendency to think outside the box. Prof. Kodikara then thanked his research team of “infrastructure doctors”.

The third and fourth awards both went to sustainability research, with Lendlease taking out the Road Construction Innovation Award for its Recycled Crushed Glass in Pavements: A New Material for Infrastructure Projects.

Lendlease representative Jamie Egan, National Pavements Manager, highlighted the environmental outcomes associated with higher recycled content in road construction, notably suggesting that quarries may become a thing of the past.

Before leaving the stage, Mr. Egan joked that over 10 million stubbies had been used to realise the project thus far.

Downer and the City of Adelaide took

to the stage next, winning the Research into Reality Award for their 100-per-centrecycled asphalt pavement. In April of this year, they delivered Australia’s first road made entirely from recycled material, including reclaimed asphalt pavement and recycled vegetable oil.

To wrap up the evening, Neil Scales OBE, Department of Transport and Main Roads QLD Director-General, presented Professor Emeritus Raphael Grzebieta with the National Transport Research Organisation’s Lifetime Research Award.

Mr. Scales said Prof. Grzebieta was selected due to his extensive contribution to road safety research and awareness, notably road safety barrier and tactile linemarking advocacy.

Accepting the award, Prof. Grzebieta stressed how significant a nation-wide 40-kilometre-an-hour speed limit in suburban streets would be for road safety.

Mr. Caltabiano says Prof. Grzebieta was a worthy awardee for the highest honour of the night.

“Prof. Grzebieta brings a lifetime of work serving the Australian community in the pursuit of reducing road trauma,” Mr. Caltabiano says.

“As he said in his closing remarks, saving lives – it’s what it’s all about.” roadsonline.com.au

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QUEENSLAND ACHIEVES FIRST

RECYCLED PLASTIC ROAD REDLAND CITY COUNCIL IS WORKING WITH ALEX FRASER AND SUNCOAST ASPHALT TO RESURFACE A ONE-KILOMETRE STRETCH OF ROAD COMPRISING SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF HARD PLASTICS AND RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT, ALL WHILE CUTTING COUNCIL COSTS AND CARBON EMISSIONS.

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he 18th Australian Asphalt Pavement Conference (AAPA) in August signalled a change in priorities for the construction road sector, with the circular economy now a predominant theme.

In an exciting turn of events, AAPA members shared how the business case to shift away from the traditional take, make, dispose model was becoming increasingly attractive.

The sector’s shift towards resource efficiency is more than mere serendipity, as the recent Council of Australian Governments

export ban marked a step change in the way waste will be managed onshore.

The November meeting saw federal, state and territory environment ministers agree to phase out numerous waste streams, notably, waste glass by July 2020.

Additionally, mixed plastic waste will be banned by December 2021. Connecting the dots with end markets even further is a ministerial commitment to identify procurement opportunities for major road projects that could see increased uptake of

90,000 hard plastics and 933 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt will be used in the resurfacing of one kilometre of Princess Street.

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significant amounts of recycled material.

But some councils and asset managers are already ahead of the pack, with Queensland’s Redland City Council announcing a state-first pilot project in Princess Street, Cleveland.

The council is working with Alex Fraser and Suncoast Asphalt to resurface a onekilometre stretch of road using around 90,000 hard plastics and 933 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt.

It follows numerous other trials in states and territories using recycled plastic, at a time where only 9.4 per cent of plastics are recycled in Australia, according to the 2017-18 Australian Plastics Recycling Survey.

While plastic in roads is a relatively new practice, the ability to reform existing standards through trials and updated specifications does not happen overnight.

It’s a process Alex Fraser knows all too well, having worked closely with VicRoads in the 90s to develop specifications that use glass sand in construction projects.

The company has since continued to find new ways to build greener roads that last longer, reduce waste and cut carbon emissions.

Some of its recent projects include incorporating 190 million bottles of recycled glass on Melbourne’s Western Roads Upgrade Project in September.

In Queensland, Alex Fraser used more

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Redland City Council hopes the project will lead to more roads being built and resurfaced using reclaimed materials.

than 17,000 tonnes of recycled materials on Brisbane’s National Freight Terminal and it continues to collaborate with the construction sector and local government.

The company has a network of facilities across Brisbane to provide recycling solutions for an array of projects.

Alex Fraser and Suncoast Asphalt General Manager Brendan Camilleri says this was a great example of how a circular economy can be achieved with local government, industry and community all working together.

“Redland City Council’s progressive approach to the use of sustainable material is paving the way for Queensland. This shows how local government can harness recycling to build and maintain cities and reduce a project’s carbon footprint,” Mr. Camilleri says.

He says Green Roads PolyPave is also a more durable product which lasts longer than regular asphalt, bringing long-term cost benefits. Mr. Camilleri explains that PolyPave also improves tensile strength and rut resistance.

It costs roughly the same as a regular road, which Redlands City Council estimated to be $1.1 million per kilometre.

“When we incorporate recycled plastics into Green Roads PolyPave, it becomes part of the DNA of the road, meaning there is no issue with microplastics entering the environment,” Mr. Camilleri says.

He adds that there is also an enormous carbon saving, with the process producing 43 per cent less CO2 emissions when compared to conventional asphalt.

“The addition of other recycled ingredients, such as reclaimed asphalt pavement, along with energy-saving production methods further increases CO2 savings.”

PolyPave has in the past been used in numerous other local government areas, including Melbourne’s City of Bayside and City of Yarra.

Redland City Council Mayor Karen Williams says that in keeping with council’s strong focus on sustainability, it is hoped the pilot project will lead to more roads being built and resurfaced using reclaimed materials.

“Roads are big business for council, so when we learned of a potentially better way to build and maintain them using sustainable materials, while removing waste from landfill, that was an attractive proposition,” Cr. Williams says.

Cr. Williams says that the 90,000 hard plastics comprises milk and shampoo bottles placed in yellow lid bins – the equivalent of around nine months of kerbside recycling collected from that street.

“I have been working with the Australian Local Government Association to investigate these sort of innovative solutions for years and I am pleased this work is delivering value

for the community,” she says.

Cr. Williams says there will be a long-term saving achieved due to the waste levy being introduced in Queensland on 1 July, which imposes a $75 a tonne cost on waste sent to landfill.

“If we can create a circular economy that saves ratepayers money over a long period of time, it’s a double whammy win for them,” she says.

Following the meeting, Australian Council of Recycling CEO Pete Shmigel estimated that specifying recycled content in even 12 major projects around the country can double our plastics recycling rate.

Cr. Williams says hundreds of thousands of tonnes of recyclables could be put to work on other major projects, including the Bruce Highway.

The City of Redlands resurfacing, between Bloomfield and Passage Streets is due to be completed on 8 November, weather permitting.

“Council will be watching this Queenslandfirst pilot project very closely. If it stacks up, I would like to see many more local roads being resealed with reclaimed materials,” Cr. Williams.

“I am also excited by the prospect of this product’s greater performance and lifespan, which means less pressure on council’s budget and bottom line.” roadsonline.com.au

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SHAPING OUR TRANSPORT FUTURE

100 PER CENT RECYCLED WILL A NEW EXTRA-LARGE WHEEL TRACKING TEST BRING AUSTRALIA ONE STEP CLOSER TO ALL-RECYCLED? DR DIDIER BODIN, DR JAMES GRENFELL, JAIMI HARRISON AND SHANNON MALONE OF THE AUSTRALIAN ROAD RESEARCH BOARD EXPLAIN.

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he road sector has been reusing and recycling materials in the roadbed for many years, as it continues to improve the sustainable management of virgin and recycled aggregate resources.

With Victoria’s big build well underway, developing wider recycled alternatives to quarried sand is critical. Crushed concrete and other demolition materials provide an excellent alternative to virgin quarry products.

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement in asphalt mixes is a well-known example of recycling in road construction. That said, recycled aggregates have also been used in unbound granular base and subbase layers.

Victorian Department of Transport specifications for recycled subbase materials have been available for a long time. However, the department is currently working towards increasing the fit-for-purpose use of recycled material in road construction.

To achieve this, the transport department engaged the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) to trial, test and research processes and mixes to extend the specification framework.

ARRB is researching whether recycled aggregates can be used as road base on lightly trafficked roads.

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A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS NEEDED TO BE ANSWERED First, can we use recycled aggregates in road base materials for lightly trafficked roads? And second, how do different blends of crushed concrete, crushed brick and crushed glass perform?

Maximising resource recovery for these major waste streams will not only reduce our reliance on virgin material, but reduce the amount of material sent to landfill and support the circular economy transition.

This is a key factor given the Victorian Government is slated to release its Circular Economy Policy in 2020.

In the future, these materials can be recycled in granular roadbase materials, or if required, can be further improved through in-situ stabilisation.

The extra-large wheel-tracking test developed by ARRB for Austroads is the best approach to assess the performance of unbound granular material in the laboratory under simulated traffic conditions.

It consists of trafficking a 300-millimetredeep specimen of material under a rolling wheel-load for at least 80,000 load passes (40,000 cycles). The deformation at the surface of the specimen is measured during the test to assess the rutting characteristic of the material.

Test specimens can be prepared at various density or moisture conditions. To benchmark the performance of various materials, specimens from each mix are compacted at equivalent field density and moisture content conditions.

Each specimen is sealed with a flexible epoxy membrane to preserve the specimen moisture conditions during testing.

Building on the experience with crushed concrete material as a subbase material in the field, the research methodology compares the performance of different blends in comparison with a crushed concrete as a control material.

A profile developed at ARRB’s Port Melbourne laboratories illustrates rut depth.

A crushed concrete material was blended with different proportions of crushed glass and crushed brick to evaluate performance changes with increasing recycled material content.

All work was conducted in ARRB’s state-of-the-art research laboratories in Port Melbourne.

PERFORMANCE All of the mixes performed well within expectations compared to other aggregate sources tested in similar conditions during this and previous projects.

These encouraging results suggest the potential for increasing fit-for-purpose use of these 100-per-cent-recycled materials and blends for lightly trafficked roads.

More work is underway to perform similar assessments on crushed rock materials and blends with different recycled proportions.

Eventually, the hope is we could reach a point where we use these recycled materials as a granular base, and then just lay a thin surfacing over the top. This would be an important application for lightly trafficked rural roads which are managed by local councils.

Interested in finding out more about this work and its potential application, or customisation of a testing program to suit your needs? Contact ARRB at labs@arrb.com.au

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