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ecurity systems at the Olympic Dam Air p or t have been upgraded af ter the Fe deral Government recently introduced changes to regional aviation security. A BHP Billiton spokesperson said the upgrades were installed over the last few months and the airport has now rolled out its new security procedures. “The new security measures have been in place since mid-June, when passengers were encouraged to test the new facilities. From July 1 the new system officially went ‘live’ and participation has been compulsory. “To comply with new regulations from the Office of Transport Security, the Olympic Dam Airport has recently undergone the construction of a new passenger lounge near the existing amenities block, with a capacity to hold 120 people, as well as the installation of an enhanced security system.” The existing terminal building has been extended to allow for baggage screening. The spokesperson said BHP Billiton has taken every possible measure to ensure that the disruption to passengers and the general public is minimised throughout the transition. As of July 1, 2012, it is compulsory for all passengers to undergo security screening, including x-ray baggage screening for both carry on and checked luggage, and metal detector screening. “From July 1, all pas-
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Volume 9, Wednesday, July 11, 2012
n c e e r e ff i D A e k a M d locally an
Regional airport upgrades By Jason Munn
finding the right people wherever and whenever they are needed
sengers are required to present for check-in at least 45 minutes before departure to account for any delays and the increased security measures will be no different to checking in at Adelaide airport.” The upgrades have required additional, fully trained security staff to operate the new system, in addition to existing staff, with some of the costs of the upgrades being assisted by the Australian Government. “The Government did assist with some of the cost around the specific scanning equipment, while the other upgrade costs were borne by BHP Billiton.” Security screening will ensure no passenger boarding a flight is carrying any prohibited items. “Comply ing w ith these regulations will qualify Olympic Dam as a category three secure airport, indicating that it has the adequate security measures in place for an airport that runs regular public transport operations that involve an average of at least 50,000 passengers per year. “As a result of the changes to these regulations, 35 regional and rural airports across Australia have improved their security systems.” Passengers who have not experienced aviation security screening before can visit TravelSECURE.infrastructure.gov.au to familiarise themselves with what to expect at an aviation security screening point, together with examples of items that are not permitted to be carried on board an aircraft.
Improving Andamooka’s roads By Jason Munn he Andamooka Town Management Committee (ATMC) and the Andamo ok a Progress and Opal Miners Association (APOMA) recently put in motion the re-sheeting of a frequently used road.
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The project is a step forward in the continual process of improving local infrastructure. “It’s a road that’s quite steep and narrow and was previously just local soil; it had never been surfaced properly, so whenever we had a small amount of rain it was a major bog,” APOMA Chairperson and ATMC Committee member Peter Allen said. “Cars used to slide all over the place on the way up the hill because of the steepness, and residents at the top of the hill couldn’t get home, or go into town.” Re-sheeting is a process of scarifying and re-surfacing the existing road; scarifying is scratching the ground to about three inches, via a
scarifying attachment on a grader. “This is done to break up the surface. “We then identify suitable material for a road base, screen out the big rocks, which is anything bigger than 100 millimetres, then water the material and mix it in a borrow pit.” The borrow pit is used to mix the underlying sandstone or limestone material with small rocks and finer material, which creates the hard road base. Quarry rubble high compaction road base, commonly known as PM21, is the standard, but Mr Allen said it doesn’t work in Andamooka due to its high maintenance required and the shortage of water needed for such maintenance, so earth movers in Andamooka create their own road base. “The base is laid and graded, then watered to preserve the moisture because it tends to evaporate during the day, then regraded and rolled several times,” Mr Allen said. “This brings the finer elements to the surface and
pushes the larger elements underneath; a bit like troweling concrete. “And that means you get quite a tight surface.” Mr Allen said the re-sheeting was scheduled for next year; however current finances provided a window of opportunity. “We didn’t think we had enough money left in the budget, but it turned out we did, so we brought it forward.” The re-sheeting was necessary due to the high usage of the road, combined with the problems associated with rain. “There’s probably about 12 families using that road, and it’s always been difficult whenever it rained.” The re-sheeting should now resolve those hazards, and is one of several planned road maintenance activities as infrastructure improvements continue around town. “There are a group of roads that we have identified as being needy – roads of high traffic, so we’ve been getting more and more of them done and over time will continue
the program of expansion creating properly made roads.” Mr Allen said Andamooka is about to trial an additive product to the water used when laying the road base. “It prevents moisture from penetrating the road – like a sealant. “It’s reasonably expensive but if it’s done properly it can be very cost efficient because instead of having to regrade the road every time it rains, hopefully, we won’t have to touch it.” As the town grows and the numbers of road users increase, the question of bitumen has also been raised. “I think bitumising roads is something that needs to be considered and we have identified three or four roads of particularly high traffic load that could use bitumen. “There’s no point in bitumising every road in town because it will destroy the character of the place, and if there are only two people living on that road then bitumising is unnecessary, but there are some roads that should be considered.”