This edition of Austroads News has a run down on the latest Austroads reports and upcoming seminars and conferences.

If you have been forwarded this email you can subscribe here to receive future updates.

The draft program for the Austroads Bridge Conference is now available.

The conference will be held in Sydney at the ANZ Stadium, Olympic Park from Wednesday 22 October to Friday 24 October 2014, with a half-day technical tour planned for Saturday 25 October.

With 115 papers accepted and speakers from 12 countries, the event is shaping up to be an unmissable opportunity for bridge practitioners. 

Keynote and invited speakers include:

• Professor Dan M. Frangopol, Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture at Lehigh University, USA
• Dr Amir Fam, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Innovative and Retrofitted Structures (2003-13) and Undergraduate Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering at Queen’s University, Canada
• Dr Riadh Al-Mahaidi, Professor of Structural Engineering, Director of the Smart Structures Laboratory, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
• Dr Mitsuyoshi Akiyama, Professor of Civil Engineering, Waseda University, Japan
• Dr Fabio Biondini, Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
• Professor Joan R. Casas, Professor of Bridge Engineering, Technical University of Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech), Spain

Session topics include:

• Design
• Construction and strengthening
• Assessment and investigation
• Innovation and research
• Life cycle management
• Standards and specifications
• Maintenance and rehabilitation
• PLUS a special session from the International Association for Bridge Maintenance and Safety (IAMBAS)

Early bird registration closes 19 September 2014.

For more information and registration visit www.abc2014sydney.com.au

This conference will be held in conjunction with the 26th ARRB Conference.

Austroads has published the results of a laboratory study conducted as part of the development of a new long term ageing (durability) test for bituminous binders used in sprayed seals in Australia.

Durable binders are used in road construction to produce long-lasting surfacings. For more than 40 years the durability of bitumen binders in sprayed seals has been assessed in Australia using an established laboratory test method known as the durability test (AS 2341.13-1997).  The durability test method, however, has a number of issues (e.g. test equipment sustainability) and Australian practitioners identified an urgent need for a more robust test method.

This report presents the research outcomes of the second year of work on a three-year Austroads project.

Among the test methods reviewed and assessed in earlier studies, a test method known as the dynamic shear rheometer flow test was found to be the most appropriate and was used to characterise binders that were treated using a pressurised ageing vessel (PAV). Chemical analysis tests known as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography were also conducted to provide information about the chemical processes that occurred during PAV ageing treatment.

The laboratory test results obtained during this second year of work will be used to complement a field validation study proposed for 2014–15.  

BITRE has released a report that provides comparisons of road fatalities for OECD nations and Australian states and territories.

The rates compare Australia's road safety performance with that of other OECD nations by accounting for the differing levels of population, motorisation and distances travelled.

In terms of annual deaths per 100,000 population in 2012: Australia's rate of 5.72 was the 16th lowest rate out of the 33 nations with available data. The nations with the two lowest rates were Iceland (2.81) and the United Kingdom (2.83).

Between 2003 and 2012, the annual population-standardised risk of a road crash fatality in Australia declined by 30.5 per cent. Over the same period the OECD median rate fell by 38.9 per cent. The rates for all Australian jurisdictions decreased by between 5 per cent (Australian Capital Territory) and 45 per cent (South Australia).

2014 Transport and Main Roads Engineering Technology Forum
9-11 September 2014, Brisbane, Australia

NEW ARRB Information Seminar - Getting the Most out of your Road Network Infrastructure
23 September 2014, Perth, Australia 

26th ARRB Conference (Program Now Available)
19-22 October 2014, Sydney Australia

Austroads Bridge Conference (Program Now Available)
22-24 October 2014, Sydney, Australia

Walk 21
21-23 October 2014, Sydney, Australia

10th International Conference on Transport Survey Methods
16-21 November 2014, Leura, Australia

Engineers Australia Convention 2014
24-28 November 2014, Melbourne, Australia

 XXVth World Road Congress Call for papers
2-6 November 2015, Seoul, Korea