The July edition of Austroads News has a pavements focus with a new edition of Guide to Pavement Technology Part 4B: Asphalt and two research reports on characteristics of pavements containing cemented materials released. We have also released reports examining the benefits of high productivity vehicles in Australia and providing content for the Austroads Guides on managed motorways.

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A new Austroads website has been launched with a fresh contemporary look. Links to the 2014-15 projects are included along with links to our latest reports.  

Over the next 12 months we will be working to better integrate our publications website and project database into the new site, making it easier for practitioners to keep informed with the latest road research and guidelines. 

In early June, Austroads published a new edition of the popular Guide to Pavement Technology Part 4B: Asphalt.

The Guide provides an introduction to the nature of asphalt as a material and its application in road pavements.

This second edition of the Guide includes major structural changes incorporating details previously contained in a number of Austroads technical reports that are now superseded. It also incorporates the outcomes of a thorough review of asphalt mix design levels and design methodology.

Asphalt is widely used in the construction and surfacing of roads in Australasia.

Asphalt properties are complex and its performance requirements vary considerably with the application. Engineers responsible for the design of works incorporating asphalt have a responsibility to acquire an adequate understanding of the properties of asphalt and appropriate usage as well as an understanding of the application of specifications and construction requirements.

Other parts of the Guide to Pavement Technology provide supporting detail for the placing of asphalt as well as the selection of materials for particular applications.

Australian and New Zealand local councils may access all Austroads publications online for no charge, including the Austroads Guides. To organise access please email austroads@austroads.com.au from your work email account and we will send you your user code and password.
 

Austroads has released two research reports which provide insight into the characteristics of pavements containing cemented materials.

The Framework for the Revision of Austroads Design Procedures for Pavements Containing Cemented Materials  proposes a framework for the revision of the design of flexible pavements containing cemented materials.

Previous Austroads projects concluded that there is a need to substantially revise the thickness design procedures for cemented materials as provided in Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology – Part 2: Pavement Structural Design. This report reviews the origins of the current design procedures and the results of past and recent laboratory and accelerated loading trials on cemented materials modulus and fatigue.  It proposes a framework for the revision of the design of flexible pavements containing cemented materials is proposed.

Cemented Materials Characterisation: Final Report brings together five years of research into the modulus, strength fatigue characteristics of cement treated granular materials as used in road pavements.

The report details the laboratory procedures used to prepare, cure and test cemented material beams for flexural modulus, flexural strength and flexural fatigue behaviour. Based on the laboratory results, the report proposes revisions to the Guide to Pavement Technology – Part 2: Pavement Structural Design.

Austroads recently released a report that outlines the direct and indirect benefits of High Productivity Vehicles (HPV) in Australia.

The HPV initiative is poised to conservatively deliver $12.6 billion in real benefits to Australia by 2030 through $6.9 billion in discounted direct benefits and $5.7 billion in indirect discounted flow-on economic benefits.

Direct benefits examined include safety, productivity, fuel and environmental savings. An attempt has also been made to estimate indirect benefits of HPV adoption which include the stimulated economic flow-on benefits, lowering community freight exposure, and slightly lowering infrastructure maintenance costs.

This is the first study of its type to create national heavy vehicle accident benchmarks for Australia, and to use those benchmarks to measure the national HPV fleet accident performance rates. Over the last three years the estimates for productivity of HPV have risen significantly as operators have supplied more precise kilometre savings estimates than was available prior this study.

This report provides content for the Austroads Guides on managed motorways. Most of the content has been sourced from the VicRoads Managed Freeways: Freeway Ramp Signals Handbook and the VicRoads Managed Freeway Guidelines. Additional content has come from supplementary guides provided by Queensland Transport and Main Roads and Main Roads Western Australia and other literature on managed motorways.

The report focuses on ramp metering as it plays a significant role in controlling the operational characteristics of a managed motorway.  Detailed content on other aspects of managed motorways is expected to be compiled in future Austroads projects.

The inclusion of guidance on managed motorways in the Austroads Guides should provide a definitive source of standardised information for managed motorways that will be accessible to all jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand.

Updating the Austroads Guides was outside the scope of this project but the report suggests how the content can be linked to the Austroads Guides and provides a strategy for further development of managed motorways information in future Austroads projects.

Each year Austroads Awards recognise the contribution of individuals to our work program. The people managing Austroads projects and serving on task forces and working groups often undertake that work in addition to their regular work for member organisations. The awards acknowledge their efforts and commitment on which our success depends.

In 2014 Austroads recognised the following people for Achievement Awards:

Ian Gould – Transport for NSW
For successful project management and delivery of two Freight Program projects, FS1703: Light Freight – Understanding its role in Urban Logistics and FS1812: Use of Auxiliary Brakes in Heavy Vehicles.

Peter Croft – ARRB Group
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the technical content of the Guide to Traffic Management, leadership of Austroads projects and participation on the Traffic Management Working Group.

Griff Davis – City of Whittlesea, Victoria 
In recognition of his contribution to the update of the Guide to Traffic Management and liaison with Local Government as the ALGA representative on the Traffic Management Working Group.

Robert (Bob) O’Keefe – Roads and Maritime Services, NSW
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the update of the Guide to Traffic Management and to the Traffic Management Working Group’s understanding of the Australian Road Rules.

Deborah Davis – Department of State Growth, Tasmania
In recognition of her significant contribution to the Safety Task Force (2011 to 2014).

Pam Palmer – Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland
In recognition of her significant contribution to the Safety Task Force, management of projects and Safety Program as Program Manager (2012 – 2013).

Austroads is developing a level of service for heavy vehicles on rural roads. We want to hear the opinions of drivers and operators about a range of issues including the road surface, road and lane geometry, and traffic impacts.

The road freight industry through the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) supports this study and is keen to engage the support of operators and drivers.

The ARRB Group are conducting the survey. They are particularly keen to interview heavy vehicle drivers in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Operators/drivers and logistic managers who wish to participate can contact ARRB directly through Shoukry Marzouk (shoukry.marzouk@arrb.com.au; phone 03 98811556) or Tim Martin (tim.martin@arrb.com.au; phone 03 9881 1564) to arrange for a face-to-face interview.

The survey can also be completed directly online and takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Please share this with truck drivers and heavy vehicle operators in your network.

The World Road Association has released a report that looks at different ways energy can be generated by innovative use of highway infrastructure and associated land holdings.

Case studies include: thermal collection, photovoltaic collection, wind microgeneration, water microgeneration and efficient use of new materials.

Roads Australia Evolution of ITS - Now to 2030
16 July 2014, Brisbane, Australia

IPWEA Sustainability in Public Works
27-29 July 2014, Tweed Heads/Coolangatta, Australia

NEW ARRB Beginners Guide to Managing Road Pavement Assets
31 July 2014, Online Webinar, no charge but registrations essential

NEW Pavement Design, Rehabilitation, Subgrade Improvement and Use of Recycled Materials
31 July 2014, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

AITPM National Traffic and Transport Conference
12-15 August 2014, Adelaide Australia

NEW ARRB TIPES–Independent Technical Evaluation of Innovative Road Construction Products
14 August 2014, Online Webinar, no charge but registrations essential

NEW Laboratory Services and Current Research being Investigated at ARRB
26 August 2014, Online Webinar, no charge but registrations essential

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

NEW Trafinz Transport Connections for Liveable Cities
14-17 September 2014, Auckland, New Zealand

26th ARRB Conference 
19-22 October 2014, Sydney Australia

Austroads Bridge Conference 
22-24 October 2014, Sydney, Australia

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

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

NEW 5th International Symposium on Highway Geometric Design
22-24 June 2015, Vancouver, Canada

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