Asphalt Review - Volume 28 Number 2 - Australian Asphalt ...

AsphaltReview 

Volume 28 Number 2 June /July 2009 

• FROM THE AAPA CEO 

• FROM THE AAPA CHAIRMAN 

• A WORLD OF COLOUR FOR SAFETY AND BEAUTY 

• DEER PARK BYPASS 

• SPRAYED SEALING PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIA 

• AAPA COMMUNICATIONS FORUMS 

• NEW AUSTROADS GUIDES TO BE LAUNCHED 

• 2009 TRAINING COURSE PROGRAM 

• ASPHALT NEWS

Contents 

40 From the AAPA CEO 

41 From the AAPA Chairman 

42 A World of Colour for Safety and Beauty 

46 Deer Park Bypass 

52 Sprayed Sealing Practice In Australia 

58 AAPA Communications Forums 

60 New Austroads Guides to be Launched 

62 AAPA 2009 Training Course Program 

63 Asphalt News 

Coloured asphalt used to enhance the look of the Beacon Cove waterfront development in Melbourne. See the article on coloured 

asphalt in this issue of Asphalt Review. 

ROADS JUNE /JULY 2009 39

ASPHALT REVIEW 

CEO’S REPORT 

In early June the Queensland Minister 

Craig Wallace highlighted the first 

anniversary of the Tugun Bypass. 

This road is judged as an outstanding 

success as are many other major road 

projects around Australia. These include 

the Victorian Eastlink project which 

was judged Australia’s most outstanding 

example of construction excellence at 

the 2009 Australian Construction 

Achievement Award (ACAA) presentation 

in May. 

These road projects bring about huge 

social and economic benefits right 

across Australia through improved 

access and more efficient transport. 

They also bring money directly into 

communities through a wide range of 

direct and indirect jobs. But it is not 

only the major projects that bring 

community benefit. 

Road maintenance brings jobs 

directly into the community; jobs in the 

road construction industry, allied industries 

and into the local shops, schools 

and other services. 

Economists call it the multiplier 

effect, the effect $1 has on the overall 

economy. For example; a roader worker 

who receives $10 may spend that on 

lunch. The shop keeper who sold that 

lunch then spends that money on 

buying stock from a baker and a meat 

wholesaler. The shop keeper may also 

use some of the money to buy a bottle 

of wine. These people then spend the 

money they receive on buying other 

goods and services, and so the $10 is in 

effect spent several times. 

Funding road projects is therefore a 

good way to stimulate the economy. 

But to properly benefit the 

community, roads must be constructed 

and maintained to a high standard. For 

example; in a recent publication, the 

American Association of State Highway 

and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 

reported that in the US it is estimated 

that for the average driver, rough roads 

add $US335 annually to a typical 

vehicle’s operating costs, and in urban 

areas with high concentrations of rough 

roads, up to $US746 annually. 

The report also noted that sustaining 

a deteriorating road over 25 years will 

cost three times more than regularly 

maintaining that road. This report is 

“Rough Roads Ahead: Fix Them Now or 

Pay for it Later” and it can be 

John Lambert, 

CEO, AAPA 

downloaded from the AASHTO website 

http://roughroads.transportation.org. 

AAPA therefore strongly supports the 

recently announced funding for new 

road projects across Australia. But 

AAPA equally supports ongoing road 

maintenance and recommends that 

funding be provided for ongoing 

maintenance of all roads. The comment 

“a stitch in time saves 9” may be an old 

saying, probably from the 19th Century, 

but it is still valid today. And maybe we 

could reword it “a $1 of maintenance in 

time saves $9”. 

Continued over page 

Asphalt Review reports on the flexible 

pavements and bituminous surfacing 

industry in Australia and New Zealand. It 

is published by ROADS Magazine on 

behalf of Australian Asphalt Pavement 

Association Limited (ABN 31 000 770 

123), a non-profit organisation formed to 

promote the economic use of asphalt and 

other bituminous bound products based 

on sound technical and commercial 

grounds for the benefit of its members, 

their customers and the community. 

Articles in Asphalt Review may be 

reprinted provided acknowledgement is 

given. Contributions of a news or 

technical nature on all aspects of asphalt 

and bituminous surfacing are welcome. 

ADMINISTRATION 

AAPA Head Office 

Level 2, 

5 Wellington Street 

Kew, Vic 3101 

Tel: (03) 9853 3595 

Fax: (03) 9853 3484 

Email: info@aapa.asn.au 

Website: www.aapa.asn.au 

Asphalt Review 

Editor: Rex Pannell 

Email rex.pannell@halledit.com.au 

Advertising: Yuri Mamistvalov 

Email yuri@halledit.com.au 

Tel: (03) 8534 5008 

The Asphalt Review Magazine, 

prepared by the Australian Asphalt 

Pavement Association (AAPA) is now 

also produced as a supplement in the 

ROADS magazine. To gain access to 

a broader readership, AAPA has 

undertaken to publish within ROADS, 

but its content will maintain the 

uniqueness and specialty focus on 

flexible pavements that Asphalt 

Review has provided for over 25 

years. Availability of this and future 

issues of the Asphalt Review will 

continue via the AAPA web site: 

www.aapa.asn.au in addition to its 

inclusion in ROADS magazine. 

The publishing schedule is: 

February-March; June-July; and 

October-November. 

40 ROADS JUNE /JULY 2009


FROM THE AAPA CHAIRMAN 

The flexible pavement industry is one 

with a proud history, a history that is 

often unrecognised. But those involved 

in our industry know that we have built 

the road surfaces that enable Australia’s 

economy to function efficiently and 

effectively. 

In many ways our industry often goes 

unrecognised. Business and the general 

community now expect places to be 

linked by a smooth and reliable asphalt 

and sprayed seal road network. When a 

road fails, the whole community raises 

concern. 

It is important that we all continue to 

support the need for ongoing road 

funding, particularly the underpinning 

need for road maintenance. It is equally 

important that we continue to 

recognise the need to strive for 

consistent, high quality outcomes in the 

work we do. 

I am therefore pleased that Austroads 

is releasing its new guidelines and that 

Austroads’ members have agreed to 

adopt them as their primary reference. 

I recognise that there will be variations 

Louis Nucifora, 

Chairman, AAPA 

necessary in different regions of 

Australia, but starting from a consistent 

primary reference point will benefit all 

stakeholders including the community. 

AAPA is in a unique position as it has 

members from both the public and 

private sector. The work of AAPA 

members in Austroads reference groups 

and the Pavement Technology Review 

Panel leading to these guidelines is 

another example of how AAPA supports 

better road surfacing outcomes. 

AAPA will continue to support its 

members, providing a balanced and 

appropriate response to a wide range of 

current and emerging issues. 

Importantly, it will do this through its 

strong state branch structure, and with 

this in mind, I welcome Dougall 

Broadfoot to NSW where he has taken 

up the position of State Executive 

Officer. 

At a board level, we are also looking 

to the future of AAPA and how best to 

ensure that it continues to deliver the 

outcomes required by our members. 

The board is over viewing the development 

of the Strategic Plan which, 

along with state branch business plans, 

will guide AAPA into the future. 

In closing, I remind members and 

non-members that AAPA training 

courses are currently being run around 

Australia and the winter months are a 

good time to send workers to these 

courses. Participants can gain practical 

and relevant knowledge to ensure we 

can maintain the high standard of work 

expected from our industry. The AAPA 

training course calendar is available 

from the AAPA website 

www.aapa.asn.au. 

Continued from previous page 

I started this note with mention of 

two outstanding road projects of which 

the very high quality asphalt surface is 

the most tangible aspect noticed by 

road users. These surfaces have come 

about due to the efforts of AAPA 

members from both the private sector 

and government. This shows the level 

of cooperation within our sector 

between our members. The AAPA 

liaison groups in several states play an 

important role in bringing about these 

results. AAPA technical committees 

and the National Technology 

Committee also work to achieve 

outstanding results. 

In the area of warm mix asphalt, 

AAPA members from VicRoads, the 

NSW RTA and industry are working 

together to share information on trial 

projects, leading to great benefits for 

all participants. This cooperative 

approach is to be made available to 

other AAPA road authority members. 

AAPA also works with Austroads, the 

peak body of government road authorities, 

to support the development of 

consistency across Australia. The new 

Austroads guidelines, which were to be 

released on 1 July this year, were 

developed with input from AAPA and 

will form the basis of more consistency 

across the state jurisdictions. More 

information on these guidelines is 

included in this edition of Asphalt 

Review. While AAPA recognises that 

there are reasons for differences 

between regions, there are also great 

benefits in consistency. These can 

include reduced costs and greater 

understanding of the materials and 

processes we apply. 

Before finishing this note, I must 

comment on two significant events 

that have occurred in our industry. 

Firstly, Trevor Distin – former CEO of 

the South African Asphalt Pavement 

Association (SABITA) – has taken up a 

senior position with Boral. This is a 

great outcome for Boral and for the 

whole of the Australian flexible 

pavement industry. Trevor has already 

taken up positions on AAPA technical 

committees. On behalf of the industry, 

welcome Trevor, and I hope you and 

your family settle in quickly to your 

new home in Sydney. 

The other major event is the 

purchase of a 50% stake in Pioneer 

Road Services by Fulton Hogan. This 

gives Fulton Hogan two positions on 

the Board of Pioneer Road Services, 

but both companies will continue to 

operate independently. In the words of 

Louis Nucifora, CEO of Pioneer Road 

Services, it will be “business as usual”. 

Fulton Hogan has recently announced 

that they are seeking to purchase the 

remaining 50% of PRS from Shell. 

The only thing left now is to remind 

you all that the AAPA 13th 

International Pavements Conference is 

approaching. It is to be held at the 

Marriott on the Gold Coast on 11 to 13 

October. Judging from the list of 

speakers and the venue, this will be an 

outstanding conference and I 

encourage you to register as soon as 

possible. 



A WORLD OF COLOUR 

FOR SAFETY AND BEAUTY 

Black bituminous surfacing is recognised around the world. But increasingly there is a need for different 

coloured pavement surfacing. This may be for aesthetic purposes such as to blend pathways with 

surrounding environments or to delineate different areas such as bus lanes or even tennis court boundaries. 

The following article has been prepared to highlight a few coloured asphalt pavements in Australia. 

Coloured Asphalt’s amazing 

applications 

Those of us in the flexible pavements 

industry know the advantages of 

bitumen based pavements over all 

others. 

For roads, carparks, footpaths and 

even domestic driveways, bitumen 

offers many advantages. These include a 

smooth surface, no joints, ease of 

construction and ease of maintenance 

and rehabilitation. Bitumen surfaces 

are also re-cyclable and are increasingly 

being recognised for their low greenhouse 

intensity compared to other 

products. 

However, one downside in some 

circumstances is typified by the old 

Henry Ford saying about his early Model 

T cars: “You can have it in any colour as 

long as it’s black”. For most applications 

black is fine. It doesn’t show the dirt, 

tyres don’t mark it, the white 

linemarking is clearly delineated on it 

and there is a wonderful absence of glare 

for the comfort of drivers. We are all 

accustomed to black bitumen roads. But 

there are some applications where 

different colours can fulfil several 

functions. 

For example: at Port Melbourne, close 

to the Melbourne CBD, the newly 

completed Beacon Cove has been 

developed with nothing black in its 

vibrant styling. 

Blending this waterfront location with 

Melbourne’s iconic Station Pier, the 

brilliant white sands of the beach, five 

star restaurants and exclusive 

apartment complexes called for the use 

of the latest building materials. 

This included pavement materials that 

would link the beach to the development. 

Solutions to this issue were 

provided by the combined efforts and 

ingenuity of AAPA members Shell 

Bitumen, and Pioneer Road Services. 

This was achieved through the use of 

sand coloured bitumen for the wide 

beachfront footpath. As a result, the 

footpath is functional and smooth as 

well as aesthetically linking Beacon 

Cove residents and visitors to the beach. 

The use of the sand coloured bitumen 

provides the visual transition between 

water, sand and the built structure. 

The asphalt mix used in this situation 

was manufactured and placed by 

Pioneer Road Services (PRS) using Shell 

Mexphalte CP1 binder. PRS have previously 

used this product successfully in a 

number of carparks and residential 

applications in Melbourne. 

Shell Mexphalte CP1 is a synthetic 

binder specifically developed to produce 

coloured and decorative asphalt with 

superior engineering properties to that 

of conventional binder. The “blonde” 

transparent binder, as it is sometimes 

referred to has synthetic polymers to 

produce a bitumen capable of 

enhancing the rut resistance and fatigue 

lives of asphalt mixtures. 

In Sydney, the NSW Roads and 

Traffic Authority (RTA) also required 

coloured asphalt. This was to delineate 

bus lanes from general traffic lanes to 

improve traffic flow and safety. Again 

AAPA members combined forces to 

provide a solution for the client. 

The first trials of coloured bus lanes in 

NSW was in 1998, and following the 

success of these trials, Boral Asphalt 

annually constructs bus lanes for the 

RTA with a final surface of specially 

designed red asphalt. The asphalt uses 

Shell’s Mexphalte CP1 pigmentable 

binder and is produced at Pioneer Road 

Services’ Sydney batch plant. 

This has resulted in an Asphalt of 

bright colour which clearly distinguishes 

bus lanes in various city and 

urban areas. 

A number of technologies have been 

used to produce the red asphalt which is 

resistant to permanent deformation and 

maintains good colour. These include: 

• the design of a 7mm Stone Mastic 

Asphalt (SMA) to provide a highly 

durable surface structure; 

• the addition of synthetic polymers to 

stiffen the binder and improve its 

resistance to permanent deformation; 

• careful selection of oxide to achieve 

optimum colour; 

• the use of “red” coloured 7mm 

aggregate to maintain ongoing surface 

colour; and 

• the use of a fuel resistant compound 

added to the binder to improve the 

resistance of the asphalt to the effects 

of fuel spillage. 

The RTA’s performance requirements 

for this product were that it be of good, 

durable colour and that it be able to 

withstand the heavy loads imposed by 

buses travelling in single lanes. 

VicRoads has also commenced using 

colour to highlight bus lanes as part of 

its 20/30 plan to improve traffic flows on 

the existing Melbourne road network. 

For its first coloured bus lanes in the 

North West metropolitan area VicRoads 

selected a red asphalt incorporating 

Shell Mexphalte C P1 as the binder, in a 

coloured 7mm Stone Mastic Asphalt 

(SMA). This was combined with a red 

granite aggregate from East Gippsland 



to enhance the desired colour and to 

maximise colour retention. 

VicRoads 20/30 plan stipulates that if 

a coloured surface is deemed necessary, 

bus lanes will be red, cycle lanes will be 

green and pedestrian lanes will be yellow. 

Boral Asphalts in Victoria which 

undertook the manufacture and paving 

of the red coloured SMA asphalt, said 

that training was given to the paving 

crew and personnel at the manufacturing 

plant to ensure that all parts of 

the plant and paver were not contaminated 

with traditional black bitumen. 

Temperatures were monitored at the 

plant, truck, and paver to ensure that 

the desired temperatures were met to 

achieve targeted compaction levels. 

Temperature was also carefully 

monitored as it can influence the 

appearance of the finished pavement. If 

the temperature is too low during paving 

it would normally result in a coarse 

finish. Inspection of the bus lane has 

shown no signs of distress or deformation. 

These examples show the potential of 

coloured asphalt and states other than 

NSW and Victoria are now using this 

product. Western Australia also has a 

large number of kilometres of green 

asphalt. 

Overall, coloured pavements can fulfil 

several functions: 

• alert traffic to special situations: 

crossing, cycle paths, bus stops, oneway 

traffic entrances; 

• indicate differences in pavement 

functions: eg. parking areas, service 

roads, cycle paths, bus lanes etc to 

improve safety; 

• improve the effect of illumination by 

the use of light coloured surfaces: 

tunnels, flyovers etc; 

• increase attractiveness and status of 

recreational pavements: tennis courts, 

playgrounds, park lanes and drives; 

and 

• diminish the contrast of asphalt with 

the surrounding soil or vegetation by 

blending it into the landscape; eg. 

park walkway/bikeways, heritage 

sites. 

Whether coloured asphalt is used for 

aesthetic purposes, such as along a 

beach front or to assist in the growing 

need to manage congestion such as 

clearly identifying bus lanes, it is likely 

to become more in demand in future. 

Overseas, extensive use is being made 

of coloured asphalt in tunnels to 

increase reflection and reduce energy 

consumption and lighting costs when 

compared to either conventional asphalt 

or cement concrete surfacing. 

ACE PLUS ADDS GPS CAPABILITY TO ROLLERS 

A new Ammann intelligent compaction 

system with GPS capability could 

reduce the need for independent 

compaction testing, according to Doug 

Coleman of Conplant. 

Most contracts currently stipulate that 

compaction levels must be independently 

verified. But because the new 

metre, ACE Plus, offers real time information 

about the level of compaction 

reached it may eventually be used in 

place of additional testing. 

“Currently, compaction needs to be 

tested separately after the roller work is 

done, and the process can be very time 

consuming,” Mr Coleman says. 

“Work has to stop while the 

compaction test is completed – and if 

the test shows the level of compaction is 

not right, then the area has to be ripped 

up and started again. Many contractors 

put the rest of the job on hold while they 

wait for confirmation of compaction test 

results, so there’s a lot of lost time. 

“With ACE Plus, the operator knows 

that the compaction level is right, so 

contractors can be confident that they 

can get on with the job while they await 

results. Meanwhile, they’re hoping that 

in the future the RTA and other like 

governing bodies will allow them to use 

ACE Plus instead of the separate testing 

process,” Mr Coleman says. 

ACE Plus comes just a year after the 

launch of the revolutionary Ammann 

Compaction Expert (ACE). ACE was the 

first electronic measuring and control 

system to automatically adjust 

amplitude and frequency to suit 

individual ground characteristics. The 

new generation technology combines 

GPS capability with ‘intelligent 

compaction’ to take the guesswork out 

of the job. 

“Like the original ACE system, ACE 

Plus lets the operator know when 

optimum compaction levels have been 

reached, drastically reducing over and 

under compaction,” Mr Coleman says. 

“With the new ACE Plus system, GPS 

capability means that the system can 

not only track the passes made, it can 

relay this information in real time. 

Intelligent compaction takes place in the 

business end of the roller – the drum. 

The drum continually measures the 

stiffness or bearing capacity of the 

material being compacted and adjusts 

amplitude as well as frequency to gain 

optimum compactive effort.” 

“This means considerably fewer 

passes which substantially reduces 

overall costs when compared with 

conventional rollers. The ACE Plus 

system automatically stops compacting 

once the desired level of compaction is 

reached,” Mr Coleman says. 

The first roller fitted with ACE Plus is 

currently at work on a joint Thiess/RTA 

highway upgrade project from Herons 

Creek to Coopernook in northern New 

South Wales. Field Construction 

Manager, Allan Cooper, says he’d like to 

see ACE Plus technology eventually 

become the industry standard. 

“I like this system because it can tell 

me from the foundation up what the 

surface is like. It tells me if it’s a good 

foundation or if there are any stability 

problems. Our operator is using ACE 

Plus to guide his passes, and while it’s 

early days in the trial, I think it is 

proving worthwhile,” he says. 

More information about ACE Plus is 

available from your local Conplant 

branch at www.conplant.com.au 



DEER PARK BYPASS 

AAPA members produce some of the highest quality road surfaces in the world. This comes about from the 

attention to detail and professional approach of our members, taking into account every variable in each 

project and the needs of the principal contractor and client. To highlight this Asphalt Review will on occasions 

include case studies on particular projects. The following is a case study on the Victorian Deer Park Bypass 

project undertaken by AAPA member Boral Asphalt. Future case studies will be included from time to time 

highlighting the work of other members. 

The Deer Park Bypass is a 9.3 kilometre freeway connecting 

Melbourne’s Western Ring Road directly to the Western 

Highway, bypassing 20 intersections and six sets of traffic 

lights in the outer metropolitan suburbs. 

The connection will significantly improve the gateway 

between Melbourne and the Western District of Victoria and 

remove a major bottleneck along the principle interstate 

route to Adelaide. 

Over the period February 2007 to March 2009, Boral was 

engaged on this major green field road project valued at over 

$331 million and a benefit-cost ratio of 3.5:1. Based on the 

cost of construction this has the potential to bring benefits 

to Australia of more than $ 1 Billion. 

The project was jointly funded by the State and Federal 

Governments as part of the AusLink agreement and 

employed approximately 600 people during construction. 

The contract was premised on a collaborative approach 

between the VicRoads, the Principal and Leighton’s, the 

Contractor, an alliance that was broadly extended to include 

Boral as major subcontractor. 

The project was completed on 5th April 2009, nearly 9 

months ahead of schedule, to a significant extent because of 

the tight turnaround objectives set and met by Boral. 

Boral also developed a strong relationship with its 

customers, utilised recycled asphalt, brick dust and quarry 

by-products. It also achieved a zero LTS. 

Features of the Bypass include: 

• two lanes in each direction, with provision for an 

additional lane for future needs; 

• freeway interchanges with direct access at the Western 

Highway, Christies Road, Robinsons Road and at the 

Western Ring Road; 

• overpasses of the Melbourne-Ballarat railway line and 

Riding Boundary Road, Ravenhall; 

• a bridge to take Mt Derrimut Road over the Bypass; 

• noise walls at some locations to help reduce traffic noise 

impacts on nearby residents; and 

• a shared path adjacent to the Bypass route for pedestrians 

and cyclists. 

Other benefits include improvements to the environment 

through reduced emissions from vehicles idling at intersections, 

and increased regional economic growth through 

improved freight efficiency and freight and logistics. 

The facility will carry over 70,000 vehicles per day of which 

10% will be heavy vehicles. 



It will allow vehicles to travel 

at freeway speeds and reduce 

travel time by at least 15 

minutes in peak periods. 

Although a green field site, the 

bypass included some side road 

reconstruction under traffic. 

Construction in the area was 

divided into two contracts to 

minimise disruption to road 

users: 

• Western Highway – Deer Park 

Bypass Interchange; and 

• Deer Park Bypass 

Western Highway - Deer 

Park Bypass interchange 

Akron Roads Pty Ltd was awarded 

works at this location by VicRoads. 

Construction commenced in August 

2006 with traffic switched onto the new 

Western Highway bridge in December 

2007. Boral Asphalt supplied and placed 

all bituminous materials associated 

with this project. 

Deer Park Bypass 

Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd was 

VicRoads contractor for construction 

works between the Western Highway 

interchange at Caroline Springs and the 

Western Ring Road at Sunshine West. 

VicRoads and Leightons Contractors 

established a ‘One Team’ collaborative 

working relationship to deliver this 

design and construct contract. The 

collaborative relationship brought all 

the benefits of a fully fledged alliance 

contract and extended to the 

involvement of major subcontractors 

without the contractual formality. 

As a major sub-contractor to 

Leightons Contractors, Boral was a 

significant third party of the Deer Park 

Bypass Alliance. The collaborative 

approach used fostered transparency in 

the way business was done and 

ownership of the common goal of 

building a high standard facility. 

Boral ACM was contracted to supply 

almost 870,000 tonnes of quarry 

materials primarily for road building 

and over 170,000 tonnes of asphalt, as 

well as other bituminous materials on a 

schedule of rates basis. Asphalt volumes 

peaked at approximately 35,000 tonnes 

a month and involved some night and 

weekend works to allow tie-ins with 

existing roads and construction under 

traffic. 

Although works on the Bypass 

commenced in February 2007, asphalt 

placement works commenced in June 

2007 with almost 80% or 135,000 tonnes 

of the major asphalt works delivered in 

a seven month block between August 

2008 and February 2009. 

Altogether, approximately 1,040,000 

tonnes of material was sold over 

approximately 18 months. 

The location of the project adjacent to 

the Boral Quarry, Asphalt and Concrete 

Plants, and close proximity to Delta 

Recycling, has also provided advantages 

in addressing any unplanned 

material requirements. 

Boral ACM made a significant contribution 

to innovation on the Deer Park 

Bypass when it motivated the development 

of the first major alternative 

pavement material to be accepted by 

VicRoads for many years. The significant 

mindset change here 

was that VicRoads accepted 

this material based on performance 

testing rather than 

waiting for design life-long 

trials which traditionally 

negate the use of current 

material science. 

The formation of a notional 

alliance allowed the client to 

draw on expertise to achieve 

technical advances and to 

have instant response and 

harmonious relationships in 

all contractual matters. 

The atmosphere of the 

alliance owed much of its 

success to the interpersonal skills of 

team members able to build customer 

relationships that supported project 

tenets of ‘One Team, One Dream’ and 

‘Performance Before Prescription’. 

Far and above, the most significant 

statistic in Boral involvement is that the 

Deer Park Bypass has been achieved 

without any Boral LTIs. 

A mobile asphalt plant was established 

to provide asphalt to the project 

and this was supported by the fixed 

Deer Park Plant which supplied about 

35,000 tonnes of the total asphalt for the 

project. 

Customer Relations 

A hallmark of success on this project 

has been the exceptional customer 

relationships forged between Boral, 

Leightons and VicRoads. Benefits of the 

relationship were evident in dialogue on 



quality management issues where swift, 

logical and appropriate decisions were 

made within reasonable timeframes. As 

a result, all quality management issues 

have been dealt with effectively, 

ensuring timely and positive closure to 

the project. 

Safety 

The underlying obligation on all parties 

at the Deer Park Bypass was to get 

workers home safely. To this end, 

Boral’s greatest achievement on the 

project was zero LTIs. 

Standard procedures incorporated in 

JSEAs and toolbox meetings were 

bolstered by having the Deer Park 

Bypass management team stationed at 

Deer Park with a proactive focus, so that 

response could be swift and visibility 

would be high. 

This type of presence meant that 

senior staff were always on site and 

frequently promoted a strong safety 

culture to all personnel. 

The proximity of depots also gave 

staff the opportunity to be involved in 

safety workshops and strategies 

initiated by the Alliance main project 

office ensuring that all members were 

aware of the common focus on 

achieving the safety requirements for 

the broader community on the project. 

The all-in equal-weight style of safety 

management used, brought out safety 

consciousness in all employees and was 

especially used by the asphalt crews 

who had a very complex and dynamic 

safety management task to accomplish 

compared to many other subcontractors. 

Technology 

Alternative Pavement Materials 

A significant innovation in pavement 

materials used in Victoria was achieved 

during this project. Technical staff 

provided assistance at the conceptual 

design stages for a high strength cement 

treated layer which ultimately delivered 

significant savings to the Victorian 

community. 

The development of materials 

utilising NDCR and brick dust greatly 

assisted Leightons in their development 

of an alternative and leading edge 

pavement configuration for the Deer 

Park Bypass. Most importantly, the 

development of Cement Treated 

Material (CTM) using by-products 

strongly enforces the principles of 

sustainability and opens the door for 

greater use alternatives that may 

consume other material streams that 

currently go unrecognised in value they 

could potentially provide. 

Level Control Technology 

Careful attention was paid to level 

control on the Project so that ride 

quality could be achieved. A multistation 

sonic levelling mechanism 

attached to the paver assisted in 

ensuring that ride quality achieved on 

the Deer Park Bypass exceeded specification 

requirements and in many 

sections was as high as can be achieved 

in the industry at this time. 

Improved RAP 

A major process improvement to the 

inclusion of RAP was made at Deer Park 

Bypass so that more benefit could be 

extracted from the RAP utilisation 

capabilities of the Terex mobile 

production plant used for the project. 

Asphalt mixes used on the Deer Park 

Bypass project allowed for the substitution 

of up to 30% RAP in place of 

virgin aggregate and this supported the 

principles of sustainability in practical 

terms within VicRoads specification 

limits. The project used close to 17,000 

tonnes of RAP in 76,000 tonnes of new 

asphalt. The use of recycled materials 

and by-products was a major step in 

converting rhetoric on sustainability to 

practical benefits for the future. 

Conclusion 

The Deer Park Bypass was a major 

VicRoads Project that was delivered 

successfully and contained elements of 

innovation and technology that are 

expected to benefit the community for 

many years to come. It demonstrated 

that strong alliances, formalised or not, 

can deliver outcomes that satisfy all 

participants and stakeholders. 



SPRAYED SEALING 

PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIA 

This is the third and final part of a detailed paper presented by AAPA National Surfacing Engineer, 

WALTER HOLTROP, at the Sprayed Seal Conference held in July 2008. The paper provides information on 

Plant and Field Procedures required to produce a high and consistent standard of sprayed seals. 

Plant and Field Procedures 

A new design method is only part of improving the overall 

performance of sprayed seals. Attention is also being given 

to improving the plant and field procedures to ensure the 

binder and aggregate spread rates are as close as possible to 

the design rates and aims. 

The bitumen sprayer is considered the most important item 

of plant, closely followed by aggregate spreaders. 

Sprayer calibration 

Road authorities used to calibrate all sprayers operating 

within their jurisdiction. About five years ago it was agreed 

to develop a national calibration method acceptable to all 

road authorities, accredit the testing facility to monitor their 

performance to an agreed standard (done by the Australian 

National Testing Authority, NATA), and list all calibrated 

sprayers on the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association web 

page for the information of industry and its clients. 

Sprayers are required to be calibrated annually. The 

preferred method is using a fixed test pit facility where the 

pump output and transverse distribution are checked in a 

single operation to ensure the sprayer can meet the national 

specification. An alternative method is to use a pit for 

checking the pump output, and a field test using a specified 

type and grade of carpet to check transverse distribution. 

At the same time, a national spraying nozzle specification 

was adopted. 

Figure 15 shows a sprayer on a fixed test pit facility being 

tested for both output and transverse distribution of a full 

width (7.4 m overall) spray bar. 

Transverse distribution is assessed over 50 mm wide 

troughs, and the specification sets specific limits and 

Figure 16. Pre-spraying the coarse textured areas. 

Figure 15. Bitumen sprayer on fixed pit facility. 

allowable tolerances for single troughs, and various combinations 

of troughs. 

The test uses a specified calibration oil, which must have 

the same viscosity as C170 bitumen at the accepted normal 

spraying temperature of 180°C. 

Spraying procedures for sealing 

Sprayed widths generally adopted are either traffic lanes 

(3.7m wide) or full width of the existing surfacing, varying 

from 5.6 to 7.4m with some large sprayers able to spray up 

to 8.6m in a single pass. 

To achieve as long a life as practical from a sprayed seal 

surfacing, it is essential to apply the seal over an existing 

uniform textured surface. If the texture is not uniform, it can 

be improved by say applying a slurry seal, asphalt or 

regulation/correction seal using a small (5 or 7mm) aggregate 

prior to applying the seal treatment. 

Alternatively a variable transverse spray rate may be 

applied across the surface as required. This may be done: 

• using a purpose built bitumen sprayer, generally fitted with 

two spray bars, that are able to vary the spray rate between 

10 and 30% in 300mm widths; and 

• in two separate two runs by first pre-spraying coarse 

textured areas, followed by full width design application 

using either a single or two standard bitumen sprayers. 

Both methods are used with good success. 

The seal design procedure involves measuring surface 

texture in the wheel paths and between/outside the wheel 

paths. If the surface texture allowance to be applied varies 

by 0.3 L/m 2 or more between the two locations, it is recommended 

the surface be first regulated or variable spray rates 

applied. 



Figure 17. Large self propelled aggregate spreader. 

Figure 16 shows an example of applying variable spray 

rates across the pavement by pre-spraying the coarse textured 

areas first at 0.5 L/m 2 , followed by the full width application 

at the design rate for the wheel paths, at 1.3 L/m 2 . 

Cutting-back bitumen 

In preference to supplying standard grades of cutback 

bitumen, C170 bitumen is cutback in the field as required to 

produce the binder most suitable for the prevailing conditions. 

Cutter is generally lighting kerosene or aviation 

turbine fuel (jet fuel). Tables (see Table 9) provide a guide for 

supervisors to determine the correct amount of cutter to add, 

taking into account traffic, weather conditions at the time of 

spraying and the next few days, condition of the aggregate 

and pre-coating, size and type of aggregate etc. 

Aggregate loading 

Aggregates are usually stockpiled in advance of the work on 

prepared stack sites. 

Clean, dry and uniformly precoated aggregate is required 

to minimise risk of failure of sprayed seals. 

Aggregates may be supplied uncoated to the stockpile, and 

aggregate is then loaded with a purpose built aggregate 

loader that can load, screen and precoat in one operation. 

Alternatively, aggregate may be precoated at the quarry 

prior to delivery, usually with a bitumen based precoating 

material, and the trucks loaded with a front end loader. 

If aggregate is to be left for considerable time on the stack 

site, it is covered with building plastic to prevent contamination 

with dust and/or moisture. 

Table 9. Cutting back C170 bitumen in the field. 

Figure 18. Combination roller. 

All aggregate required to cover a sprayer run is loaded into 

trucks, and on-site, before any binder is sprayed. 

Aggregate spreading 

To achieve a satisfactory seal it is important to spread the 

aggregate at the design spread rate, and uniformly. 

Traditionally, the main aggregate spreader was the simple 

truck-mounted box spreader, but many contractors are 

changing over to other types that provide more accurate 

control over the spread rate and are able to spread at a more 

consistent and uniform rate. Some of the box spreaders have 

been fitted with a roller to assist with the uniformity of 

spread, and the truck speed is controlled more accurately 

using electronic controls. Figure 17 shows a medium sized 

self propelled aggregate spreader in operation. 

Spreading widths vary from about 2.5 m up to 5.5 m for a 

large self propelled spreader. 

It is recommended that spreaders are calibrated either at the 

start of a job or during the work. The spread rate is checked 

by means of a square canvas mat (1 m x 1 m) placed on the 

pavement, usually at the end of a run. The aggregate collected 

is weighed and the spread rate calculated from the known 

conversion for the quarry, and if the spread rate is outside the 

accepted tolerance, the spreader is adjusted as required. 

Some trucks and spreaders are fitted with load cells, or 

weigh in motion devices etc. to obtain a more accurate 

measure of the quantity of aggregate loaded and spread. 

Aggregate rolling 

The traditional roller is the medium sized multi-wheel rubber 

tyred roller. Generally the minimum requirement is a load of 

about 1 ton per wheel. A recent introduction is a combination 

roller fitted with a rubber covered vibrating drum at the front, 

high frequency and low amplitude, and four large rubber 

tyred wheels at the rear, as shown in Figure 18. 

Specifications vary, but the recommended amount of 

rolling should take into account traffic and assistance it can 

provide in the rolling process, and aggregate size. Generally, 

two rollers are sufficient on most jobs. Initial rolling speed 

is slow, but as aggregate is embedded into the binder the 

rolling speed can be increased, up to 15 km/hour, and this 

assists with moving loose aggregate around similar to the 

effect by traffic. 

As a rough estimate, one roller hour is required for about 

1500 litres of binder sprayed. 



Removing Loose Aggregate 

With a reduced design spread rate, and improved control over 

actual spread rates applied, the quantity of loose aggregate 

remaining on the surface after rolling and initial trafficking 

is at a minimum. In the interest of traffic safety there is a 

requirement to remove any loose aggregate, commonly on the 

same day or within 24 hours on high speed roads with 

medium to heavy traffic, such as highways and main roads. 

Minor roads have a similar requirement to remove loose 

aggregate but the specified period may be up to several days. 

Appropriate loose stones warning signs are left in place until 

loose aggregate has been removed. 

A simple test has been developed to measure loose particles 

remaining, and practical limits developed as shown in Table 

10, which appear to be satisfactory and accepted by the 

public. 

Competency Training 

Sprayed sealing is a specialist occupation and requires skilled 

operators and teamwork to be successful. With the loss of 

experienced practitioners and some difficulty in attracting 

new employees, a national training and assessment system 

has been established to train new and existing employees. 

Training packages have been developed and their development 

funded by the federal and state government. Training 

Packages for operators have been in place for some time, but 

in 2007 national qualifications for supervisors, technical staff 

and managers have been introduced. 

Unfortunately, only a few training organisations are 

available to conduct specialist training and assessment in 

asphalt and sprayed sealing operations mainly because the 

bituminous surfacing operations are only a small part of the 

overall civil construction industry. 

Types of Contracts 

There are three main contractual approaches in sprayed 

sealing works. These are broadly: 

• client specifies treatments and design rates of application 

– most of the risk is with the client and warranty is typically 

3 months; 

• client specifies treatment but contractor designs rates of 

application, and generally warranty is extended to 12 

months; and 

• on long term maintenance contracts, the maintenance 

contractor selects and designs the treatment and has to 

ensure the treatment meets the specified surfacing requirements 

(e.g. surface texture, skid resistance). 

Table 10. Loose aggregate particles remaining. 

THE ROADS INDUSTRY – A HEAVENLY SECTOR 

Sign outside a church in the American state of Illinois shows 

that road workers have divine support. Photo taken by 

Gallagher Asphalt CFO Mark Riester. 

Contractors must submit a conforming tender, but may 

submit alternative treatments. With the existing system it is 

difficult to evaluate this, and there is a desire by the clients 

to move to ‘performance based, specifications. This will allow 

the contractor more freedom but will shift more of the risk 

to the contractor. 

References 

Austroads 2006a, Update of the Austroads Sprayed Seal Design 

Method. Austroads Technical Report, AP-T68/06, Austroads, 

Sydney. 

Austroads 2006b, Specification framework for polymer modified 

binders and multigrade bitumen. AP-T41/06, Austroads, Sydney. 

Austroads/AAPA, Pavement Work Tips (sprayed sealing topics) 

Work Tips may be downloaded free from the AAPA web site 

www.aapa.asn.au 

Author Biography 

Walter Holtrop is a Professional Engineer and qualified 

Quarry Superintendent who has worked in the construction 

and maintenance of flexible pavements since 1963, specialising 

in asphalt and sprayed sealing works with VicRoads 

from 1974 until 1994. 

In 1994 he joined AAPA as the Manager Training Centre to 

develop and present specialised training courses nationally, 

represent AAPA on national competency training committees, 

and provide technical advice to industry and its clients. His 

role changed in 2003 to become the National Surfacing 

Engineer with the Training Centre now managed separately. 

Walter is a member of the Austroads Bituminous Surfacing 

Research Reference Group and various technical committees, 

including the committee working on the development of the 

current Austroads seal design method. 

He has been involved as a specialist consultant on large 

road projects within Australia and overseas in Indonesia, 

Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and India. He is a consultant 

lecturer for Centre of Pavement Engineering Education 

(CPEE) in post graduate courses on Pavement Wearing 

Surfaces, and is a member of the CPEE Academic Board. 

Acknowledgment 

The author wishes to thank the CEO and the AAPA Board for 

permission to prepare and present this paper for the ARRB 

1st International Sprayed Sealing Conference. 



AAPA COMMUNICATIONS 

FORUMS 

AAPA Branches run a range of communication forums for members. Usually branches invite key government 

and industry experts to present on current topical issues. Communications forums are also usually held over 

breakfast and give AAPA members the opportunity to meet colleagues in our industry. In Queensland 

communication forums are organised by the Associate Member representative DAVID SMALE of Astec 

Australia. In other States they may be organised by the State Executive or by State Committees. The 

following article highlights some recent forums and members are encouraged to contact their state branch 

if they have suggestions about future sessions. 

Queensland March Communications Forum 

In March this year we were presented an update on the 

“Maintaining Queensland’s roads“ by Paul Smith of 

Queensland Main Roads which helped concentrate our 

attention on the significant value of the roads asset in 

Queensland (+$70 billion) and the importance of maintaining 

and preserving that investment. At that meeting, Kevin 

McCullough, Branch Chairman, gave an update on the 

Strategy 2009 session held to identify key Branch initiatives 

for 2009/2010. 

Rob Vos, Jenny McMillan, Kevin McCullough, Paul Smith and 

David Smale at the March Forum. 

increase in the maintenance share of the Queensland budget. 

It should be clear to all that the push for pavement preservation 

funding needs to get through to our Treasury. 

Queensland May Communications Forum 

The May 2009 Communications Forum of the Queensland 

Branch was titled “RAP in Queensland asphalt! It’s green & 

saves resources”. It covered the new Qld Main Roads asphalt 

specifications which make allowance for the inclusion of up 

to 15% of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). 

Feedback from the Branch at the most recent May 2009 

Communications Forum was delivered by Darryl Byrne, Vice 

Chairman, and entitled “Sustainability of the bituminous 

surfacings sector”. Darryl indicated that, notwithstanding the 

Queensland commitment to maintain “the spend” on major 

projects, the budgets of local government and the state are 

being pulled back for 2010/2011. 

Along with the sharp drop in private sector works, this 

presents a major challenge for sustaining work levels. This 

will become much worse after the next 18 months when the 

slowdown in the major projects begins to take effect. 

Employment levels will likely be impacted unless there is an 

Queensland Recycled Asphalt Pavement Presentations 

The theme of “RAP in Queensland asphalt” was addressed by 

Gavin Soward, Qld Main Roads Principal Engineer Road 

Surfacings, and Rob Vos, AAPA Queensland Executive. 

Changes to the Main Roads asphalt specifications will now 

allow for simpler inclusion of RAP in dense graded asphalt. 

Gavin described the work done by the Department on RAP 

and the positive reports on its use in 1996. While open to its 

inclusion even earlier, the sector is now much better prepared 

for its routine inclusion with the new equipment available. A 

cautionary approach is being adopted by Main Roads with 

RAP being limited to structural layers in dense graded asphalt 

and not in the wearing course. 

Much has been known about RAP’s use by industry, with 

the Brisbane City Council having more than a decade of 

experience in its use in all its mixes. The council’s experience 

has also included the widespread use of multi-grade binders 

along with the RAP, providing cost effective and long lasting 

pavements in the municipal environment. A survey of RAP 

usage by other members has identified that almost all of the 

coastal towns and cities either routinely used RAP or had run 

projects in the past with it as part of their mixes. These RAP 

friendly places included Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan City, 

Sunshine Coast, Gladstone, Mackay and Townsville. 

Approximately 75,000 tonne per year is used on their 

municipal streets. The major projects are expected to use 

upwards of 25,000 tonne of RAP per year bringing economic 

advantages to the environment, contractor and customer 

alike. 



Queensland RAP availability and processing 

As with the use of any additive or material, 

there has to be sufficient quantities 

available to justify the additional plant 

upgrades, storage and handling facilities to 

include the RAP. South East Queensland is 

fortunate is this regard. The boom in major 

infrastructure works has seen the investment of over $100 

million in new equipment and all are capable of including 

RAP and in high percentages. 

As many of the major road projects are upgrading or 

replacing asphalt pavements, this provides a ready source of 

RAP for use in the heavy duty pavements. With the introduction 

of the new Main Roads specifications we will see the 

advantages of RAP benefiting the industry, its clients and the 

environment. 

Another offshoot of the switch to easy inclusion of RAP has 

been the “third party” preparation and fragmentation of the 

unprocessed RAP stockpiled on the site. The portable “crushing” 

equipment is quickly erected and the finished RAP segregated 

into the required fractions desired for the asphalt mix. 

Overview 

While lagging the other Australian states in the use of RAP, 

Queensland has opened its doors for the environmentally 

aware and energy saving inclusion of RAP in dense graded 

asphalt. The current 100 000 tonne per year of RAP will grow 

as members embark on increased collection and processing 

becomes normal practice. 

But, it is acknowledged that RAP is one small step for 

Queensland. What we want to step up to next is the energy 

savings and operational safety benefits of warm mix asphalt. 

Victorian March Communications Forum 

A topical issue across Australia is the introduction of the new 

Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG) 7. This replaced 

ADG 6 on 1 Jan 2009 and importantly the current exemptions 

that apply to the transport of bitumen will expire on 31 

December 2009. The Victorian Branch therefore invited 

Adrian Simonetta, Manager Dangerous Goods Unit Victorian 

Workcover Authority to discuss the implications of the new 

code on our industry. 

Adrian reminded members that bitumen is regarded as a 

dangerous good under the code due to its elevated temperature. 

As such there are several significant restrictions that 

apply to its transport. These include requirements to use 

appropriately constructed tankers, to not transfer the material 

in certain locations, to not park vehicles in certain locations. 

Adrian also advised members that the Code is applied 

nationally although each state is responsible for its application 

in their region. 

Under ADG 6 a range of exemptions was granted specifically 

relating to bitumen. However, Adrian advised, these will 

no longer apply from the end of this year. He also advised 

that it is unlikely that any further exemptions would be 

granted unless there are very substantial reasons. In making 

this statement Adrian noted that the draft of ADG 7 has been 

available for a long period. 

The presentation given was considered to be of great value 

to members explaining their obligations. It has also allowed 

the Victorian Branch and National Office to seek further 

information on the impacts on our industry to determine if 

there is any need and justification for AAPA to seek any 

extension to some of the current exemptions. 

Victorian May Communications Forum 

With the current economic crisis many industries are 

concerned about future major projects. The roads industry 

more than other construction industries still seems to have 

good prospects for ongoing work as governments and the 

community recognise the direct and indirect benefits of 

infrastructure projects to the economy. The Victorian Branch 

therefore invited Mark Koliba, Manager Works Program 

Delivery, VicRoads to discuss the Victorian Transport Plan 

and it opportunities for our industry. 

Mark advised that Victoria is expected to have considerable 

population growth reaching 6 million by 2021. In 20 years 

time Melbourne will also have a population of 5 million. This 

raises some major challenges for the state to meet future 

transport needs associated with a rapidly growing population. 

Victoria must also address the key issues of linking regional 

Victoria, unlocking congestion and building for economic 

growth. 

To meet these challenges Victoria is proposing a $38 billion 

program which includes $25.4 billion from the State 

Government and $13 billion for the Federal Government. 

This will support a coordinated approach to future road and 

other transport projects such as Peninsula Link, an alternative 

to the West Gate Bridge, a North East Link, new 

section of the Dingley Arterial to name but a few. It also 

includes implementation of a Truck Action Plan, delivering 

major rail capacity projects, increasing bus services. 

Members congratulated the Victorian Government for its 

forward and integrated planning approach and thanked Mark 

for his informative presentation. 



NEW AUSTROADS GUIDES 

TO BE LAUNCHED 

In 2004, Austroads committed to 

produce a comprehensive suite of 

guides which cover the planning, 

design, construction, maintenance and 

safe operation of the road network for 

use by road agencies. These were to be 

officially launched at the ARRB Offices 

in Melbourne on 1 July, 2009. 

These guides are intended to be a 

reference for road agencies and to 

promote consistency and harmonisation 

across Australia and New 

Zealand and represent an agreed 

approach to the work road agencies 

undertake in relation to their road 

networks. 

The guides were developed through 

Austroads groups with representatives 

from jurisdictions. The Guide to 

Pavement Technology group included 

representation from industry bodies 

including AAPA. 

There will be ten guides as follows: 

• Asset Management 

• Bridge Technology 

• Pavement Technology 

• Project Delivery 

• Project Evaluation 

• Road Design 

• Road Safety 

• Road Transport Planning 

• Traffic Management 

• Road Tunnels 

Guides will consist of 96 sections 

generally consisting of multiple parts, 

and in some cases, sub-parts across the 

10 guides. There is also a Glossary of 

Terms. 

In developing these guides Austroads 

paid considerable attention to ensuring 

consistency between the guides on 

common issues; for example, speed 

limits in road safety and traffic 

management. 

The nature of the new Austroads 

guides varies. Guides such as Road 

Design and Traffic Management follow 

the style of earlier Austroads publications 

in that they are reasonably 

definitive in nature with the new Guide 

to Road Design providing considerably 

more detail. The Guide to Pavement 

Technology is also reasonably definitive 

but assumes a wider variation in 

practice due to factors such as the local 

availability of materials and past 

successful practice. 

Others, such as Project Delivery, 

Project Evaluation and Road Transport 

Planning are more general in nature. 

This is partly as a consequence of the 

wide variation in practice between jurisdictions 

and partly because they are 

addressing areas which have not previously 

been covered in depth in earlier 

Austroads publications. 

The Guide to Asset Management is a 

new Austroads publication and has 

elements of both these two types of 

guides. The Guide to Bridge Technology 

is a higher level document which will 

provide a framework for and 

complement, rather than replace, the 

majority of local documentation. The 

Guide to Road Safety pulls together a 

variety of areas of interest under the 

Safe System approach but is more a 

resource than a technical reference. 

The work was to be completed by the 

end of June 2009 apart from the Guide 

to Road Tunnels which is due to be 

completed by June 2010. 

A launch event for the new guides was 

planned for 1 July, 2009 at ARRB’s 

offices in Melbourne. This event was to 

promote and publicise the new guides 

as well as recognising the extensive and 

dedicated effort that was put into their 

preparation. 

Austroads members have agreed they 

would adopt the guides as their primary 

reference. Copies of the Guidelines will 

be available from the Austroads website 

www.austroads.com.au 

Austroads Guides – Structure – 

May 2009 

GUIDE TO ASSET MANAGEMENT 

Part 1 - Introduction to Asset 

Management 

Part 2 - Stakeholder/Community 

Requirements 

Part 3 - Asset Strategies 

Part 4 - Program Development and 

Implementation 

Part 5 - Pavement Performance 

Part 5A - Inventory 

Part 5B - Roughness 

Part 5D - Strength 

Part 5E - Cracking 

Part 5F - Skid resistance 

Part 5G - Texture 

Part 5H - Performance Modelling 

Part 6 - Bridge Performance 

Part 7 - Road Related Assets 

Performance 

Part 8 - Asset Valuation and Audit 

GUIDE TO BRIDGE TECHNOLOGY 

Part 1 - Introduction and Bridge 

Performance 

Part 2 - Materials 

Part 3 - Typical Superstructures, 

Substructures & Components 

Part 4 - Design Procurement and 

Concept Design 

Part 5 - Structural Drafting 

Part 6 - Bridge Construction 

Part 7 - Maintenance and Management 

of Existing Bridges 

GUIDE TO PAVEMENT 

TECHNOLOGY 

Part 1 - Introduction to Pavement 

Technology 

Part 2 - Pavement Structural Design 

Part 3 - Pavement Surfacings 

Part 4 - Pavement Materials 



Part 4A - Granular Base and Sub Base 

Materials 

Part 4B - Asphalt 

Part 4C - Materials for Concrete Road 

Pavements 

Part 4D - Stabilised Materials 

Part 4E - Recycled Materials 

Part 4F - Bituminous Binders 

Part 4G - Geotextiles and Geogrids 

Part 4H - Test Methods 

Part 4I - Earthworks Materials 

Part 4J - Aggregate and Source Rock 

Part 4K - Seals 

Part 4L - Stabilising Binders 

Part 5 - Pavement Evaluation and 

Treatment Design 

Part 6 - Unsealed Pavements 

Part 7 - Pavement Maintenance 

Part 8 - Pavement Construction 

Part 9 - Pavement Work Practices 

Part 10 - Sub-Surface Drainage 

GUIDE TO PROJECT DELIVERY 

Part 1 - Overview 

Part 2 - Project Delivery Planning and 

Control 

Part 3 - Contract Management 

Part 4 - Direct Management of 

Construction 

GUIDE TO PROJECT EVALUATION 

Part 1 - Introduction to Project 

Evaluation 

Part 2 - Project Evaluation Methodology 

Part 3 - Models and Procedures 

Part 4 - Project Evaluation Data 

Part 5 - Impact on National and 

Regional Economics 

Part 6 - Distributional (Equity) Effects 

Part 7 - Post-Completion Evaluation 

Part 8 - Examples 

GUIDE TO ROAD DESIGN 

Part 1 - Introduction to Road Design 

Part 2 - Design Considerations 

Part 3 - Geometric Design 

Part 4 - Intersections and Crossings - 

general 

Part 4A - Unsignalised and Signalised 

intersections 

Part 4B - Roundabouts 

Part 4C - Interchanges 

Part 5 - Drainage Design 

Part 6 - Roadside Design, Safety and 

Barriers 

Part 6A - Pedestrian and Cyclist Paths 

Part 6B - Roadside Environment 

Part 7 - Geotechnical Investigation and 

Design 

Part 8 - Process and Documentation 

GUIDE TO ROAD SAFETY 

Part 1 - Road Safety Overview 

Part 2 - Road Safety Strategy and 

Evaluation 

Part 3 - Speed Limits and Speed 

Management 

Part 4 - Local Government and 

Community Road Safety 

Part 5 - Safety for Rural and Remote 

Areas 

Part 6 - Road Safety Audit 

Part 7 - Road Network Crash Risk 

Assessment and Management 

Part 8 - Treatment of Crash Locations 

Part 9 - Roadside Hazard Management 

GUIDE TO ROAD TRANSPORT 

PLANNING 

Guide to Road Transport Planning 

GUIDE TO TRAFFIC 

MANAGEMENT 

Part 1 - Introduction to Traffic 

Management 

Part 2 - Traffic Theory 

Part 3 - Traffic Studies and Analysis 

Part 4 - Network Management 

Part 5 - Road Management 

Part 6 - Intersections, Interchanges and 

Crossings 

Part 7 - Traffic Management in Activity 

Centres 

Part 8 - Local Area Traffic Management 

Part 9 - Traffic Operations 

Part 10 - Traffic Control and 

Communication Devices 

Part 11 - Parking 

Part 12 - Traffic Impacts of 

Developments 

Part 13 - Road Environment Safety 

GUIDE TO ROAD TUNNELS 

Part 1 - Planning for Tunnels 

Part 2 - Design of Tunnels 

Part 3 - Operational and Management of 

Tunnels 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS 

Version 1 

Version 2 

MORE REPORTS OF DODGY ASPHALT LAYERS 

In the last issue of Asphalt Review, 

AAPA expressed its concern and issued 

a warning about itinerant traders 

offering businesses and individuals 

cheap sub-standard asphalt laying 

services. 

Our warning coincided with a media 

statement by South Australia’s 

Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gail 

Gago, alerting people to be on their 

guard against the asphalting scam. 

Now Queensland’s Minister for Fair 

Trading, Peter Lawlor, has warned 

Brisbane and Gold Coast residents to 

beware of door-to-door asphalt layers. 

Mr Lawlor says consumers in Cairns, 

Townsville and Rockhampton have 

alerted his office of instances involving 

traders offering discounted driveway 

installations and repairs. 

“Fair Trading officials are concerned 

the group may continue to move south 

along Queensland’s east coast. These 

traders often claim they are working 

on construction sites in the area and 

have left over material, and they offer 

to do the job for a low price,” Mr 

Lawlor says. 

“Typically, these operators demand 

upfront payment and then do a 

substandard job using watered down 

materials. Often, the jobs have to be 

fixed by a qualified trader, leaving the 

consumer to pay twice for the same 

job.” 

Mr Lawlor has urged consumers in 

Brisbane and on the Gold Coast to be 

vigilant and not to hire any door-todoor 

traders without undertaking 

proper checks on their qualifications. 





SHELL BITUMEN TAKING THE 

HIGH ROAD TO SUCCESS 

Shell Bitumen has been part of the 

Australian landscape since 1923. Over 

that time, Shell Bitumen has been used 

on a wide range of road projects across 

Australia, from major highways such as 

Eastlink, the Pacific Motorway, and the 

Hume Highway to rural roads in remote 

locations. And just as transport has 

moved on from 1923, when the T model 

Ford was state of the art, so too has the 

technology in bitumen. 

Road technology, while outwardly 

remaining similar over the decades, has 

developed to meet the continually 

changing demands on modern roads 

with heavier loads and higher traffic 

volumes. 

To meet these changing demands, we 

have maintained ongoing research and 

new product development from both a 

technology driven and a customer 

demand driven point of view. 

Worldwide resources in 35 countries 

and laboratories and technical teams 

continually testing and developing new 

products, puts Shell Bitumen at the 

leading edge of bitumen manufacture, 

but this is only part of the success story. 

Shell Bitumen also has a dedicated 

team of professionals working with 

customers and listening to their needs, 

anticipating what the future demands 

on roads will be and then working 

closely with the technical teams to rise 

to the challenge. The end result delivers 

a total service solution built on a strong 

and committed customer relationship 

and backed by the latest in bitumen 

technology. 

Some of the latest technological developments 

have created purpose designed 

bitumen products that have specifications 

and characteristics designed to 

meet unique challenges. 

Solution based Shell Bitumen binders 

such as Shell Cariphalte Fuelsafe, Shell 

Cariphalte Racetrack and Shell 

Cariphalte Airport have all been 

developed for unique applications and 

deliver results well beyond Australian 

standard grade bitumen. 

In addition to these products, we 

have introduced new technologies, such 

as the Shell WAM-Foam process for low 

temperature asphalt production. This 

system offers both environmental 

benefits and employee safety advantages 

over standard asphalt production. 

While these products clearly show their 

specialised pedigree, all Shell Bitumen 

products are manufactured to the same 

exacting standards and comply with the 

stringent Australian Standards specifications 

as applicable including: 

• AS2008 for Standard grade bitumen; 

and 

• AP-T41/06 for Shell Multiphalte 

Bitumens and Shell Cariphalte 

polymer modified bitumens. 

Shell Bitumen Australia has an 

extensive network across Australia, with 

manufacturing in Geelong, Sydney, 

Brisbane and Townsville, and supply out 

of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, 

Townsville, Broome, Port Headland, 

Perth and Adelaide. This makes it the 

largest bitumen supplier in Australia. 

This network is also backed up by its 

refinery operations in Singapore and 

other supply points around the Asia 

Pacific region. 

The Shell Bitumen success formula 

remains a mix of vision, customer focus, 

people and a strong belief in investment 

in Australia. Just as roads and cars 

continue to evolve and the demands on 

our roads change, the technology 

required in bitumen will also have to 

change. Shell Bitumen will not only 

meet these challenges, but continue to 

raise the bar. 

Call 1300 655 555 for further information. 

CLIMATE CHANGE, CARBON 

EMISSIONS AND PEAK OIL ARE 

‘OLD HAT’ 

The asphalt industry has accepted the 

impacts of climate change, carbon 

emissions and peak oil, and understands 

its responsibility to act. The next 

big emerging theme that the industry 

will have to tackle is sustainability. So, 

what is sustainability? 

Sustainability means many things 

including: 

• maintaining profitability; 

• generating recurring cash flows; 

• reducing costs to ensure continued 

competitiveness; 

• productivity and efficiency; 

• understanding the impact of and 

mitigating to every extent possible, the 

environmental sensitivity of the activities 

that the industry undertakes; 

• understanding that natural resources 

are limited; and 

• understanding the supply demand 

equation in regard to price elasticity. 

Sustainability is not only about the 

environment, it is about the “going 

concern nature” of each business 

enterprise. 

In the current economic environment, 

it is timely to re-visit some valuable 

contributors to industry sustainability. 

Reclaim – asphalt pavement; profile 

your way to additional profit 

Societal demand for recycling – 

combined with supply constraints 

around virgin aggregate, and the proven 

economics of profiling – provide the 

industry with an opportunity to reclaim 

an increasingly large quantity of 

‘Recycled Asphalt Pavement’ (RAP). 

Profiling the road is far superior to 

ripping it up because of the condition in 

which it leaves both the roadway and 

the RAP. Profiling also offers the opportunity 

to significantly improve the 

surface smoothness of the pavement, 

often eliminating the need for additional 

preparation before paving. Conversely, 

overlaying often requires raising the 



elevations of shoulders and utilities and 

also adds dead weight to bridges and 

overpasses. 

Another benefit of profiling is that it 

can result in safer roads. Often, older 

pavement structures have as many as 

four overlays resulting in poor drainage. 

By milling the older pavement, drainage 

can be re-established to improve water 

run-off making the road safer for 

driving. In areas where the population 

has changed significantly, roads often 

consist of multiple layers of surface mix. 

These older layers are often structurally 

inadequate by today’s standards. As 

traffic loads increase, roadways become 

more susceptible to rutting. Historical 

mix design was not intended to support 

the increased traffic volumes of today 

nor the increasing weight of transportation 

vehicles and their load 

capacity. 

A correctly milled road surface can 

create an interlocking texture that interfaces 

with the new pavement materials, 

and in some cases, can eliminate the 

need for a tack coat. With the everincreasing 

cost of oils and fuels, the 

reduction in the quantity of tack 

required is sure to result in significant 

savings. 

Profiting from profiling has created a 

demand for highly productive milling 

machines such as the Roadtec RX500. 

James Bevel, Chief Engineer for 

Profilers at Roadtec says, “The RX500 

was designed to fill a place in the 

market that was never addressed. There 

is a need for a lighter weight, more 

versatile, more manoeuvrable profiler, 

which at 2.5m, is easily transported into 

many urban applications which historically 

were not considered for milling. 

Recycle – fractionate RAP and save 

on virgin aggregate 

The benefits of RAP are not fully 

realised simply by profiling. To be used 

most effectively and to extract 

maximum value from a true sustainability 

perspective, RAP should be 

fractionated into sized stockpiles 

suitable for future mix designs. RAP can 

be fractionated back to the size of the 

virgin aggregate from where it came and 

can subsequently be blended back into 

various HMA and WMA mix designs. 

Increasingly, the industry is witnessing 

larger and larger percentages of RAP 

being utilised in both HMA and WMA 

mix designs. 

To ensure the cost reductive nature of 

using RAP in asphalt mixes is realised, 

and to ensure a highly consistent RAP 

input is available, an appropriate 

screening process is required. 

There is limited value in profiling 

material from the road unless the 

material can be used with optimum 

efficiency. Fractionating RAP leaves the 

original virgin aggregate intact except 

that it is bitumen coated. Being able to 

fractionate RAP back into its original 

size means the product can be recycled 

into new mixes, limiting the 

requirement for 100% new virgin 

aggregate. In terms of sustainability, 

fractionating RAP sits at the top of the 

environmental tree. By fractionating 

the RAP you reduce the amount of new 

virgin material required – both 

aggregate and bitumen – when 

producing new HMA or WMA. 

Reuse – produce new HMA or WMA 

with increased RAP content 

Incorporating RAP into asphalt mix 

designs, if used in conjunction with the 

correct modifications to HMA plants, 

will not only reduce costs but will 

appreciably impact on environmental 

outcomes and the safety of workers. The 

installation of innovative technologies 

to produce WMA assists in lowering 

emissions from the HMA plants and also 

from transportation and laying of HMA. 

Technologies are available that result in 

minimal smoke being released into the 

air from asphalt production and also 

promote a noticeably more pleasant and 

safe environment for employees as they 

are no longer inhaling fumes produced 

by standard HMA. Modifications to the 

asphalt mixing chamber mean that less 

fuel is required for heating, also further 

reducing the cost base of asphalt 

manufacture by up to 14%. 

Relay – pavement containing cost 

saving RAP 

An important consideration in introducing 

warm-mix asphalt and mixes 

containing RAP is the quality and 

smoothness of the pavement. As with 

any asphalt mix (warm or hot), an even 

temperature must be maintained while 

the mix is being loaded into the paver. 

When pavement failure was first studied 

in detail in the 80s, it was found that 

material segregation and mix temperature 

differentials were the dominant 

causes of limited life pavements. 

Therefore, limiting material segregation 

and temperature differential became a 

focus to enhance pavement performance. 

‘Material Transfer Vehicles’ 

(MTV’s) were introduced in 1989. The 

‘Shuttle Buggy’ dramatically improved 

pavement quality through its unique remixing 

technology which eliminated 

material segregation and differences in 

mix temperature. Longer pavement 

lives resulted and constituted an early 

green initiative by industry - meaning 

pavements were more effective for a 

longer period of time. 

As well as improving pavement 

quality, the Shuttle Buggy assists in 

facilitating a more efficient paving 

operation. MTVs allow operations 

personnel to ‘keep the paver moving.’ To 

have three or four trucks waiting to 

unload at a job site where there is no 

Shuttle Buggy is not unusual, but it’s 

unnecessary and costs money. 

The savings begin to add up when a 

Shuttle Buggy is added into the asphalt 

pavement process. If you can create a 

buffer of material at the job site by using 

a Shuttle Buggy, you won’t have to use 

trucks as storage bins to keep the paver 

supplied with mix. 

For further information, call Astec 

Australia on 07 3279 1422, or visit 

www.astecaustralia.com.au 

BINDER SELECTION CRITICAL TO 

RISK MANAGEMENT 

Engineers involved in managing road 

assets are often faced with the challenge 

of completing budgeted works programs 

within financial year constraints. 

This is particularly a problem when 

sprayed sealing programs extend into 

marginal weather conditions at the end 

of the financial year. 

The risks associated with undertaking 

work under these conditions are 

magnified when programmed works 

involve the use of polymer modified 

binders (PMBs). 

Stuart Dack, Marketing & Product 

Development Manager for BP Bitumen, 

said: “We are often asked by road 

maintenance engineers how they can 

complete their resealing program when 



winter is approaching and pavement 

temperatures fall below acceptable 

levels”. 

make it almost impossible to complete 

the work. Damp conditions at this time 

of year are also a major risk factor.” 

A number of residential streets were 

sprayed for the City of Mildura. At the 

time of spraying the weather was very 

cool with imminent rain. Despite the 

damp conditions and heavy rain on 

some sections very shortly after 

spreading the aggregate, these seals 

achieved adequate adhesion and 

provided good long term service. 

The engineers’ choices are sometimes 

quite limited due to the nature of these 

special binders. 

As Stuart Dack added: “the engineer 

has typically chosen a PMB treatment to 

overcome a specific problem, such as 

sealing cracks in the underlying 

pavement, or to provide a tough seal 

under high stress conditions”. 

“They can either complete the work 

with conventional bitumen, which 

won’t perform as required in the long 

term, or take a risk and complete the 

work with a polymer modified binder.” 

Use of a PMB to provide long-term 

performance and to protect the valuable 

road pavement asset is critical; however 

not all PMBs are able to be successfully 

applied under borderline weather 

conditions. 

This is recognised by Austroads, 

which stipulates that PMB sealing 

should be conducted under near perfect 

conditions to ensure adequate adhesion 

of the sealing aggregate. 

“Unfortunately, that requirement 

restricts the work to sunny days when 

pavement temperatures are at least 

20°C and rising,” Stuart Dack said. 

“Late in the sealing season this can 

BP Bitumen recognised this problem 

over a decade ago and undertook 

extensive field trials to better understand 

the problem. 

Stuart Dack continued: “We introduced 

a new polymer technology to 

Australia back in 1991 and it was soon 

realised that it had special characteristics.” 

Sprayed sealing specialists were 

observing excellent stone adhesion with 

the new binder, called OLEXOBIT 

SAM, even in poor weather conditions. 

The new sealing binder, now specified 

under Austroads S35E grade, was 

recognised as being safe to use at the 

relatively low temperatures experienced 

towards the end of the sealing season. 

Trials were conducted under extreme 

weather conditions, with pavement 

temperatures down to below 10°C in 

some cases. 

“We’ve written up the results of these 

trials so that engineers can see tangible 

evidence of performance,” Stuart Dack 

said. 

“The binder is the first choice of many 

engineers because they know they won’t 

lose their investment overnight, particularly 

when conditions are poor – it’s all 

about risk management.” 

The report, based on a paper 

presented at the 1st International 

Sprayed Sealing Conference held in 

Adelaide last year, has been published 

by BP Bitumen. 

The booklet outlines the conduct and 

outcomes of road trials with the S35E 

grade OLEXOBIT SAM binder over 

several years. 

This article is based on a paper 

entitled ‘Performing Seals’ presented by 

Stuart Dack, Bitumen Marketing and 

Product Development Manager for BP 

Australia, at the 1st International 

Sprayed Sealing Conference held in 

Adelaide, South Australia in July 2008. 

Performing Seals is available in 

hardcopy free of charge. To request your 

copy, visit the BP Bitumen website at 

www.bpbitumen.com.au and follow the 

prompts from the homepage. 

CAT ® CHAMPIONS PAVEMENT 

RECYCLING IN CHINA 

In rural China, few road contractors 

have the resources to undertake major 

road reconstruction. As a consequence, 

when rural roads deteriorate, the 

government has often had no option but 

to apply a “quick fix” asphalt overlay on 

top of whatever is underneath. The life 

of many new surfaces is short. 

However, Caterpillar’s Project 

Century program is turning things 

around and allowing many of China’s 

rural roads to be fully and economically 

rejuvenated through in-place pavement 

recycling. The aim of Project Century is 

to have 100 road recycling projects 

completed in China before the end of 

2009. By the end of 2008, work had 

been completed at around 25 sites. 

The campaign is being driven through 

the extensive network of Caterpillar 

dealers in China and managed by four 

main dealers: Lei Shing Hong 

Machinery in Kunshan, Jiangsu 

province; WesTrac China in Beijing; 

ECI-Metro in Chengdu, Sichuan 

province; and China Engineering 

Limited in Hong Kong. 

In the latest project of the campaign, 

a 20km section of road in the city of 

Dong Yang in eastern China provided a 

measure of the cost savings associated 

with in-place recycling. The city 

highway bureau’s project supervisor Li 



Jinxiu said the final cost of the rehabilitation 

was about half that of removing 

the whole pavement, discarding it and 

bringing in new material for a new 

pavement. 

A Cat RM300 rotary mixer was used at 

Dong Yang to pulverise the surface and 

mix in an appropriate percentage of 

cement. As the RM300 moved along, a 

Cat 140H motor grader followed 

immediately behind, reshaping the 

pavement, before a Cat CS583E 

compactor brought the material to the 

required density. 

The savings achieved in cost and time 

on many similar projects will allow 

more roads to be rehabilitated within 

existing budgets - improving regional 

transport networks and ultimately 

improving the socio-economic status of 

many country villages. At the same 

time, Project Century is encouraging 

local contractors and road owners to 

embrace recycling technology, to adopt 

new and more efficient work practices 

and to use machinery that will do the 

job better, faster and more economically. 

As the Project Century campaign gets 

into full swing, the full extent of the 

socio-economic benefits it delivers to 

China’s rural communities will be huge. 

Many of those benefits will not be fully 

recognised for several years. However 

the benefits the campaign brings to the 

environment are much more immediate. 

By recycling pavements in-place, the 

consumption of virgin raw materials is 

dramatically reduced, leaving them 

available for more vital future needs. 

Recycling also leads to reductions in 

the costs, energy consumption and 

greenhouse emissions normally 

associated with: 

• drilling, blasting, crushing, handling 

and transporting the virgin materials 

to site; and 

• removing, transporting and disposing 

of the original pavement materials. 

As Project Century gains momentum 

Caterpillar plans to extend the scope of 

the campaign to include China’s state 

roads and roads in other Asian countries 

where the economies and environmental 

benefits of in-place recycling can be best 

exploited. 

For further information contact your 

local Cat dealer or visit www.cat.com 

INNOVATIVE PAVEMENT 

MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS 

With the progress the asphalt industry 

has made over the years with new 

technologies for pavement design and 

construction, many industry experts 

would argue that the same level of 

progress couldn’t be said of maintenance 

products for pavements and 

roads. 

At a time when asset owners and 

major contractors are looking to extend 

the life of pavements and reduce maintenance, 

Gripset Industries is offering 

environmentally safe products for 

pavement and road maintenance that 

provide advantages to traditional 

methods. 

The crack sealing methods used in 

much of the asphalt maintenance in 

Australia have been based on hot 

solvent-based products that over recent 

years have been scrutinised due to 

OH&S and environmental concerns. 

Gripset Industries has developed the 

Enviro Crack Sealing System, which 

involves two basic components: Gripset 

B26, a solvent-free polymerised bitumen 

product with a VOC rating of

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