Projects
- Project Status: In Progress
Excavating test pits and/or drill coring to confirm the material profile and layer thicknesses is an important step in pavement evaluation preceding detailed rehabilitation design. However, these investigation techniques are destructive to the pavement, expensive,…
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In Western Australia, full-depth asphalt (FDA) pavements are provisioned primarily in metropolitan heavy traffic volume/load applications. Recent observations by Main Roads suggest these pavements may be subject to premature deterioration due to moisture ingress. While…
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Roundabouts are a commonly adopted intersection treatment in Western Australia due to their road safety benefits (i.e. low speeds and improved impact angles). To achieve the desired safety improvements offered by a roundabout, speeds are…
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With climate change expected to have increasing impact on weather patterns, it is becoming difficult to assess the general vulnerable of the Western Australian state road network to extreme weather events. This project will build…
Read More - Project Status: In Progress
End-of-life rubber from vehicle tyres and industrial functions has the potential to be recycled in crumb rubber modified (CRM) binder technology for road building applications, such as sprayed bituminous seals and asphalt wearing courses. The…
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The Western Australian road network still contains many timber bridges comprising Jarrah and Wandoo piles that have been in operation for more than 60 years. Despite their age, these structures are typically sound apart from…
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Every year over a hundred lives are lost on West Australian roads. While any death on the road is unacceptable, the State Government is committed to substantially reducing this toll. As a result, the Government…
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Granular materials used in the design and construction of pavement base and subbase layers are often assessed for suitability based on the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) value. This measure provides an indication of the load…
Read More - Project Status: In Progress
Current waste management challenges across the world have required governments to develop innovative policies that target the implementation of single-use materials throughout the economy. Sustainable materials and construction practices are the future of road infrastructure…
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As part of Perth’s new Smart Freeways project, long-lever (between 16-22 m) cantilever sign structures were constructed and installed in along the northbound carriageway of the Kwinana Freeway. Due to limited stock of steel circular…
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Maintaining Western Australia’s vast road network to provide a consistent level of service is a complex and costly exercise. Depending on several factors not limited to design, materials, construction, traffic and environment, pavements will consume…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Unexpected growth in localised industries such as mining and agriculture, has led to the rapid deterioration of roads carrying heavy vehicle traffic not anticipated during design and construction. Significant funding is required to maintain acceptable…
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One of the greatest challenges road network managers face is providing adequate asset preservation and maintenance services in the face of increasing traffic demand, budget constraints, and loss of experienced personnel within road agencies. To…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
As new technology is trialled and rolled out there is a need to determine how recyclable these materials are. Crumb Rubber Modified (CRM) bitumen is gaining momentum and WARRIP is investigating the recyclability of asphalt…
Read More - Project Status: In Progress
Main Roads WA is at the forefront in the development and use of robust asset management processes. However, effectively communicating the value of these processes to senior decision-makers and convincing them to provide adequate funding…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
With the intention of reducing Western Australia’s reliance on non-renewable resources, there has been an increased focus on identifying high-value applications for using recycled waste materials within civil infrastructure applications. WARRIP will investigate two materials,…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Uniformity of placed roadwork material is one of the key elements for good performing roads. In recent years, Intelligent Compaction Control (ICC) technology has been increasingly used to assist contractors to improve construction quality. This…
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Main Roads Western Australia has implemented the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) rating process for major projects, which requires the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and other sustainability impacts. The ISC sustainability ratings tool can…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
When constructing roads, materials are affected by water rising up through the compacted layers, this capillary rise effect is measured and provided to Main Roads. As this is a requirement, designers use various methods to…
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To ensure satisfactory performance, asphalt pavements in Western Australia are sampled and subjected to quality assurance checks, including asphalt density. This destructive extraction of cores is often a costly and time-consuming process. The search for…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Nanotechnology is a new innovative approach in science and engineering. This approach is where nano-sized particles can be developed and utilised to create or manipulate the properties of materials. In pavements we hope to find…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Assessing rut depth, roughness and surface texture with a laser profilometer makes the best use of this quick, efficient technology. In order to improve confidence in this method WARRIP reviewed the approved test methods against…
Read More - Project Status: In Progress
With innovative and high-performance asphalt mixes such as EME2 and warm-mix asphalt being applied on WA roads, the possibility that these new technologies may not sufficiently bond with adjacent layers is a concern. For a…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
With an extensive rural network that has immense sections of road that have reduced visibility at night, WARRIP investigated some of the emerging technologies to improve visibility on regional roads. Whilst potential technologies look promising,…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
In the quest for innovative practices that might be applied in WA, three exciting research areas were explored for potential larger scale investigations. Solar pavements, although highly suitable for our sunny WA and with promising…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Advances in technology now make it possible to collect information about the condition of our roads at speed. The Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) is equipped with doppler lasers, GPS, cameras, temperature probes and 3D sensors;…
Read More - Project Status: In Progress
Across WA, temperatures vary immensely such that when designing asphalt pavements, accounting for these temperature ranges can have a large impact on pavement thickness. To better understand how to cater for the extreme heat fluctuations…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Western Australian roads require rehabilitation to ensure that road users have safe well maintained roads to use. Austroads recently released a guide advising on evaluating and treating roads. WARRIP is taking to national practices, consulting…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Warm mix asphalt technology enables us to lay asphalt at lower temperatures. This means lower emissions, lower energy costs, safer working environments, the ability to transport asphalt further, and a longer construction season. WARRIP reviewed…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
The global drive towards reusing and recycling continues to inspire efforts towards making the most of existing resources. One effective option currently reclaims asphalt from construction and demolition projects for use in new construction. Main…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
WARRIP investigated the use of hydrated cement treated crushed rock base (HCTCRB). Our first look at this material showed that it was performing adequately with no cause for concern on the trial sections observed. We…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
As part of Main Roads efforts for continuous improvement, internal and external engagement with industry professionals reviewed the current Main Roads WA supplement to the Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology. In response to issues raised,…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Full depth asphalt pavements are designed to have little flexibility and can suffer from fatigue damage. The main factors contributing to fatigue damage are design parameters, climate (temperature), and traffic speed. Balancing these factors and…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Stone Mastic Asphalt has long been used in WA due the strength and rigidity of its interlocking stone-on-stone skeleton. WARRIP undertook a review of current practices against standards across Germany and Australia to see if…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
With the heavy vehicle industry requesting that bigger, heavier trucks be allowed on WA roads it is essential that the implications of these vehicles on our roads be understood. Austroads caters for perfect world conditions…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Continuing 35 years of research, WARRIP is investigating the field performance of thin asphalt surfacings on granular pavements constructed along parts of the Tonkin and Reid Highways. Previous trial sections have performed exceptionally well such…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
The practice of recycling end-of-life tyres for use in road construction has been in place for over 30 years in Western Australia (WA). Crumb rubber modified (CRM) binder technology when applied to asphalts and sprayed…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
In order to apply standards published in the Austroads Guides to Western Australia, Main Roads WA has developed Engineering Road Notes that supplement the application of those guides in WA. When designing roads, engineers reference…
Read More - Project Status: In Progress
WARRIP is investigating how pavement strength data collected using the Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) can be best used in road maintenance decision making. After conducting case studies and determining best practice methods, WARRIP is now…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
To fully understand the information produced by the TSD, two sites have been established with embedded sensor arrays. These sensors measure the true motion of the pavement surface when heavy vehicles travel over the test…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
To provide safer roads, Main Roads WA needs to be able to identify and prioritise road safety projects. The Australian National Risk Assessment Model (ANRAM) provides enhanced fatality and serious injury estimates for road sections.…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Adequate compaction at every stage of construction ensures we achieve stronger roads and the layers themselves will able to withstand the destructive erosive forces of water. Each type of material and each layer of construction…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
Main Roads WA has embraced and led in the development and application of sound asset management processes over many years. With the introduction of new data collection technology, and recently published Austroads research outcomes on…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
As part of Main Roads efforts for continuous improvement, industry professionals have reviewed the current Main Roads practices for contracting work. In response to issues raised, WARRIP launched an investigation to determine what could be…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
In the world of road network construction, finding materials that are robust enough to cope with larger volumes of traffic and heavier vehicles is vital. Our roads need to perform for many years without cracking,…
Read More - Project Status: Completed
ARRB, Main Roads Western Australia, WALGA, Curtin University and the University of WA developed the concept for a Western Australian Pavement Asset Research Centre (WAPARC). The purpose of the centre was two-fold. The first objective…
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