Features

Research in the US has shown that using Intelligent Compaction (IC) for quality control purposes can lead to longer-lasting pavements and therefore lower whole life costs. Now the major roller manufacturers are investing heavily in developing new technologies that will meet emerging specifications in the States. “It may take five to ten years but I think that IC will be widely used for both soils, aggregate base and asphalt pavement materials in the US,” said Bob Horan, senior regional engineer at the Asph

Re-using crumb rubber in asphalt offers numerous benefits – Mike Woof In the US, the use of crumb rubber from old car and truck tyres in asphalt mixes has been tried over a number of years. The technology has improved considerably too, with this approach now offering much longer lasting performance. Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is one of the latest states to adopt this approach and has amended its road construction specifications to include recycled tyre rubber as an alternative to conventi

German firm Wirtgen is retaining its lead in road recycling technologies – Mike Woof writes Tests on cold recycling with a new layer thickness using Wirtgen's sophisticated WR 4200 machine have shown impressive results according to the firm. The road construction and traffic authority Landesbetrieb Mobilität (LBM) Cochem-Koblenz commissioned a pilot project as part of its plan to optimise the cold in-place recycling process (CIR). The aim was to examine the extent to which the layer thickness can be reduced

New stabiliser/reclaimer models are coming to market – Mike Woof reports With road recycling becoming a more widely used approach, several key manufacturers are meeting demands for higher performance. From BOMAG comes the latest version of the MPH 125 soil stabiliser/recycler, which is now available with the new FLEXMIX technology. This package is said to set new standards in mix quality for all applications, with an optional change in the mix function that broadens the range of options available to the

The latest asphalt testing equipment brought onto the market is both innovative and highly accurate as Kristina Smith reports Advanced pavement design requires advanced test equipment. And advanced test equipment takes time and money to design, engineer and produce. But if your expensive testing machine could perform a few more tricks, buying one would make financial sense to more organisations. This is the thinking behind IPC Global’s new Uniaxial Fatigue Test Kit for its Asphalt Performance Mixer Tes

Boppard-based BOMAG is boosting its production line in China for the second time. At the same time as the expansion of the plant, a newly built training centre has also been opened, with both moves intended to allow the firm continued growth in the region.

Material transfer vehicles (MTVs) have become more and more popular over the years, particularly for large paving projects. These machines can help reduce materials segregation issues and also allow a more even heat profile in the mat, for more homogenous compaction. Roadtec has long held a strong position in this segment, with its highly successful Shuttle Buggy machine, which continues to be improved. However Roadtec is also now facing increasing competition from rival firms offering their own machines

A diverse array of advanced paver designs is now being offered in the asphalt paving sector – Mike Woof reports With the World of Asphalt and INTERMAT 2012 events having both taken place in recent months, a series of innovations have been introduced for the asphalt paving market. Developments have come to market that widen the array of both US and European asphalt paving systems and all the major manufacturers have developed new pavers and materials feeders to meet the latest emissions requirements. Demand

Asphalt compaction advances were unveiled from an array of manufacturers at the INTERMAT 2012 event - Mike Woof reports. With new emissions legislation being introduced, manufacturers are rolling out a range of new asphalt compaction models designed to meet the latest requirements. These include both large rollers for high-production highway operations and compact machines designed for the rental market and suited to urban applications, with the latter segment becoming particularly competitive at present.

When it was completed in 1965 – just six years after the Auckland Harbour Bridge – the six-lane Newmarket Viaduct with its tall, slender piers was something of an engineering wonder, the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Forty years on it had become a much-maligned contributor to Auckland’s chronic traffic congestion, too weak seismically to withstand the heaviest loaded trucks let alone a severe earthquake, so narrow in the shoulders that any accident stopped traffic flow and made it difficult

Unusual staircase columns for pedestrian crossings outside Moscow required custom-made forms Every day the largest city in the largest country in the world is threatened with gridlock. The infrastructure of the present-day traffic system can no longer cope with the increased number of vehicles, and the urban administration of Moscow, Russia, resolved to upgrade the traffic arteries connecting the inner city to satellite towns. Greater Moscow (Oblast) has a population of over seven million, and to date

A number of key projects in Auckland, New Zealand will free-up the city’s congested motorway network - Mary Searle reports.Auckland is a sprawling city, home to 1.4 million people, one third of New Zealand’s total population. Until recently, greater Auckland comprised Auckland city, North Shore city over the harbour bridge to the north, Waitakere city to the west and Manukau city to the south. An amalgamation of these various cities’ councils, plus the regional council and three district councils into one,

Road authorities and safety specialists worldwide recognise that the most dangerous part of a longitudinal barrier is the end. A crashworthy end treatment must be able to act both as a redirecting anchor and an impact cushion to errant motorists. The highway safety community has responded to this engineering challenge through continuous investment in innovation over the past 50 years. The resulting “crashworthy” terminals commercially available today reduce the deceleration and avoid ramping, rolling or pit

Join the Premier Event for Road Professionals in 2013 Since 1952, 16 IRF World Meetings have set new standards of excellence for the road industry by connecting industry leaders and experts from across the globe, and enhanced IRF’s image as the leading road development platform.Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the heart of one of the world's fastest growing regions supported by unmatched infrastructure investment programs, welcomes the opportunity to host the 17th World Meeting of the