Skip to main content

Measuring durability of Australia's roads

The Danish Road Directorate has signed a contract with the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland regarding the measurements of more than 16,000km of roads.
April 5, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The Danish Traffic Speed Deflectometer on its way to Australia
The Danish Traffic Speed Deflectometer on its way to Australia

The 2284 Danish Road Directorate has signed a contract with the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland regarding the measurements of more than 16,000km of roads.

The Directorate sees the cooperation as a great step forward for the Danish road research, and as a consequence of the agreement the Danish Traffic Speed Deflectometer has been shipped to Australia to measure the bearing capacity and hence the durability of the roads.

This task has already been successfully undertaken on the Danish road network and "holds a promise of saving a lot of money on road maintenance."

The Danish Road director, Per Jacobsen said:

"This agreement is a giant boost for the Road Directorate as it demonstrates our ability to act in the global market for road research and technology.

"And the job is also to the benefit of the Danish road sector, as we are constantly striving to perform the best possible measuring to enable the right prioritising of road maintenance.

The assignment can help us with this by providing important data and further more we will be able to use the equipment while it is winter time in Denmark."

The Traffic Speed Deflectometer moves at traffic speed as opposed to earlier versions (falling-weight deflectometer) that required blocking the road and disturbing road users. It was developed in cooperation with 2283 Greenwood Engineering and with support from the 2282 Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs.

The assignment is due to finish in late 2010.

Related Content

  • Accurate weigh-in-motion technology
    June 21, 2016
    Weigh-in-motion technology is ensuring increasingly accurate, and flexible, weighing stations. Weigh-in-motion specialist manufacturer Axtec says that its space-saving dynamic weighbridge is accurate to within ±0.5% and is the most precise system in the world. From its Runcorn, UK manufacturing facility, Axtec undertakes research and development of new technologies, as well as software testing, fabrication, construction and installation of WIM products. Axtec’s axle weighing platform design is intended f
  • Macismo announces 8-year licensing deal in North America at the PPRS Paris 2015 pavement preservation and recycling summit
    February 24, 2015
    Doug Shipsey, founder and owner of Macismo International, announced an 8-year licensing agreement with Bonsal American at PPRS 2015 Paris, the pavement preservation and recycling summit. The deal will be the company’s bridgehead into the giant North American market for its innovative Macfix cold asphalt additive that allows repair material to be laid in temperatures from -10⁰C to +60⁰C. According to Shipsey, his Macfix additive is not only resistant to extreme temperature swings, it is also water resistant.
  • Interview with Jean Todt – FIA president
    January 19, 2018
    Reducing the death and injury toll on the world's roads is a key priority. It is estimated that every year, 1.25 million people die on the world’s roads. With motorisation and urbanisation to increase in many parts of the developing world in the years to come, there is every likelihood that this number could rise. Can you explain why so many lives are needlessly lost every year on our roads and why greater action isn’t being taken to address this?
  • Developments in noise-reducing road surfaces
    February 17, 2012
    Mixtures with special additives are being produced for roads, offering noise reduction and aiding recycling. Patrick Smith reports. Noise-reducing road surfacings have been used in motorway construction for some time. But relatively new are noise-optimised surfacings used on roads in towns that do not follow a standard concept.Road trials with these materials have taken place in Germany since 2007 and have been prioritised due to the European Union Guidelines on the Assessment and Management of Environmenta