Skip to main content

Pioneering move for Cat paver

Melbourne winters are known as some of the coldest of all state capital cities on Australia's mainland, and its summers can be brutally hot. As a result, roads in the region need to be regularly maintained to ensure safety and promote longevity. Pioneer Road Services, headquartered in Victoria, recently took delivery of the first Cat AP300 asphalt paver to Australia, and it will be the first to play a role in maintaining the city's roads throughout the seasons. With the help of Cat dealer William Adams and
July 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The first Cat AP300 asphalt paver in Australia
Melbourne winters are known as some of the coldest of all state capital cities on Australia's mainland, and its summers can be brutally hot. As a result, roads in the region need to be regularly maintained to ensure safety and promote longevity.
Pioneer Road Services, headquartered in Victoria, recently took delivery of the first Cat AP300 asphalt paver to Australia, and it will be the first to play a role in maintaining the city's roads throughout the seasons.

With the help of Cat dealer William Adams and the 178 Caterpillar commissioning team, Pioneer Road Services put the new paver finisher through its inaugural paces on an important shoulder reconstruction project for an 8km stretch of highway between Pakenham and Drouin, southeast of Melbourne.

According to the paving crew on site, the project was challenging. Traffic control was critical, as the road was busy and space was at a premium. With the project's narrow paving width, machine productivity and manoeuvrability were critical. Pioneer Road Services knew the powerful, yet small, Cat AP300 with electric screed (model AS3173) would fit the bill, as crews raced to resurface the shoulders of the busy highway in preparation for the approaching winter.

Available in both LPG and electric heating systems, the hydraulic power extendable AS3173 screed offers variable frequency tamper or vibrators, and lays material to the desired depth and width. With mechanical extensions added to both sides, its maximum paving width can reach 4m.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Fast resurfacing work in UK by contractor Eurovia
    May 15, 2017
    In the UK the contractor Eurovia has recently carried out a challenging resurfacing job within a tight timescale. The firm had to contend with live traffic on a busy stretch of motorway, while carrying out the work close to shared intersections. The traffic was particularly heavy also during part of the job due to a holiday period and large numbers of tourist vehicles using the stretch of motorway.
  • Paving a tunnel at altitude
    September 3, 2021
    A road tunnel stretch that opened for traffic in India in late 2020 is notable for several reasons. The new 9km Atal Tunnel is the world’s longest tunnel at an altitude of higher than 3,048m
  • Rubber recycling for South African roads
    November 5, 2012
    South Africa takes crumb rubber use to the next level - *Anders Marschall Jensen The preservation of the environment is a global concept, and in the road construction industry, it is all about preservation of roads. In earlier days, roads were built with the primary goal of moving passenger traffic from one place to another, but these days, roads are very different. Not only is there passenger traffic, and more of it, but roads must also deal with extensive movement of products in heavy vehicles. Therefore,
  • Safety upgrade for Canadian highway
    February 20, 2012
    New machines from Dynapac have played an important role in tackling a stretch of Canadian highway with safety issues. The machines have been used to meet experimental compaction standards specified by highway engineers, so as to withstand Canada's harsh winter conditions. Canadian contractors InterCite Construction and Pavex of St Felicien have used the new Dynapac machines for work on upgrading Route 175, one of Canada's most dangerous highways, located in the Province of Quebec. Route 175 is a 174km long