Optimising Geotechnical Design: Evaluating Hammer Efficiency in Standard Penetration Testing for Enhanced Soil Property Correlations
The current geotechnical design practices often rely on Standard Penetration Test-N (SPT-N) values without conducting additional, costly laboratory tests. To enhance the reliability of these values, an investigation into the hammer efficiency from various drilling rigs employed by the TMR Geotechnical Section has been undertaken. Utilising the latest Standard Penetration Testing (SPT) Analyzer, this research […]
Unified in success: A collaborative approach to delivery of a major highway upgrade under a Transport Infrastructure Contract – Construct Only
The Bruce Highway Upgrade – Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Steve Irwin Way project widened an 11 kilometre stretch of the Bruce Highway from four lanes to six lanes between Caboolture-Bribie Island Road and Steve Irwin Way Exit (163). Ten new higher, wider and safer bridges were also constructed to boost the area’s flood immunity. Other […]
The Collaborative Project
The Collaborative Project aims to embed ‘collaboration as standard’ by developing and implementing a collaborative procurement and delivery model. The project, overseen by a joint TMR and industry Advisory Boards aims to operationalise the TMR-Industry Collaboration Charter developed in 2021. To deliver our objectives the Collaborative Project is implementing a systems approach to build in […]
Intelligent Construction – Improving Efficiency and Productivity
Improving the quality of road construction while increasing efficiency and productivity is a key focus for the industry and State Road Agencies. Intelligent construction initiatives including intelligent compaction, asphalt thermal profiling, dielectric profiling systems, 3D profiling are technologies that can help achieve these goals. As compaction is critical for the performance of pavement layers, intelligent […]
Implementation of Contractor Initiated Asphalt Mix Design Innovations on TMR projects
Asphalt mixes that are supplied to Transport and Main Roads (TMR) projects must be submitted for registration prior to use. Mix design registration has historically been limited to mixes that fully conform with TMR specification requirements. To help facilitate the trialling and use of suitable Contractor proposed innovations on TMR projects, Engineering & Technology Branch […]
Reduced Carbon Emission Through High Strength & Lower Carbon Concrete & Design Innovation
Carbon reduction is critical to achieving the Queensland Government’s 2030 renewable energy target and Net Zero Emissions by 2050. The Boral / Beca response to this challenge was to develop a basis of design for a bridge structure that would realise substantive carbon reductions through low carbon concrete and dematerialisation. We developed an evidence-based comparison […]
Update to Technical Note 03 (TN03) – Measurement of Ground Vibration and Air blast
The current Technical Note 03 (TN03) was published in 2013, it is a contractual document used for TMR projects due to its citing in the gazetted TMR Transport Noise Management Code of Practice. The current TN03 is to guide on (a) permitted vibration limits on TMR structures due to construction related vibration, and (b) the […]
Management of Structures with Concrete Halving Joints
Poor performance of structural details known as halving joints has been the cause of a number of international bridge collapses in the past 20 years. While the Queensland Department of Transport & Main Roads (TMR) no longer allow these details on new designs, there are a number of legacy structures which must be managed through […]
The Development and Performance Testing of a Large Animal Activated Roadside Monitoring and Alert System (LAARMA)
The LAARMA project was developed to mitigate safety risks posed by large animals on roads and roadsides due to: Animal Vehicle Collisions (AVCs) are associated with substantial costs to individuals, communities, and the environment each year. In 2004, over a billion dollars of vehicle damage was reported annually in the United States due to crashes […]
Animals on or Near Roads App
A Coronial Inquest into two separate deaths on the Bruce Highway north of Townsville in 2015 linked the deaths to local populations of feral horses. The Coroner handed down a number of recommendations, and identified TMR as the lead agency to develop and implement a Joint Management Plan with key stakeholders, including Townsville City Council, […]
