Austroads: Transport Research and Trends

This webinar presents the work involved in developing a standardised comparative risk assessment method for assessing life safety risk of dangerous goods being routed through the tunnel or via an alternative surface route. The project was conceived to focus on new road tunnel projects, but the methodology developed could also be used for comparative assessment of alternative surface routes.

Dangerous goods are a wide variety of substances and objects that pose acute risks to people, property, and the environment due to their chemical or physical characteristics. The transport by road of such goods is necessary to achieve broad societal benefits, yet such transport has inherent risk of significant events adversely affecting people (road users, adjacent populations, and responders) and the environment.

The webinar describes the proposed methodology as well as providing a case study application of the methodology to aid practitioners. The session provides a summary of the legal context for undertaking such assessments and the responsibilities that lie with the various stakeholder parties. The authors also present the broader context in which the life safety assessment results should be considered and the other decision-making factors that should be applied.

The webinar is presented by Dr Conrad Stacey and Nigel Casey.

How do drivers respond to the iconic tunnel design features included in the NorthConnex road tunnel project? What were the objectives of the designs and have the designs achieved these objectives? How do the designs affect driver behaviour?

The webinar explains the two key elements of this work – the validation of the UNSW driving simulator as a means of assessing road tunnel design features, and the use of that simulator to test driver response to the design features included in NorthConnex. The presenters explains the logic of the trial methodology, whereby the driving behaviour of trial participants was assessed in the actual tunnel as well as in the simulated tunnel – the latter both with the design features included and with the features excluded.

The work sought to determine whether the design features enhanced the driver experience without an adverse effect on safety. The work demonstrates that the driving simulator is a valid tool for assessing tunnel design features and therefore provides a platform to inform design features in new tunnels but also a tool to assess how such designs may help to mitigate operational issues in existing tunnels.

The webinar is presented by Prof Michael (Mike) Regan, Dr Prasannah Prabhakharan, Julius Secadiningrat, Jack Mazaraki, Nicholas Rozenauers, Nigel Casey and Richard Merrett.

Austroads has recently completed a project to identify best practice for road tunnel wall panels and finishes to ensure the products achieve performance, access, maintenance, and durability requirements. The best practice research provided through this project aims to add value to tunnel operators over the life cycle of the assets by facilitating ease of maintenance access for regular inspections, and meeting durability requirements.

In this webinar, Tony Peglas and Georgia O’Connor gave an overview of the research undertaken into best practice solutions for road tunnel wall panels and finishes, including outcomes of the stakeholder consultation, a detailed current practice review, a literature review, and the development of specification framework.

Austroads has recently completed a project to identify best-practice guidance for the design, delivery and testing of in-tunnel aesthetic design features, with the aspirations to improve tunnel safety and customer experience.

Through the review of recent tunnel projects, current literature and practices, a definition was developed for in-tunnel aesthetic design features and a best-practice process through which in-tunnel aesthetic design features are designed, delivered, and tested.

This webinar with Warwick Keating and John Birch provides an overview of the findings of this project and the best practice methodology which should be considered when planning, designing, procuring, operating and maintaining in-tunnel aesthetic design features.

Road tunnels are an important element of the transport infrastructure, requiring significant resources and energy to construct, operate and maintain. Consequently, they are potentially a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution.

Practices and methods that promote the sustainability of road tunnels are, therefore, necessary for alleviating the pressure they exert on scarce resources and the natural environment. However, sustainability is not about what should be done for the environment, it is something that must be done to preserve the quality of all life on the planet. It is particularly important for a road tunnel compared to a road at grade as a road tunnel has a substantially higher carbon footprint, both during its construction and the continuous operation of its systems throughout its operating life.

Every state and territory in Australia, as well as New Zealand, has committed to net zero emissions by 2050. In this context, responsible organisations have an obligation to reduce the sustainability impacts of delivering and operating road tunnels whose asset life is expected to extend beyond 2050.

In this webinar, Georgia O’Connor, Les Louis and Tony Peglas give an overview of the research undertaken to include updates for sustainability in the four parts of the Austroads Guide to Road Tunnels (AGRT).

The research presented in the session will provide owners, operators, designers and those constructing tunnels with guidance on how to achieve more sustainable outcomes at each stage of a road tunnel’s life cycle.

Road tunnels are major pieces of infrastructure across the road network, and the number of tunnels is expected to increase in the coming years. Although they are relatively safe, a significant number of crashes occur on the approaches to and within tunnels.

Austroads commissioned the University of New South Wales, Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation (rCITI) to investigate and evaluate the application of low-cost perceptual countermeasure (PCM) treatments in road tunnel environments as a means of improving driver speed behaviour, alertness and lane discipline, thereby reducing crash risk. The project involved two key research activities.

Research Activity 1 involved a systematic literature review and stakeholder consultation. Based on the outputs of these activities, three PCM treatments were selected for evaluation in a virtual reality driving simulator: Striped Wall Pattern; Rumble Strips (Edgeline and Centreline); and Pacemaker Lighting.

Research Activity 2 involved an experimental study conducted in the virtual reality driving simulator, located at rCITI. The virtual 3D environment for the driving simulator was based on the cross-sectional layout and alignments of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. Driving performance data as well as subjective feedback from participants relating to their interaction with the PCM treatments were collected and analysed.

This webinar provides an overview of the two research activities and the key findings deriving from them. It is presented by Professor Michael Regan, Julius Secadiningrat, Dr. Prasannah Prabhakharan, and Mitchell Cunningham.

A recently completed project has recommended changes to the Austroads Guide to Road Tunnels Part 2: Planning, Design and Commissioning to provide guidance on rationalising road signs on the approaches to tunnels, to divert over-height and dangerous goods vehicles that approach tunnel entrances.

When these vehicles attempt to pass through tunnels that have not been designed to cater for them, this can cause significant damage to the infrastructure, massive traffic congestion and, in some unfortunate circumstances, injury or loss of life of the motorists. As such, it is highly advantageous to divert these vehicles away from tunnels wherever possible to reduce these negative impacts.

This webinar, presented by Bob Allen, Marcus van der Velden, Lindsay Edmonds and Charmaine Joe, covers the following:

• Project methodology and key findings of the review
• Current signage practices review and gap analysis
• Proposed signage scheme
• Human factors considerations.

This webinar provides an overview of Austroads’ projects 2021-22 and what is required to work with Austroads.

The session is beneficial to consultants who may be interested in tendering for Austroads projects.

The projects discussed focus on data collection and management, digital engineering, tunnel design and componentry, bridge assessment, pavement technology, road design, road safety audits, driver licensing, environment reporting, and vehicle and infrastructure connectivity.

The webinar is presented by Paul Davies, Austroads Acting General Manager Operations, and program managers:

• Ross Guppy, Program Manager Transport Infrastructure
• Michael Nieuwesteeg, Program Manager Road Safety and Design
• Richard Delplace, Program Manager Transport Network Operations
• Vibeke Matthews, Acting Program Manager Future Vehicles and Technology, and Environment and Sustainability Program.

This webinar provides an overview of an Austroads project that examined the passage of dangerous good through Australasian road tunnels, and continuing studies on this topic.

It covers:

• the background of the project
• a standardised methodology to guide the assessment of risk and the variations between existing tunnels and tunnels entering the design phase
• current national and international practice
• the next stage of the study.

The webinar was presented on 12 September 2019 by Nigel Casey and Bruce Dandie.

This webinar provides an overview of the new Guide to Road Tunnels Part 4: Retrofitting Tunnels and the requirements for developing a project to upgrade a road tunnel.

It covers:

• why a retrofitting project may be required for a tunnel
• the types of retrofitting projects
• the process of developing a retrofitting project
• acceptable standards for retrofitting
• retrofitting or refurbishing individual components of the tunnel or tunnel systems
• achieving energy efficiency in tunnel construction and operation by adopting appropriate solutions
• case studies on the M2 Norfolk Twin Tunnels NSW and the refurbishment of the Terrace Tunnel, New Zealand.

The webinar was presented on 29 August 2019 presented by Les Louis.