TRIMBLE announced that its machine control systems and two-way data communications technology are being used for the construction of the New Perth Bunbury Highway – the single largest road project ever undertaken in WA. When completed, the new 70 km section of this highway will provide motorists with a continuous dual carriageway from Perth to the state’s major commercial centres and tourist destinations in the South West. The project is expected to be constructed over three years and will include the placement of approximately nine million cubic meters of soil to raise the road alignment above low lying areas subject to seasonal inundation.
Responsibility for the highway’s design and construction lies with the Southern Gateway Alliance (SGA). According to Tony Cariss, construction coordination manager for the SGA, seasonal conditions, the scale of the work, and the relatively short lead time means that construction needs to follow extremely close behind the design work.
“We needed accurate machine positioning for construction purposes and an instant two-way data transfer between the field and design office,” says Cariss. Trimble ’s distributor in WA, Haefeli-Lysnar, met the alliance’s requirements with a solution that includes a combination of machine control systems and a wireless communications network that represents an innovative application of the technology.
GPSNetwork Perth, which utilises Trimble VRS Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) infrastructure network technology, is being extended into the construction corridor and a network of radio towers are being built along the highway alignment. Via a 900 MHz SNB900 radio and router at each tower, both VRS position correction data and construction data files will be transmitted simultaneously and selectively to the earthmoving machines.
To date, 25 SGA machines have been fitted with machine control systems. The new highway is scheduled to open in December 2009.
Source: Construction Contractor