Thread: bloody road works

Originally Posted by Ace

Why cant the camber be shaped the right way on some corners? Surely you just pile more dirt on the outside to raise it up

Doesn't work that way Matt, that would create other problems over time with the constant traffic using the road, eventually the bank would fail, which would cause more problems.

Baz.

Originally Posted by Redback

Doesn't work that way Matt, that would create other problems over time with the constant traffic using the road, eventually the bank would fail, which would cause more problems.

Baz.

Yeah, i didnt think of that. It just goes to show when people bitch about roads they have little understanding of what goes into it all

The big problem with fixing these problems is "road works" - in the Foxground case they will have to excavate a more even grade and better alignment to the curve. This means a lot of road works on the only all weather heavy traffic road from Kiama to Berry. No one wants to divert all traffic 100Km via Kangaroo Valley and Robertson on the highlands to fix this black spot.

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

I bet your dirt is clay!!!!
Ruber tyre rollers/clay dont stay on the road too long.
I would think they will have the rubber tyres in later.
We are blessed with gravel over here,with the correct amount of clay/moisture blended in it sets as hard as cement.
We have a set of "sheeps feet" for our vibe roller,only fitted whe there is a high clay content in the soil.
Andrew

Sheep's foot rollers are only drawn static rollers. The vibrating ones are pad foot. Pad/sheep's foot rollers should only be used on puggy (clay) material. Unfortunately many contractors use what they have, not what is right.

Andy, your pad foot shells are the Cheap Charlie solution to having a dual purpose vibrating compactor. The shire should really have bought two rollers or another complete drum and vibrator assembly which can be pretty quickly interchanged. Putting shells over a drum is the equivalent of a blacksmith putting a piece of metal on an anvil and belting it repeatedly with a big hammer.

Pneumatic multi-tyre rollers are very good at squeezing the moisture out of the voids in the fill, particularly if you have air-on-the-run. you can let the tyres down and get the roller onto a wet site and gradually bring the pressure up every so many passes and watch the water being squeezed out and running away. A drum roller will bridge over soft patches and leave them soft, whereas a multi-tyre will get down into them and compact them and then you put the drum roller over for final passes if necessary. A multi-tyre should be able to bring your compaction up to 94ASHO in most cases without the drum roller being used. Multis are also brilliant at finishing bitumen, contrary to the opinions of many. There are places and applications for both types.

LandyAndy, sheepfoot/padfoot rollers are very common here in NSW as just about everywhere is clayey. Sheepfoot rollers are rare in WA due to clay being relatively rare (mostly sandy and gravels). Most pavement compaction is done by sheepfoot and steel drum rollers. They still have multi-tyred rollers but are only used for final trim and seal rolling etc.

You would find the roadworks signage very different in NSW to WA. The biggest difference is that speed limit buffering is very rarely used, the speed reduction tends to be 100km/h straight to down to 60 or 40km/h (ie no 80km/h buffer zone). Another example of the "Australian road rules" concept falling down due to state parochialism.

Having worked in SW WA, I would do anything to get the high quality road building gravels that existing in every hill in your area.

Lotzalandies, the Princes Hwy/Foxground Rd intersection is a very difficult one. No doubt the present situation arises due to the road being incrementally widened from the original track, which limited the opportunity to develop full superelevation as would be required if the road were built from "stratch". Unfortunately most road construction is not "greenfield" construction but you have to work within existing site constraints. In theses instances you have to be very careful in the design phase but you do also heavily rely on the skill of the operators to make it work on the ground. I hope that in the case of the above intersection, we will see a new highway between Kiama and Nowra funded and built in my lifetime!!!!

Hi Brian
The shells arn't the CHEAP way out.
Any idea what these rollers cost new??? And as Chris points out,we only need the PAD FOOT SHELLS in WA in extreme cases.
Hire one in WA,you get a smooth drum or get shells fitted if you require them.
Our shells can be changed relatively quickly.First time 2 blokes 6 hours as we have never done it,and as you can guess quite complex.
The last 3 changes took me and 1 other around 4 hours a go.
Im unsure what the actual AUST STANDARD compaction standards we have to meet when doing our Main Roads work but when they test its out with the radiation signs!!! Im guessing your 94ASHO was back in 1994???
Very rarely does our work fail the prescribed limits.
AIR ON THE RUN IS CRAP!!!!!
It was taken off our last 3 rubberguts including the new one.TOO many punctures/air leaks/air leaks causing grit to get into the rims when all the tyres are flat after a weekends rest/pump them up the grit chaffes the tubes.And then there is the pick up a rock between the tyres and tare out the air lines!!!
Andrew

Hi Ace
You can set the camber up real nice on one bend,almost as good as a speedway track.
All will be fine but it will fine the cars straight off the next bend.
Without seeing driving any bend you cant comment on it.I see loads that are totally wrong,but then you drive the opposite direction and you see the problem.It isnt as simple as it appears!!!
Andrew