May 1934, Volume 5, No. 3
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
First Annual Conference of State Road Authorities. I I I< Federal Aid Roads Act (Commot~wealtlii, I~l,Ighways:' and Tasmania by Mr. C. D. Balsille, passed in 1926. set up a Federal Aid Roads A.M.I.E.Aust., Director of l'ulilic Works. Mr. Mc- T hai-d consisting of the Commonwealth Minis- Cormack was elected chairman of the first confcrence, ter in charge of the Act. and the State Ministers in antl Mr. 12. E. \Varburton. A.A.I.S., of the Depart- charge of roads, to assist in tlie smooth working of the nient of Main Roads, Sydney, was appointed as per- iicw legislation. This Roartl met aniiually. and con- manent secretary. currently. it was the practice for the technical nienil~ers One of the most imp-tant prolilerns discussed by of the various State Boards. Commissions. or Ekpart- the confcrcncc related to road fesearcli. As a result inents to rncet and discuss rri;ctl lirolilems and policies of the discussion steps are being talien to co-ortlinatc. of interstate importance. \Vhcn the Federal Aid wherever possible. the research work to IJ~conducted Roads Act was amentletl in 1931. supervision by the throughout the scvcral States. antl to apprise each State Cornrnonwcalth Government was sulistantially relaxed. promptly of progress made :nit1 cotictusions reached antl the new Act cotiscquently made no provision for a For this purpose Mni~tRods will be used to dissenii- Fctleral body. For the next fcw years, therefore, re- mtc resrarch inforniation as it becomes awailable. gul;ir and official contact lietween all State road autho- The scope of this journal will thus in future be hroad- rities was not preservetl. but. at a conference of Minis- enttl to record. for the information of those concerned tcrs for Transport held in 1933. it was concluded that with road administration and practice, the devclopment both the rail and road authorities of all States should of research 011 the part of all Australian central road uicet in conference from time to time. The first con- air horities. In order to maintain close contact with ference of Statc road authorities was accordingly held progress almad. conference also decided to arrange i!i hfelliourne on 14-16th Felxuary, 7934, and it was for the formation of a Kational Committee in Aus- then decided that similar conferences ~vonlrlhe held tralia of the Permancnt International Association of annually in each capital city in rotation. New South Road Congresses. Wales was represented by Messrs. H. H. Newell, M.1nst.C.E.. M.I.E.Aust.. antl T. 11. Upton. O.B.E.. Several questions of technical irnportance to all hl.C.E.. M.1nst.C.E.. M.T.E.Anst., Commissioner antl States were also considered by conference. Some of Assistant Commissioner for Main Roads respectively ; these were finalised, e.g., the adoption, as soon as avail- Victoria by Messrs. W. T. E. McCorniack. M.1nst.C.E.. able, of a glossary of highway engineering terms, now M.I.E.Aust, Chairman. antl F. \V. Pricke and W. I>. in cqurse of preparation by the Standards Association Dale, nienihers of the Country Roads Board ; Queens- antl the Institution of Engineers, Australia, whilst land by Mr. J. R. Kemp. hI,Inst.C.l<., M.I.E.iZust., others were referred to a conference of tlie chief tech- Commissioner for Main Roads ; South ;\ustralia I)? nical officers of all States for consideration and report. Mr. D. V. Flcming, M.I.E.Aust., Commissioner for This conference took place in Sydnry on 5-7th April, '32734-A 54 MAIN ROADS. Vol. V, No. 3. 1933, those in attendance being Messrs. D. Craig, \Vales. as secretary of the conference. Seven ques- ;l[.Inst.C.R., hI.I.E.Aiist. (Chief Engineer. Country j tions of technical character referred to this conferencc :ind 22. E. Ttryer. B.E.. .'~N.I.E.:2ust. (Chief Engineer, were tliscussetl. antl a report will be submitted for the Mt:tropolit;ui), representing the I)cpartnicnt of h1ai.i further consitleration of the various road authorities. Koatls. Nrw South \\'ales : Rlr. L. F. 1,otler. hI.C.1S.. LVhen finality is reached the tlecisions on questions of most general interest will be published as articles in A.Al.I.lT.,\nst, Chief Engineer. Country Roads Board this journal. 01 Victoria; Mr. U. A. Crawford. I,.S.. A.R~I.T.TL4ust.. Cliief Tingineer, Main Roads Comiiiissioii. Queenslatitl : The valnc of conferences of this character arises not Gnly from consitleration of a specific agenda, but also arid Mr. 1'. i\. Richmond. A.M.T.R.hust.. Ihgineer for from the opportunity of informal discussion and inter- Ilighways; I lighways and Local C~ovemtiientDepart- change of itleas. Thc personal inspection of new ment. South Australia. Mr. Craig :rcterl as c11;iirniaii. mcthotls antl variations of accepted methods is also of and Mr. C. P. 1'. Throsby. R.Sc.. I<.E.,A.1f.I.E ...4 lust., extreme value to those responsible for road adniinis- of the staff of the Main Roads Uepartnient, New South tration. From the Divisions. Metropolitan. only of concrete is visible. antl the reniaiiitlcr forms r.1hc titnl)er ap1)roxIi spans of Victoria Irritlgc ovcr a base for premixed niacadam, as shown in the sketch. :!le Nepean River at Penrith. on tlic Great \,Vestern Tn atltlition to their effect in strengthening the crlges klighway. which had suffered severely from terniitc uf the pavement, tlic concrcte edge strips provide a attnclis. are being replaced by reinforced concrete tlcfinite guide to traffic at night and (luring the niists trestle bents. The old timher tleck is being replace~l so prevalent on this section of the highway. by a concretc pavement supported on rolled steel joists, I 9" I Remnditioninq (Premixed BitMacadam) -I "- I ,itid a I)ituniinous macadam surface will be provided. During the progress of the work one-way traffic only is avail:tlile, antl special caution ncctls to be esercisetl. Cement Concrete Messrs. F'atcrson Rros. Ltd. have completed the con- struction of a new concrete hridge over Mill Pond Creek. on Botany--road ( No. 170).in the Municipalities of Rotany and Mascot. The new structure replaces a submerged culvert. ovcr which a washaway (described in the August. 1931. issue of Mair! Roads) had oc- curred in July, 19)31. T'cntling completion of the new bridge, road. tram, ant1 pedestrian traffic was acconi- motlated with a temporary timlm bridge. The construction of the second strip of concrete pavement in Victoria-road (No. i65), I)ctween I'itt- water-road and The Avenue. in Ryde Municipality. has been completed by Concrete Constructions (Roads j Traffic guide on Victorla RridiTe at Penrith during Ltd. A strip of concrctc pavement 20 feet wide has reconstruction. rimv been provided on each side of the tram tracks. Deviations, which will provide a minimum curve 1inprovenients in the alip~mentof the Bluc Moun- radius of 600 feet, and eliminate a nuinher of sharp t:tins section of the Great \Vestern Highway are being coriiers and right-angled hentls. are being cronstructed stcatlily effected. Iniprovetl approaches to the subway on tlic road bctwccn Roseville Bridge and Brookvale ncar Leura antl two minor deviations eliminating sharp (KO. pS), in \<jarringah Shire. on four sections wliic!i curves and improving alignment near T.intlen have been were omitted froni the surfacing work carried out on ctrnipleted. thc rccoristructed gravel pavement in October last. 'I'hc pavement on two sections of the Great J'fcstern Reconditioning of the pavement by the qqrIic:ttioii T ligliwny Iietwceti Wentworth Falls antl Tmra has ot a coat of stone-filled shcet asphalt laid in two conrses becn witlcncd antl realigned by the arltlitioli of concrete with a drag spreader has lieen carried out in Oxfortl- cdgc strips and the mitldlc portion recontlitionetl with stwet (road No. 172), in Randwick and Woollahra premixed bituniinous niacsdam. A width ot 9 ins. Municipalities. In the same district several sections of May, 1934. MAIN ROADS. 55 Anzac-parade (road No. 171 ) , hetween Addison-street ezonomital method of obtaining a permanent roadway and Baker-street, in Randwick Municipality, have heen than the expensive earthworks rerpired to lift the treated in a similar manner. subgratle above high title level. In the historic town of Windsor, a steep aIltl wind- Thc Oxcnfortl Contracting Co. Pty. Ltd. is making ing road led past Thornpson’s-square, near the site of good Irogress with the constriictio~~of the steel and the old Government House, and gave access to the concrete hritlgc over the Clarence Iciver at Mororo, on hritlge over the Hawkesbury River. This road was the 1~’aciiicI lighway. Tlie strricttii-e inclutlcs two stccl unwited for use as a main road, and a deviation is IIOW truss spaiis. e;ich of 121 iect. atitl a 5‘; ft. vertical lift under construction hetween the Windsor-road (KO. span. its totxl Ictigth heing 64s feet. Work 011 tlic SUI)- 184) and the IVilherforcc-road (No. 182). to give a structure is wcll advanced. direct approach to the bridge. By a coincidence. this J~econstructionof tlic scction of tlic Pacific I~ligliway work. which is in close proximity to a site having some Iinowii as 1)irty Creek 1) ition. in Dorrigo Shire. has of the oldest historic associations in the State, is tlic been completetl. A further length of approxiinately 2 first section of road to be built in the latest class of miles in Orara Shirc, which will eliminate sharp curves pavement construction. a roller-consolidatcd concrete and stecp gratles. is under constrilction with uncmploy- base with premixed bitumen macadam wearing surface meiit relief funds.