The COLAS QLD team have successfully completed the delivery of 100,000 tonnes of asphalt for the construction of the Toowoomba Ranges Second Crossing road project. This included the paving of 38,500 tonnes of SMA on gradients up to 5%.
The $1.6 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing is a 41km heavy vehicle route jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments. The route is designed to increase freight efficiency and significantly improve driver safety and community amenity by removing heavy vehicles from Toowoomba’s CBD.
The COLAS team faced many challenges in delivering the project on time and within specification including:
COLAS established an asphalt plant at Withcott quarry to service the Eastern section whilst Nexus Delivery established an asphalt plant at Carton for the Western section. The asphalt and spray seals were placed on a 250mm thick foam bitumen stabilised base course. The FTB was plant mixed using bitumen supplied by SAMI.
COLAS has made a significant investment in building capacity to deliver major projects such as this with the purchase of 260 tonnes per hour portable asphalt plant, a Roadtec shuttle buggy and paver, 2 new Amman rollers, 2 new mobile laboratories and other miscellaneous equipment. Joint Project Managers, Lee Whitehead and David Lane lead a team of dedicated engineers, technicians and operators which were brought together from COLAS Queensland and NSW operations to deliver this project.