History of Local Government Concrete Roads John Nichols
1920 Parramatta Rd, Auburn, 1 km East of Duck River
Parramatta Road 1918 Gravel, lasted three years 1923 reconstructed, failed winter of 1925 1925 Formation of a Task Force to solve Parramatta Rd, Formation of Main Roads Board (MRB) 1925-33 Concrete prime paving material
15 July 1927 14 May 1928
1928 Beneath the mighty pylons of the North Shore Bridge..
1880 King Street, Sydney Base for wood block paving 1930 Fifty years later, still being re-surfaced with wooden blocks 1960 s wooden blocks still being recovered in excavations
1916 Woollahra Council New South Head Road, Rose Bay First concrete running surface pavement Still in service, with AC surfacing 100 th Anniversary
1917 Woollahra Council Hopetoun Ave, Vaucluse, low maintenance, intention to reduce land rates Mayor: W Foster (also a road contractor) concrete roads in Woollahra had a profound effect on property values doubled in five years Where concrete goes down, values go up
1918 Alfred Street, North Sydney 1928 Demolished for SHB approaches
1919 Walker Street, North Sydney
Early Pavement details (before 1920) Slab thickness: 6 Placed directly on subgrade Fossillised grass impressions on slab underside Concrete: 1:2:6 Cement : Sand : Agg Reo: 3/8 bar or rectangular mesh
1923 Botany Road Pavement Botany area: Heavy industry & wet sandy subgrade a quagmire in the wet and a ribbon of dust in the dry Municipalities of Alexandria, Waterloo, Mascot & Botany formed: Botany Road Trust Constitution Bill Construction starting ceremony by the premier Sir George Fuller 10 December 1923
1923 Botany Road Pavement Slab thickness: 8 with edges 10 Concrete 1 : 1.5 : 3 Cement : Sand : Agg Reo 3/8 bars on a 9 square grid Imported paving machine with mixing drum
1923 Botany Road Pavement Benefits were immediate Doubling of traffic flow Benefits estimated as several times the cost of sinking fund and interest Confirmed that it paid to build good roads Success led to Parramatta Road Solution.
1925 Parramatta Road 1925 Formation of the Main Roads Board Task Force to solve Parramatta Rd 1925-33 Concrete prime paving material
1925 Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill First year of operation of MRB On behalf of a group of inner western municipalities
1928 Edgeware Road, Marrickville
1928 Edgeware Road, Marrickville
Deficiencies in early concrete roads
Deficiencies in early concrete roads Poor subgrade preparation Lack of sub-bases Inadequate shear load transfer Wide joints Low concrete strength Thin concrete base thickness Low compaction
Subsequent Australian Pavement Milestones
1929 Hume Highway Marulan Mulwarree Shire Council & MRB 8 km long Contractor: Concrete Constructions (Roads) Ltd
1930 Sydney to Newcastle Road
1952 Princes Highway Georges River approaches 8 km section Wide expansion joints Placed on 2 inches of sand
1966-69 Warringah Freeway 2.3km long, 23 lanes at Falcon St 200mm 18 MPa Concrete 150 mm DGB 300 mm select subgrade
1975 Clybucca flat First deformed bar CRCP in NSW First LMC subbase (130 mm 8Mpa) Base 230 mm 4.0 MPa Flex 28day 5.5 km, 2 lane, single carriageway
1978 Foreshore Road, Port Botany First: Slip form paver CRCP 11.5 lane km Base 200 mm Sub-base 125 mm lime stabilised crushed rock Reo Long C16@150 Trans C12@500
1979 F4 Homebush CRCP 13.5 lane km Base 200 mm Sub-base 100 mm lime stabilised crushed rock Reo Long C16@155 Trans C12@900
1982 Bicentennial Roads Program to 1988 Pacific Highway, Wyong (May 82) & Hume Highway, Tumblong (Jul 82)
Completion of Hume & Pacific Highways: Brisbane to Melbourne Last missing link: Pacific Highway, Woolgoola Ballina 156 km Dual Carriageway Freeway 60% concrete Dead Line: 2020
History of Local Government Concrete Roads Summary Evolution of Design & Construction Subgrade preparation Attention to drainage Jointing LMC subbase PCP, short joint spacing 4-5 m Selected use of CRCP Pavement thickness, concrete strength and compaction Restoration by Grooving & Grinding
History of Local Government Concrete Roads John Nichols