Call for Abstracts open for Low Volume Roads Symposium, QLD 2013

Call for Abstracts - Low Volume Roads Symposium 2013
25 – 27 November 2013, Cairns Hilton Hotel, Cairns QLD

ARRB Group is pleased to host the Low Volume Roads Symposium, which is being held in association with Transport and Main Roads Queensland, the Symposium’s Platinum sponsors.

Low Volume Roads (LVRs) consist of sealed and unsealed roads which carry a relatively low traffic load, both in terms of average daily traffic load and in expected traffic load over the road’s design life. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) describes LVRs as: ‘these roads are the first links in the transportation network that bring products off farm to market, minerals and timber from remote areas to processing plants, and provide access to schools and medical facilities in rural areas’. The general characteristics of LVRs across different jurisdictions are:

• pavements may be constructed using non-standard materials
• geometric design standards may be relaxed without undue increase to the risk of road users
• the deterioration of these roads is primarily driven by environmental factors, with traffic load a lesser factor in deterioration
• conventional economic analysis often cannot justify the investment of public funds in the construction and maintenance of these roads.

These characteristics challenge conventional engineering in a variety of ways, such as pavement and materials engineering, geometric design and road safety considerations, asset management practice, etc. The aim of this Symposium is to bring together a variety of LVR stakeholders across government, industry and research in order to learn from each other, to discuss these challenges and to find ways to better serve the communities and industries that depend on these roads to thrive.

It is anticipated that between 150 and 200 local, interstate and international delegates will be attending the Symposium.

The Symposium Steering Committee has identified the following technical headings and seeks abstracts for presentations relating to these headings:

- Pavements, Materials and Surfacings

• Design
• Construction
• Maintenance practice
• Stabilisation techniques
• Performance
• Innovations
• Sustainability considerations

- Structures

• Timber bridges
• Concrete bridges
• Innovations
• Floods and washaways

- Asset Management

• Appropriate levels of service
• Community engagement
• Data requirements
• Planning for natural disasters
• Strategic planning considerations
• Upgrading or unsurfaced to surfaced standard

- Geometric design standards

- Road safety considerations

- Impact of road freight reform

- Special considerations

• Mining roads
• Road user charging as part of development plan approvals

Abstracts can be submitted via here until 13 May 2013.

Please note that this symposium will not require formal papers. It will use refereed presentations.

For further information please contact the Technical Secretary:
Ms Alicia Cameron
Tel: +61 3 9881 1601
Fax: +61 3 9886 3076
Email: alicia.cameron@arrb.com.au
Web: www.arrb.com.au/LowVolumeRoadsSymposium2013