Council has just chalked up a win-win-win scenario for its recent roadworks project on Wilsons Road, Bowraville.
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It was a win for locals, a win for the environment, and, after receiving a shortlist nomination for the national AusStab (Pavement Recycling and Stabilisation Association) Awards, the Council are likely to come out winners too.
The Awards are open to any individuals and Australian private and public organisations working in the area of pavement recycling and stabilisation.
Nambucca Shire Council are, in fact, one of only three local councils around Australia to be nominated for the “Innovation or Excellence in Recycling in Stabilised Pavements in Local Government” award which will be presented at a gala dinner at Cape Schanck Resort, Mornington Peninsula, on July 25.
While it may have seemed like a fairly run-of-the-mill road re-surfacing, there were a few key environmental features of the project that made it unique across the country.
The Wilson Rd project intended to reclaim a rise in the road (between 0.3 and 1.1m) by decreasing the thickness of pavement in certain sections.
The project’s green credentials came through a method of recycling the material removed from the project for intended later use in the abutments of the new Lanes Bridge construction.
“It was done by using a ‘profiler’, cutting the pavement down and loading straight into the truck for transport to Lanes Bridge,” assistant general manager for engineering services Paul Gallagher said.
By reusing the rubble, Council has not only saved 2154m cubed of waste, it has also saved on transportation emissions and dollars which would otherwise have been spent on importing fill for the upcoming Lanes Bridge project.
The win for the local community (other than through reduction in transport emissions) was in the efficiency of the project.
The method of recycling the rubble to another project a few clicks away, “allowed the works to run unhindered, no additional machinery or materials were required and the continuation of additional projects using repurposed materials”.
It also allowed Council contractor, Stabilcorp, to complete the project within a fairly rigid timeframe, and before the onset of potentially work-stopping weather.
So there you have it, win-win-and-hopeful-big-win!