Across the central west of New South Wales, a program of water blasting has swung into gear, set to deliver safer trips on regional highways leading into this year’s colder months.
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In a 12 week blitz, contractors will carry out water blasting at more than 30 locations, removing excess bitumen to improve the grip between vehicles’ tyres and the road’s surface.
Transport for NSW acting regional director Holly Davies says water blasting is used across the NSW road network as a road maintenance technique.
“The water blasting machine is essentially a pressure washer mounted on a truck that sprays water up to 30,000 PSI (pounds per square inch) to remove excess bitumen and increase skid resistance,” she says.
“The excess bitumen is vacuumed up and stored within a tanker to be taken away for appropriate disposal at a suitable waste management facility.”
Davies says there were a number of ways the locations were selected for water blasting.
“Transport for NSW conducts a number of assessments, including assessing the texture of the surface by measuring skid resistance and surface friction. This assessment then informs a report on the areas requiring water blasting,” she says.
“Also, local teams will take additional note of sections of road that require further examination, particularly if they’re in high traffic areas or intersections.
“Water blasting can be done any time of the year but the best results are achieved when the weather is cooler because the bitumen is removed and managed more efficiently when it’s colder and more brittle, rather than when it is warm and soft.”
Locations assigned for the Central West water blasting blitz include:
- Great Western Highway, 10 locations from Mount Victoria to Bathurst• Jenolan Caves Road, at Hampton
• O’Connell Road, three locations between Oberon and O’Connell
• Duckmaloi Road, four locations from Oberon to Duckmaloi
• Castlereagh Highway, seven locations between Ilford and Dunedoo
• Vale Road, the intersection with Lloyds Road at South Bathurst
• Sofala Road, two locations between Peel and Whites Hill
• Mitchell Highway, two sites from Dunkeld to The Rocks, west of Bathurst
• Mid Western Highway, intersection with Lachlan Street in Cowra
• Millthorpe Road, one location north of Millthorpe
• The Escort Way, one location near Healys Road West of Manildra
• Newell Highway, four locations between Jemalong Rest Area (about 32 kilometres south of Forbes) to Daroobalgie Road in Forbes
• Summer Street Orange, east of the intersection with Woodward Street.
All water blasting is carried out under traffic control and changed traffic conditions including lower speed limits and stop and slow arrangements.
Road users are asked to slow down as they approach a water blasting crew and to follow the directions of signs and traffic control.
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