Complex traffic staging, DT Infrastructure’s jam
ITS traffic staging
DT Infrastructure’s Raed Dabit understands the challenges major freeway upgrades face to keep the road network operational. As a Senior Project Manager in the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) division, Raed’s 18 years’ experience working on major road infrastructure projects has provided him the tools to manage complex traffic staging.
“One of the critical priorities for a client on a major road upgrade is ensuring as minimal disruption as possible to the hundreds of thousands road users every day.
“Carefully planned and executed traffic staging plays a vital role in maintaining safe and steady access while allowing construction activities to continue as planned. Ultimately, we want the construction team off the roads as soon as possible and return the new and improved road network to the community.
“The other consideration is how we deploy technology on the road network so that the result is a smarter and safer system to manage all aspects of the network. This is where the team comes in.
“Taking the Warringah Freeway Upgrade project as an example, the ITS team has invested significant time and resources to ensure upgrades to Australia’s most complex freeway are expertly supported.
“The Project is currently working on the Stage 5 traffic switch, implementing a critical traffic management plan which brings the reversible carriageway towards its ultimate configuration.
“The ITS team is responsible for the installation, testing and commissioning of permanent ITS equipment required for the management of the tidal flow scheme – the reversible carriageway for morning and mid-morning peak period. This includes installing moveable medians, digital directional signage, lane use signage and changeable message signage.
“These technologies are fundamental to ensuring smooth and safe operations on the road network. However, it is the professionalism that my team displays when carrying out these critical works that the client appreciates most, and fills me with pride.
“I feel very fortunate that DT Infrastructure has some exceptionally talented engineers and crew who appreciate the importance of what we do and delivering quality work for the client. It makes my role a lot easier to know that these complex traffic switches can be executed safely, on time and to the highest standard, assuring all parties that the project is in reliable hands.
Waringah Freeway Upgrade project forging on
The project team delivering major upgrades to Sydney’s Warringah Freeway has made great progress earlier this year with the installation of the new Falcon Street shared user bridge, connecting Merlin Street to Falcon Street. The new bridge is approximately 10 metres north of the existing structure because the piers of the existing bridge would be located within the realigned and widened freeway lanes. The new shared user bridge will open later this year.
The team is now busy working on the final stages in delivering the new Miller Street southbound on ramp. When completed it will carry general traffic from Miller Street, over the top of a new citybound bus lane on the freeway, before connecting to the road network just north of Ernest Street bridge.
It has been a monumental effort over the last 14 months to deliver the 10-metre wide, 200-metre-long structure, boasting a total of 40 pre-cast Super-T girders. Each girder weighs approximately 48 tonnes, requiring the assistance of 450-tonne cranes to install. These works have been carefully planned and meticulously executed to avoid prolonged lane closures and cause as minimal disruption as possible to the 200,000+ road users every day.