Reducing Trauma and Improving Safety on Rural and Regional Roads: Sustainable Road Sealing Innovation towards Net Zero

Start year: 2024

Summary: Unsealed roads are more vulnerable to environmental degradation, compromising safety and leading to increased fatalities and serious injuries. Recognising the importance of sealing roads and shoulders, the proposed project aims to develop an innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable wearing surface. This surface is intended to enhance the durability and safety of unsealed roads, addressing challenges faced by regional local governments using costly and unsustainable approaches. The study involves laboratory testing, numerical simulation, and design optimization to determine the suitability and quantity of waste materials, quantify strength and durability, and define the necessary pavement thickness. The outcome of the project will be a novel pavement technology, contributing to the construction of safer roads and aligning with the safe systems approach to road safety.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.