Out of the box thinking results in $250,000 saving on freight

How out of the box thinking resulted in a $250,000 freight saving for our customer

Bruce Highway Upgrade Stage 3 Edmonton to Gordonvale
John Holland Seymour Whyte JV, August 2020

When contractors working on the Bruce Highway Duplication near Cairns required concrete crash barriers, local supply was a problem.

With no local supplier available to source and ship the barriers to site, freight was looking to be a huge expense.

By applying some out-of-the-box thinking, Jaybro’s barrier team were able to come up with a solution that saved the customer considerable money and ensured the project could progress safely and on schedule.

THE CHALLENGES

The team were weighing up the cost of two kilometres of concrete barriers shipped from Brisbane. The freight estimate for these barriers - which totalled 50 truckloads - came in at more than a quarter of a million dollars. This cost was simply not acceptable.

Rejecting this hefty shipping quote, the joint venture team from John Holland Seymour Whyte looked to Jaybro to find a more palatable solution.

Concrete crash barriers were definitely required to ensure safety for the team operating in the work zone. Jaybro had plenty of stock, but the freight estimate provided a challenge. We needed to find a way to manage that cost and WOW our customers.

FRESH IDEAS TO WOW OUR CUSTOMERS

The barrier team at Jaybro was determined to find a solution to circumvent the hefty freight costs and still provide the barriers required for this project.

By thinking out of the box to find a practical solution, Jaybro was able to partner with a local business to fabricate the barriers close to site, resulting in a significant saving in transport costs. Plus, the project team – a joint venture between John Holland and Seymour Whyte – was able to boost the local economy by having the barriers made locally in Cairns.

MAKING IT HAPPEN

In order to facilitate this project, Jaybro shipped a series of large moulds used for casting the concrete barriers to the local Cairns business partner. After discussions and involvement from Jaybro to ensure consistency and quality, the local precast concrete operator was able to cast the required 2000 linear metres of barriers to exacting specifications.

From this location, freight was much more reasonable, resulting in a successful solution to a complex regional project.

Image courtesy QLD TMR

ABOUT THE DELTABLOC CONCRETE BARRIERS

The Deltabloc DB80 is a steel-reinforced precast concrete barrier that is MASH Tested to TL-3, making it suitable for work zone protection at this project.

With the patented Deltabloc coupling system, the DB80 allows a slight tilting of the impact energy in case of a heavy impact from a vehicle. Elastomer bearings between the single barriers ensure controlled damping of peak loads. This guarantees reliable breakthrough prevention for heavy vehicles and soft impact behaviour for small cars.

Approved for road use up to 80km/hr in QLD and fully approved by Austroads, the Deltabloc DB80 concrete jersey barrier can reduce the risk of a head-on collision as a result of an out of control vehicle crossing over the median strip into oncoming traffic.
This ensures reliable, predictable crash behaviour, ultimately resulting in a safe worksite.

Jaybro also supplied over twenty SLED crash cushions, an 80km/hr rated safety device that complements the concrete barriers.

The SLED crash cushion is a narrow, water-filled non-redirective gating crash cushion that is a MASH Tested to TL-3 when used in a 4 module configuration. Constructed from tough yellow polyethylene with internal steel cables, it is designed to deform and rupture on impact.

More about the Bruce Highway Upgrade - Stage 3 Edmonton to Gordonvale project

Stage 3 of the Bruce Highway upgrade project involves a 10.5 kilometre upgrade and duplication of the highway between Edmonton and Gordonvale. This project, located near Cairns, will deliver significant safety improvements to one of North Queensland’s busiest routes.

The $481M infrastructure project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments. It includes duplication of all existing two-lane sections of the highway to four lanes, new service roads, rail realignment and new road and rail bridges.
When completed, the Edmonton and Gordonvale section will be safer, more reliable, and more resistant to flood risk.

This project is due for completion in mid 2023.

For more information on our Deltabloc road barriers including pricing, comparisons with hire, freight options and detailed specifications, call 1300 885 364.

Jaybro's experienced barrier team can help you deliver your project safely, efficiently and on budget. Our team of experts have a wealth of experience in the industry and can offer honest, non-biased advice and suggestions to help your project run smoothly.

We deliver fast right across the country, and as evidenced in the above article, we'll go to great lengths to get our customers what they need!

Contact us any time for obligation-free advice and assistance.