Message from the President
Dear Colleagues,
I wish you all a happy New Year full of happiness and success in your personal and professional lives.
Sixteen months ago, I took up the Presidency of REAAA after the successful 16th General Meeting in Manila, in hybrid.
At the start of the 17th term, we had the opportunity to review the performance and achievements of REAAA. Setting new priorities and strategies, and as a result of our commitment to achieving them, a set of Working Committees were established. I am very grateful to all Council members who have been devoting their precious time to REAAA and its activities and I will of course continue to support the Working Committees to spread their work for our members.
I shall continue the work of my predecessors to strengthen the membership network, in particular bringing new associations and partners to REAAA. I deliver a message to neighbouring countries that have small engineering associations or do not have one yet that REAAA is looking forward to assisting them and to having them on board in the framework of a special initiative.
The year of 2023 is REAAA’s 50th anniversary and I will do my utmost to cherish REAAA’s wonderful moments with our seniors; and to draw new pictures with the young generation to open a new half century.
Lastly, you will agree with me that our Association is full of extensive and professional expertise. All we need to do is to organise and share them with the world. New ideas and suggestions are always appreciated.
I wish all our members a very happy, peaceful and successful new year full of dynamics.
Articles
Case Study of Road Rehabilitation and Performance Monitoring on
National Highway No. 117: Nakhonsawan – Nongtao, Thailand
National Highway No. 117 is the major highway connecting three provinces in Thailand: Nakhonsawan, Phichit, and Phitsanulok. The route also serves as a secondary highway in Phitsanulok and Uttaradit provinces. The average daily traffic and the percentage of heavy vehicles in 2021 were 21,500 vehicles per day and 10% respectively. The existing pavement was a conventional flexible pavement with a four-lane divided carriageway: two lanes northbound (NB) – constructed in 1976 – and two lanes southbound (SB) – constructed in 1997. The highway was subsequently rehabilitated in 2015. After the rehabilitation of the highway had been completed in 2021, the pavement was experiencing severe distress, including longitudinal cracking, block cracking, alligator cracking, and rutting as shown in Figure 1. The highway was also subjected to flooding in the rainy season.
Several routine works and periodic maintenance strategies, e.g. pavement overlay, have been applied but
the problem remained unsolved. A site investigation revealed that the possible cause of the problem might
be improper quality control management during the construction stage. In addition, it was clear that a
traditional solution was not suitable n terms of addressing the current situation.
Construction Features and Challenges of Kinmen Bridge, Taiwan
Kinmen County is located in Xiamen Bay, near the Jiulong River. It consists of 12 islands, of which Kinmen,
the main island (Great Kinmen) and Lieyu (Little Kinmen) are where the residents live. As the Kinmen-Lieyu
waterway lies between the big and small Kinmen (Figure 1), transport between the two islands is completely
dependent on ferries and boats. This affects the economic development of little Kinmen and is inconvenient
to the local population’s livelihood. The completion of the Kinmen Bridge will greatly improve the lifestyle
and economy of little Kinmen.
Infrastructure Safety Insights Explorer
To support the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, iRAP has published a new Safety Insights
Explorer in February 2023. The Explorer shines a light on the true extent of road trauma, the safety of the
world’s roads, and the positive impact that can be made with targeted investment.
The iRAP Road Safety Explorer is an update to what was previously known as the ‘Vaccines for Roads’ tool. It
includes new iRAP Star Rating and key performance metrics, new estimates of the types of road crash injuries
that occur in each country that can be split according to age group and sex, and new regional filters, including
for UNICEF regions and Road Safety Observatory regions.
Supporting Indonesian Nusantara New Captial: Soft Soil Treatment and Immersed Tunnel
REAAA Meetings
118th REAAA Governing Council Meeting
The 118th Governing Council meeting, which was also the 3rd Council Meeting for the 17th Council Term, was
held on 18th October 2022 in Christchurch, New Zealand, in conjunction with the REAAA New Zealand Chapter
Roadshow 2022 and the 22nd Young Engineers and Professionals (YEP) meeting. This was the first meeting in
New Zealand since the 80th Governing Council meeting, which was held in Auckland in March 2006.
REAAA Technical Committee
Pavement Technology Committee
Working Committee C4WC1 (Pavement Technology) is currently working on a project ‘Sharing experiences
and knowledge on pavement maintenance and repair practices in Asia’. The purpose of the project is to
investigate the practices or challenges used in member countries to improve the life of damaged pavements,
by focusing on factors such as structure, mix design, materials, repair techniques, etc. Case studies of
practices that have been used, or tried, to rehabilitate damaged pavements in urban or rural areas are being
collated. To date, responses have been received from Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. A further
update will be provided at the 119th Governing Council meeting in Singapore in May.
Asset Management Committee
The challenge of climate change should set the framework for asset management over the long-term. A
strong emphasis needs to be placed on asset resilience, i.e. its ability to be quickly restored post-incident
(climate, overloading, etc.) that can be built into long-term asset performance. This will require minimal,
but timely and appropriate, maintenance intervention while also maintaining the desired level of service
throughout the service life of a pavement – from construction to either the end of life salvage or a rebuild
with improved capacity.
22nd REAAA Young Engineers & Professionals (YEP) Meeting
REAAA resumed its normal practice of conducting group meetings, rather than virtual meetings, when it hosted the 118th Governing Council Meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand on 18th October 2022. Associated events included the 22nd REAAA Young Engineers & Professionals (YEP) Meeting, which was held prior to the Governing Council meeting. This was the first ‘physical’ meeting after two-anda-half years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The last physical meeting of REAAA had been held in Abu Dhabi in 2019 during the PIARC World Road Congress. The meeting was hosted by the REAAA New Zealand Chapter.
REAAA-PIARC International Seminar: Climate Change, Resilience, and Disaster Management for Roads
In Memory of Past President – Dr. Achmad Hermanto Dardak
Former President of REAAA from 2013-2017, Hermanto Dardak passed away at the age of 65 following a traffic accident on the Pemalang-Batang Toll Road KM 341+400 B on Saturday 20th August 2022. All delegates and members of REAAA express their deep condolences for the passing of one of the best engineers in Indonesia who made a great contribution to infrastructure development in Asia and the Australasian region.
Hermanto was also active in other organizations, including the Association of Indonesian Engineers (PII), serving as Chairman from 2015-2018. He was also Chairman of the Indonesia Road Development Association (IRDA) from 2007-2011. He was Vice President of REAAA from 2009-2013 and President from 2013-2017. He was the President of the Eastern Regional Organization for Planning and Human Settlements from 2014-2016. He also played an active role in the world of education, serving as Head of the Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering Masters Program, Faculty of Engineering, Pancasila University.
In recognition of his contributions to infrastructure development in Indonesia, Hermanto Dardak received the
Mahaputera Utama Star Medal of Honor, presented by Indonesia’s 6th President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
in 2014. His legacy includes the former Road Law and Spatial Planning Law of Indonesia. He was also the implementor of the Suramadu Bridge and Trans-Java Toll Road projects, and the initiator of the Selat Sunda Bridge project. He was the first Indonesian to receive the International Road Federation (IRF) Professional of the Year award in 2014. This award is given to prominent professionals in the private and education sectors who have an outstanding track record, based on their leadership and commitment to the road transport industry. He was Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Asia, and the recipient of the Legacy Award from the Indonesian Association of Planners (IAP).
Farewell, Dr. Hermanto Dardak, we will remember your dedication and make us passionate about serving our country and REAAA. You are truly a renowned engineer and infrastructure figure in the Asia and Australasia region. We hope that we can continue your contributions and legacies.
In Memory of Former Chair of the Australian Chapter – Mr. GARY LIDDLE
The REAAA Australian Chapter regrets to advise that former Chair of the Australian Chapter and member of the REAAA Governing Council, Mr. Gary Liddle, passed away recently.
Gary was a leader in roads, public transport and infrastructure who made a massive impact on Victoria and Australia, the industry and his community. His legacy includes mentoring and supporting many current industry leaders.
Gary served for nearly four decades at VicRoads, the Victorian State Road Agency, rising to Chief Executive from 2007 to 2013. Gary was an active contributor to Austroads as a program manager, project manager, task force member, working group member, Board member and Chair.
He was chair of iRAP (the International Road Assessment Program) and the Australian Chapter of the Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA) during its 14th Council term. Gary also served on the Boards of ARRB and Linking Melbourne Authority.
Gary was honoured by being made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public administration in the Victorian transport sector through leadership in policy direction, infrastructure development, road safety and regulatory reform.
The REAAA Australian Chapter and the Governing Council extends its condolences to Gary’s family.
What’s New?
119th REAAA Governing Council Meeting
Singapore is pleased to extend a very warm welcome to our guests at the 119th REAAA Governing Council Meeting on 8~10 May 2023. We hope some information enclosed in this mini delegate kit could help facilitate preparation of your pleasant stay in Singapore.
REAAA 50 Years 1st Announcement
Calendar of Events
New Members
The membership of REAAA as of 31st August 2022 was 1207. The REAAA Council and Chapters have approved the following 26 new members for the period between 1st March 2022 to 31st August 2022.
