Parry Sound debuts innovative 3D road milling technology

Ontario Construction News staff writer

The Town of Parry Sound is showcasing new 3D road milling technology for municipal infrastructure repairs, teaming up with Control System CA., a Scandinavian-Canadian company that developed technology known as Exact Street from the Czech Republic.

The technology is being used to restore degradation of the town’s road systems and promote the climate strategy and future infrastructure resilience, officials said.

3D road milling procedures were presented to about 40 provincial and international officials, industry stakeholders, and experts before the beginning of milling operations.

Mike Kearns, Director of Public Works for the Town of Parry Sound, explained that fixing rutting and ensuring sufficient drainage, along with reducing CO2 emissions by minimizing the amount of material milled, is one of the main reasons the municipality is investing in new solutions for traditional problems.

“Automated Machine Guidance (AMG) has allowed a higher degree of precision than what was previously specified in contract provisions,” a representative from Control Systems explained at a recent town event.

Beyond the practical infrastructure projects, the town is using the technology to support climate goals to reduce GHGs to 30% of 2005 levels by 2030, using accurate 3D data to repair road surfaces, allowing more accurate  targets and producing a superior result versus traditional rehabilitation projects.

R & D for Exact Team’s 3D milling solutions were completed in the Czech Republic before being introduced to Canadian roads in collaboration with the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Control System CA’s previous major projects in Ontario include Hwy 10 in Orangeville, Hwy 89, Hwy 17 South Bay pass of Sudbury, Hwy 17 East from Sudbury, Hwy 11/17 in North Bay among others.

With nearly 200 kilometres milled on Ontario highways so far, the technology has shown its ability to accurately identify any issues early on and design the optimal repair procedure, at a cost of about 3% of the total project cost.

The following efficiencies have been observed:

  • Prolonging the longevity and smoothness of the road, which is unattainable by traditional milling methods, improves driving comfort and safety.
  • A reduction in milled material being taken from the surface reduces the environmental impact of infrastructure rehabilitation. The amount of milled material saved is confidential but reduces the amount of milled material being taken off by 10’s of percentages; in past projects, milled material was conserved by up to 30%.
  • The speed of the milling process was increased by 25%, preventing road rehabilitation’s impact on traffic and citizens.

3D data can be used not only for road repair, but for other uses including checking whether the surrounding vegetation does not encroach on traffic profiles, to propose bridge repairs, assessing stability of rock walls in the vicinity of roads, etc.

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