Works on the East Kimberley Regional Airport have thrown an innovative asphalt formulation into the spotlight, promising to deliver increased efficiency in the short-term, while also delivering increased robustness and durability in the long-term.
The East Kimberley Regional Airport in Kununurra, Western Australia is an essential link for the local community and visitors alike.
Situated about 3200 kilometres away from the state’s capital of Perth, the facility is heavily relied upon for essential services and deliveries throughout the region.
It’s one of the main reasons why the Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley sought to upgrade the airport’s main and surrounding facilities, to ensure that any potential travel impacts could be reduced and – in the best case, prevented.
Airport Consultancy Group – Construction (ACG) was engaged to deliver initial upgrades, which formed part of the airport’s 10 year master plan. These works focused on upgrading the apron and taxiways, laying the foundation for a second stage of upgrades.
Stage two includes a 550-metre extension to Runway 12/30 extending the length of the runway from 1829 metres to 2370 metres, creating the capacity to accommodate larger jet aircraft.
Such upgrades would ultimately provide significant benefits to consumers, supporting lower airfares, enabling improved aviation services and strengthening the liveability of the region.
ACG was tasked with handling the bulk of the civil scope. This included overall site and civil preparation, drainage works, bulk excavation, and base preparation for the new runway length. ACG also completed the AGL (airfield ground lighting) installation, as well as the road line marking associated with the extension.
COLAS’ role, contracted by ACG, was the asphalt production and paving component of the project, bringing in a mobile asphalt plant and associated technical expertise to deliver the surface.
As part of this, COLAS selected a hybrid binder in the asphalt mix, chosen for its superior performance and durability. This is where SAMI Bitumen Technologies’ I-Brid polymer modified binder presented all the right properties to satisfy the project scope.
Supreme performance
SAMI Bitumen Technologies’ I-Brid is a heavily polymer‑modified bitumen binder developed in Australia for high‑demand pavement applications.
An evolution of the earlier B380 binder, I Brid uses different raw materials and a higher level of modification to improve on conventional airport binders such as A10E, as Scott Olsen, State Manager WA – SAMI Bitumen Technologies explains.
“With some of the other products, you either get good rutting resistance, or you get good fatigue results, you don’t get both. With this one, you can get both,” he says.
It also offers enhanced fuel resistance compared with standard binders, helping pavements better withstand kerosene and jet fuel spills.
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Due to its performance capabilities, the I Brid has been used primarily at airports – including regional, remote, and soon major airports – but also has potential applications on heavy‑haul mining roads and in other heavy‑duty environments such as ports.
“Some things have been developed overseas and then we bring that technology to Australia, but this is the reverse. This was all designed in Australia,” Olsen says.
“That’s why we’re called SAMI Bitumen Technologies. We don’t just do what’s been done before – we try to develop new products that we think will be worthy for the market.”
Beyond the I-Brid’s performance benefits, SAMI Bitumen Technologies and COLAS’ solutions also provided a high level of versatility, an essential component for a project this remote.
In particular, the I-Brid’s stability over long transport distances.
For this project, the formulation was manufactured offsite, hauled more than 3000 kilometres to a very remote site, and still arrived within specification. Lee Whitehead, Group Major Projects Manager, Aviation – COLAS says conventional polymer modified bitumen (PMBs) formulations can be less stable when transported over such a long haul.
“Our real strength is our ability to be highly mobile — we can work across all regions, with no part of Australia out of reach. We bring not just mobile crews, but mobile technical expertise, and we’re able to think outside the box in how we deliver projects,” he says.
Olsen sees the I-Brid as a true “one of one”.
“We test it before it leaves the plant and again when it arrives. If it passes, it goes into the asphalt. The test results are almost identical at both ends, which is exactly what you want for remote airports. With COLAS’ mobile asphalt plants, we can now deliver to remote airports and be confident that the binder will arrive on site within specification,” he says.
The completion of second stage works for the East Kimberley Regional Airport represents a key milestone for the product’s application on aviation projects, being the first fully integrated airport project combining spray seal operations with onsite asphalt production and surfacing.
“The airport construction industry demands a sophisticated understanding of both operational constraints and stringent quality requirements, therefore ACG only engages highly skilled companies to ensure the quality remains at the highest level,” Craig Halliday, Director of Construction at Airport Consultancy Group says.
“Ensuring that ongoing airport operations remain uninterrupted while consistently meeting high standards is critical to project success. With this in mind ACG, in collaboration with its sub-contracted partner COLAS, strategically staged the project to effectively balance both priorities.”
The ability to manufacture, supply, and place significant volumes of asphalt within a single shift – while maintaining full airport operations – demonstrates both the robustness of the product and the efficiency of the project delivery.
The successful implementation of a hybrid binder in such a demanding airport environment further reinforces ACG’s position as a specialist contractor. This achievement underscores ACG’s capability to deliver complex works to the highest industry standards while enabling its delivery partners to perform at their best.
“I’m really happy with how well Kununurra Stage One went. To have strong references from the first stage and then be asked back for Stage Two speaks volumes,” Whitehead says.
“People are starting to see we’re not just a company muscling our way in. We understand the local issues, and we want to work with stakeholders to build a project that’s fit for purpose.”
Despite ongoing impacts to the global supply chain, COLAS and SAMI Bitumen Technologies continues to assess future project opportunities, with hopes that additional airports will jump on board.
“COLAS is one of the largest bitumen users globally, so we have access to multiple supply sources across Europe and America,” Olsen says. “That diversity is what lets us reassure customers about ongoing availability.”
This article was originally published in the May edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
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