Case Study: Western Port Highway Upgrade

December 7, 2022

More than 49,000 tonnes of Alex Fraser’s Green Roads Construction Materials have been used on Major Road Projects Victoria’s Western Port Highway Upgrade, being delivered by their construction partner, Downer Group.  

Downer Group’s Senior Project Engineer Khairun said the Victorian Government’s policy to encourage the use of recycled materials in projects was a catalyst for choosing Alex Fraser’s sustainable materials.

“Under the contract Sustainability performance requirements and the State Government’s Recycled First Policy, we had to comply with using a certain quantity of recycled content in granular material, whether it was asphalt or concrete, etc. Alex Fraser was competitive on the supplied price and they were also relatively close to the project, so it was an easy choice.”

Khairun also said that having a specific contact at Alex Fraser helped the project run smoothly.

Major Road Projects Victoria’s Western Port Highway Upgrade is part of Victoria’s Big Build.

“Having a project specific contact at Alex Fraser was very handy as our program and quantities changed throughout the project. Steve (Key Account Manager) was always at the ready to help us when anything changed.”

Alex Fraser Key Account Manager Steve Meddings said the project had a tight deadline, but Alex Fraser was up for the challenge.

“This was a big project that needed to be completed on a tight timeline. With the Clarinda Recycling Facility being so close to the project, we were able to responsively service the job, and get the tonnes to the project when they needed it.”

“We supplied a range of our recycled products to this project, which helped achieve improved outcomes, including landfill, cartage and carbon savings.”

The Western Port Highway Upgrade is part of Victoria’s Big Build. This Major Road Projects Victoria project includes a major upgrade of the Ballarto Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road intersections at Western Port Highway, removing two roundabouts, widening the intersections and installing traffic lights to reduce congestion and improve the safety of its 25,000 daily commuters.

Construction on the upgrade began in July 2022, and it is anticipated that the project will be completed by late 2022.

By choosing Green Roads Construction Materials on the Western Port Highway Upgrade, Downer Group:

• used 49,768 tonnes of recycled material,
• reduced traffic by 217 trucks,
• saved 343,571kg of carbon emissions and
• preserved 56,289 tonnes of natural resources

* Co2 Savings are approximate only and exclude savings derived from the use of recycled plastics and/or glass.
**Calculations are based on Austroads Doc AP-R416-12 and the Life Cycle Assessments completed for Alex Fraser Asphalt (Suncoast Asphalt) and Alex Fraser Recycled Crushed Concrete Roadbase by RMIT Melbourne (10/6/2009).