The innovative Automated Cone Truck, developed in response to growing safety concerns for traffic controllers, has successfully completed a 12-month trial as part of Victoria’s multi-billion dollar Eastern Motorway upgrade.

Built in Australia by Brisbane-based Arrowes Roading Safety, the Automated Bollard Lifting Vehicle (ACT) is capable of lifting bollards from both sides of the vehicle while travelling forwards and backwards.

The ACT can also close more than nine kilometres of highway without stopping – more than doubling the capacity of traditional bollard trucks.

Designed with a minimum of moving parts and built with durable components, the ACT includes several automated features that enhance safety and efficiency – including mechatronic deployment and retrieval systems, automatic roll-up doors, automatic air safety booms and an in-cab generator.

The current number of deaths and serious injuries suffered by traffic controllers on Australian roads is alarmingly high.

According to data from the National Road Safety Partnership Programme (NRSPP), approximately 100 road traffic controllers are injured each year, requiring medical treatment or leave, and at least one road traffic controller is killed each year.

A collaboration between Arrowes Roading Safety, Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway Upgrades – Burke to Tram Alliance, Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) and KPI Construction Services enabled the ACT to be tested in real-world conditions.

The multi-billion dollar Eastern Freeway upgrade, being delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV), is part of the largest investment in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs, linking the Eastern Freeway with the North East Link tunnels.

Arrowes chief executive Lea Ea said the ACT design allowed for safe and efficient cone deployment, with the cone capable of deploying one cone every seven seconds at intervals of 12 to 24 metres at speeds of up to 16km/h.

“Road construction and maintenance workers are among the most frequently injured workers in Australia’s workplace,” Ea said.

According to research conducted by Safe Work Australia, 63 per cent of fatal accidents on construction sites were caused by being struck by a moving vehicle.

“Every life lost is one too many. The consequences are devastating, with estimates that each fatal accident incurs a societal cost of $7.8 million, not to mention the emotional impact on loved ones,” Ea added.

“Our goal was to find a commercially viable solution that would reduce the risk of death and injury to road workers while also reducing manual handling and traffic management time.”

Five years of rigorous testing, research and development have gone into the ACT and Ea said she was proud to see the truck performing so well on Australian roads.

Stuart Dangerfield, safety manager for the Burke to Tram Eastern Motorway upgrade project, first tested the ACT in 2021 on the M80 motorway upgrade between Sydney Road and Edgars Road.

“The safety of our people and communities is paramount in everything we do, which is why we were excited to be the first to administer the ACT test three years ago,” Dangerfield said.

“Since that initial test, we have seen this innovation refined and improved, resulting in safer and more efficient use of the technology during the upgrade of the Eastern Freeway from Burke Road to Tram Road.

“We know that manually placing and collecting cones can expose our crews to the highest risk areas on the jobsite. Using ACT on our Eastern Freeway upgrades has further reduced the need for workers to interact with real traffic conditions.”

Adam Mullens, Traffic Supervisor for the Eastern Motorway Improvement – ​​Burke to Tram Alliance, has worked in the construction and traffic management industry for more than 20 years.

According to Mullens, the general public is unaware of the dangers that traffic controllers face every day. He said ACT allows him to sleep better at night, knowing his employees are safe.

“This is dangerous work that puts professionals in the spotlight. Innovations like ACT are essential to the growth of the industry, but also to ensure our workers are protected from serious injury or, worse yet, death,” Mullens said.

ACT also eliminates the need for repetitive movements, largely eliminating the need for manual tasks.

“A single post can weigh anywhere from 11 to 18 pounds, and if you’re putting up 100 of them overnight, it can cause repetitive strain injury,” Mullens added.

KPI Construction is providing traffic management and planning services for the Eastern Motorway Modernization Project.

KPI Construction Managing Director Aaron Ramsay said the use of ACT had not only saved the lives of his workers by minimising exposure to high-risk environments, but had also increased work productivity by more than 150 hours thanks to faster set-up and pack-up times.

“ACT integration has been a key asset over the past year, with traffic cones deployed and collected 188 times across 564 kilometres of lane closures”
Ramsay said.

“ACT deployed and collected 65,000 cones, eliminating the need to manually move over 1,200 tons and reducing worker exposure to traffic by approximately 500 hours.

“We have been using ACT every night for a year and have had no incidents during that time. It is a life-saving innovation that ensures our team returns home to their families safely every day.”

Automated Cone Truck also won the Victorian Major Transport Infrastructure Authority Innovation Award and the Director General Award for Safety Innovations in 2022, and the National Safety Award (NSCA) in 2023. ACT is also a finalist in the Moreton Bay City Council Business & Innovations Awards in 2024.