HAUL ROADS & ACCESS ROADS
Design and installation of heavy-duty haul and access roads for your site
Haul roads need to be designed to withstand the weight of laden machinery traversal, but also to ensure the safety of the driver and other onsite traffic. Our experience in the heavy plant sector means we recognise the importance of incorporating these considerations in to our designs and can advise our customers accordingly. For example, our haul roads are designed with viewing distances in mind, providing full view for a driver when rounding a bend or cresting a hill, along with allowances for stopping distances on descending grades and on approaches to junctions and intersections. We also include adequate edge protection in our designs, preventing heavy plant and ancillary vehicles from crossing onto uneven or loose ground. We also consider the drainage of your haul road, adequate drainage can help to extend the longevity of a haul road and improve safety, as standing water can not only interfere with stopping distances but also damage the road over time.
Our diligent planning ensures our clients are provided with a completed haul road that meets all of their needs.
Stopping Distances
Ensuring that vehicles have enough space to stop at any on-site junctions or security gating is essential to providing a safe haul road. Road incline and corners before a junction should all be taken into consideration during the design process; a sharp corner or steep downhill decline before a junction can affect the stopping distances of heavy, possibly fully loaded, machinery.
Clear vision
When designing a haul road, it is important to consider the view from the cabs of machines that will be traversing the haul road. Blind bends, summits and other elements that can visually obscure the road ahead should be noted and taken into account during the design process. Providing a haul road design that minimises potential hazards caused by these areas will reduce the risk of accidents on site.
Edge Protection
A common reason for the installation of a haul or access road is to ensure heavy vehicles can traverse a site freely, without becoming stuck on mud or other materials on site. However, once a haul or access road is installed on site, there is still a risk of vehicles alighting from the road onto unsuitable terrain.
Including heavy duty edge protection within a haul or access road design can help prevent machines accidently moving off the road while also ensuring that the edges of the road are protected from heavy vehicles that could cause damage.
Drainage
As with any road, adequate drainage is an essential factor, this consideration is even more important on a haul or access road. Standing water will affect stopping distances and handling of a heavy vehicle. Reducing and eliminating standing water with effective drainage will help to reduce the affect of heavy rains on vehicles traversing the road. Not only this, but by eliminating standing water heavy machinery will not risk spraying water onto equipment, staff or even (in the case of anaerobic digestion plants) animals on site.
HAUL ROAD CASE STUDY
Adapt Biogas: Access haul road
Red Leaf Enviro completed the design and installation of an access haul road on an anaerobic digestion site for Adapt Biogas alongside the installation of a large-scale silage clamp.
The access haul road was needed to provide better access to the new silage clamp and to improve the flow of work traffic on site, the area was previously a simple dirt track which would be unsuitable for traffic once the silage clamp was installed.
The haul road runs alongside and around the top of the 10,000sqm silage clamp. It is designed to withstand the weight of the heavy machinery moving around at the facility, and the articulated lorries collecting the biogas generated on the site.
Contact Red Leaf Enviro
to discuss your project
Contact us today to discuss the requirements of your next project, our experienced team will be happy to help.
We can provide a full turnkey solution or fabricate and install to a third-party design.