Trial of alternate escort arrangements for bridge girder movements(Update #2)

Information provided by the Department of Transport & Main Roads, Heavy Vehicle Branch

The trial of alternate escort arrangements for bridge girder movements has officially begun and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is now accepting permit applications from industry participants wishing to join in the trial.

Eligibility

To be eligible for participation in the trial there are a number of conditions that must be met.

• The load must be bridge girders
• The oversize combination must not exceed 47.5m length
• The oversize combination must not exceed 4.2m in width
• The oversize combination must not exceed 4.6m in height
• The rear overhang must comply with legislative requirements
• At a minimum, 80% of the entire journey must be on dual carriageway roads with traffic travelling in the same direction
• An operator must have a permit issued by the NHVR prior to a movement occurring
• The movement must be accompanied by Escorts appointed under the Transport Operations (Road Use Management — Accreditation and Other Provisions) Regulation, Part 2 as an accredited person with the functions of an escort vehicle driver.

How to apply:

When submitting a new permit application or permit amendment request to the NHVR to participate in the trial, an operator must advise the NHVR that they wish to be considered for inclusion in the trial by adding the text 'BRIDGE GIRDER POLICY' into the application nickname field. 

https://www.nhvr.gov.au/road-access/access-management/applications/oversize-overmass-permit

Traffic Management Plan Requirements

When submitting the Traffic Management Plan (TMP) with a permit application the operator must ensure they have appropriately addressed (at a minimum) the below considerations:

• roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the movement
• the proposed route
• time of day the movements are to take place and identified risks and risk controls
• number of movements per day/night
• time delay between each movement
• any contra-flow (travel in opposing traffic lanes) travel for extended periods
• signalised intersections where signal timing would be an issue
• swept path analysis to ensure turn manoeuvres will be appropriately managed
• management of traffic entering from ramps and side roads adjoining the approved route
• safe parking locations
• ways to reduce the build-up of traffic
• management of the movement in the event of adverse weather
• details of the removal and replacement of any roadside furniture required along the route
• communication between members of the movement
• management of the escort entering the approved route via highway on ramps merging into designated high speed zones
• incident management.

 Any questions regarding the trial should be directed to the TMR Heavy Vehicle Unit at hv.policy@tmr.qld.gov.au

Note: For the purpose of this trial, load types other than bridge girders will not be considered.