Topcon increases productivity, cuts costs on complex highway project

NSW contractor Coastwide Civil is using a range of Topcon machine control and rover systems to increase productivity and reduce costs for itself and its client on a complex highway project just north of Wollongong.

Coastwide M series grader

Wollongong-based Coastwide is carrying out the earthworks and pavement works on the 3.5 km Northern Distributor extension project, as a subcontractor to Reed Constructions.

The project, due for completion in mid-2009, will result in a four-lane highway from just north of Wollongong, to Bulli.

It traverses a highly built-up area, with numerous road and services crossings, and is in a fairly low-lying area subject to heavy rainfall.

Topcon equipment on the project includes Millimetre GPS on a Cat 140M grader and Cat 12H, X63 indicate systems on Cat 330D excavators, 3D MC systems on Cat D8L and D10R dozers, plus rover systems running Millimetre GPS.

“We’re using our Millimetre GPS rovers to do all our set out and the site’s basically pegless; it's a big advantage for our company not to have to put a peg in the ground,” said Scott Rogers, a director of Coastwide Civil.

“We find that it is giving us a huge advantage, especially with our speed. We get the levels right first time and there's no guesswork.

“And our clients are very happy with it; it's saving them a lot of work as they’re not doing any surveys for us – basically we are doing all of our own.

“There are no problems for them, and we are saving the client money by using Topcon gear,” Rogers said.

Scott Rogers, Coastwide Civil