Continuing a long tradition of AAPA conferences going back to 1971, the recently rebranded 19th AfPA International Flexible Pavement Conference will again be the primary meeting of flexible pavements professionals in Australasia. The Plant and Equipment Exhibition and the information-packed technical program of the conference will attract representatives from across the world include:

• State road agencies
• Local government
• Road building and construction
• Industry
• Academic institutions from across the world

The theme of the 19th AfPA International Flexible Pavements Conference is Safely Paving the way to Carbon Zero. Our transport network is fundamental to our quality of life. It connects us to our jobs, our families, and our social networks. It allows us to travel safely and permits efficient transport of goods, such as fresh food, clothing, and other essential freight.

It is increasingly clear that this transport network is also a major contributor to global emissions. At the same time, it is also vulnerable to climate change, with more extreme weather events testing its resilience. These facts present a challenge to the flexible pavement sector in Australia in the responsible management of our infrastructure assets.

The AfPA International Conference 2023 provides our sector with an opportunity to explore these challenges and identify strategies to achieve the objective of Safely Paving the way to Carbon Zero.

The Conference themes include sessions around:

Safer Roads

• Future safe system influence
• Improved road safety through design
• Safe system assessments

Safer People

• Safety initiatives
• Improving worksite safety
• Keeping people safe with technology

Resilient Roads

• How to implement climate change into design considerations to build resilient road pavements
• Innovative maintenance solutions and practices to enhance resilience, durability, and performance of pavements
• Best practice for asset owners for responding to natural disasters

Governance and Sustainability

• Sustainability resources for reporting on carbon footprint
• Environmental product declarations
• Sustainability assessment frameworks and sustainable procurement options
• Best practice for the sustainable management of transport infrastructure assets.

Innovative Solutions

• The use of AI in maintenance practices
• Smart solutions for supporting efficiency and durability of pavements
• Next generation plant and equipment

Pavement Performance

• High-performance flexible pavements for Airports & Ports
• Advanced and innovative bituminous binders
• Impact of bitumen quality on the asphalt mix performance
• Incorporation of waste and recycled content streams in pavement design and construction

Construction Practices

• Crumb rubber applications
• Materials, technologies, and processes to extend pavement durability
• Best practice use of RAP/WMA

Pavement Preservation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation

• Impact of extreme weather events on pavements
• Maintenance and rehabilitation do’s and don’ts
• Best practice pavement maintenance, preservation, and construction treatments

Future Roads

• Transport network needs in 2050
• Vehicles of the future
• The impact of future transport and mobility needs on pavement design

Conference Delegates

The 2019 18th AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference attracted 600 delegates. The 2023 19th AfPA International Flexible Pavements Conference aims to bring together over 700 delegates from all areas of industry both within Australia and from around the world including: