A level crossing removal project in Melbourne’s west has demonstrated how materials choices in major infrastructure can deliver significant reductions to emissions without altering design or construction methods.
A simple material change has delivered an approximate 20-tonne reduction in carbon dioxide emissions on a Level Crossing Removal in Melbourne’s west.
The change is driven by an Australian innovation on a crucial construction component – reinforcing steel – and is highlighting a pathway to industry-wide decarbonisation.
An Australian-made product, SENSE 600 reinforcing steel delivered by InfraBuild, was used in the deflection walls of the new road bridge at Hopkins Road, Truganina. The Level Crossing Removal Project is part of the Victorian Government’s Big Build initiative, which has been guided by both a “recycling first” and a lower-carbon-material selection strategy.
SENSE 600 offers a clear alignment with both guiding principles.
Its design is the result of an Australian innovation as well as Australian manufacturing: SENSE 600 was designed to deliver the same performance as standard 500N grade reinforcing steel, while using up to 16.7 per cent less raw material.
For the team behind the new Hopkins Road project, rethinking material selection and use was key to success.
It’s a sentiment echoed by InfraBuild Chief Executive Officer, Francisco Irazusta, who says, “SENSE 600 gives our customers a clear advantage. It delivers the strength they need while reducing the amount of steel required, improving both efficiency and embodied carbon outcomes”.
While the carbon saving is significant, the change in process is not.
SENSE 600 was able to be substituted into existing designs at Hopkins Road with ease, where both 500N and 600N reinforcing grade was specified for the same bar lengths.
Irazusta says the direct nature of the substitution for this application also makes calculating the embodied carbon saving simple: SENSE 600 can offer up to 49 per cent less than the Australian reinforcing steel standard (Versus NABERS Emissions Factors Database, Reinforcing Steel, v2026.1).
In the same way that SENSE 600 embeds carbon reduction into existing designs, the way it is manufactured builds circularity into its very composition.
Irazusta says InfraBuild’s approach to recycling and reducing emissions in fabrication answers the questions that often arise when discussing steel’s manufacturing footprint.
Traditional blast furnaces used to convert raw materials into steel are responsible for the vast majority of steel’s carbon footprint, making recycling a crucial part of its re-imagination as a lower-carbon material.
Steel is generally considered to be an infinitely recyclable material: a recycled product is generally just as strong as its non-recycled counterparts.
InfraBuild, recycles about 1.4 million tonnes of scrap metal annually in its Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs), which offer a lower-emissions alternative to traditional blast furnaces.
The reduction in emissions can be significant – up to 86 per cent some cases. While blast furnaces are primarily fuelled using processed coal, electrical arc furnaces are powered by electricity and represent a pathway to steel created with renewable energy. Irazusta says InfraBuild is Australia’s only steelmaker, at present, using EAFs.
“With energy savings and material circularity at the fore, this new approach to steel manufacturing also helps project managers avoid delays that come with global supply chain stress,” he says.
“This is especially important for projects like the Level Crossing Removal Project, whose completion is due by 2030, with over 100 removals left to go.
“Combined with our Electric Arc Furnace steelmaking and national manufacturing footprint, it allows us to offer a more valuable and sustainable solution for major infrastructure projects.”
Informed by these energy efficiencies and manufacturing advantages, SENSE 600 is being used in another level crossing removal project. Irazusta says it’s projects such as these that represent the role Australian industry can play in creating safer, lower-carbon communities, and show that a simple change can make a profound difference.
He says the project at Hopkins Road sets an exciting precedent for future large-scale construction projects all over Australia, highlighting a pathway to industry-wide decarbonisation.
To find out more, visit infrabuild.com
