Trimble Quantm Alignment Planning solutions support road and rail planners and engineers through the complex process of selecting and generating 3D corridors and alignments. Its unique route optimization technology generates millions of alternative alignments and returns a range of 10-50 of the best options for review by various stakeholders. The Trimble Quantm solutions enable planners and engineers to reduce project planning time, substantially lower alignment construction costs, and deliver improved alignments that meet environmental, heritage, urban constraints, and design standards set by each project. The Trimble Quantm system enables a holistic approach that integrates design standards, terrain, geological, and hydrological data, environmental areas, property ownership, and cost information in a simultaneous optimization process. This delivers a range of optimal alignment alternatives that can be analysed quickly to address project owner and stakeholder concerns and maintain the momentum of the project.

1. 20 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 18.11.10 | www.nce.co.uk
PLANT: ROUTE PLANNING EQUIPMENT
Savings of up to Xxxxxxxx xxxx: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
25% in the cost of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
building a new road
can be achieved by
getting the route
optimisation right.
Margo Cole reports
on positioning
technology firm
Trimble’s latest
offering.
Fixed link: The Quantm system helps designers work out the optimum alignments for roads or railway lines
Route planner
T
rimble has launched a portation during planning of its than enough” for most bypass fixed you can just do vertical
desktop version of its I-69 corridor project. But, while and road improvement schemes optimisation”.
successful Quantm align- the pricing scheme is viable for in the UK, according to Trimble The software can also be used
ment planning system massive projects like these, it Quantm channel manager for during value engineering on a
after two years of development. puts the system out of reach of Europe Bill Lazaris. road project, as the operator can
The new tool – on sale in the UK many consultants, who tend to The software – just like its add construction criteria such as
and Ireland through surveying invest only if mandated by their more powerful sibling – allows the location of material sources
equipment specialist Korec – is clients. the designer to enter the start along the alignment, or adjust
aimed at consulting engineers. It It is this market that Trimble and end points of a new road the vertical geometry to ensure a
can be used to identify the best now hopes to tap into with the and all the factors that might cut and fill balance is achieved.
horizontal and vertical align- desktop version, which is sold as affect the horizontal and vertical While the system can tell you
ment for small road schemes. standalone software that runs alignment, including ground the cheapest option for any new
The original version enables on the user’s own PC. Unlike the conditions, existing buildings, road, Lazaris is keen to empha-
users to find the optimum service version, the new software no-go areas (eg SSSIs), power sise that Quantm should be seen
vertical and horizontal align- is only designed for road align- lines, rivers and topography. as a decision-making tool – not
ment for major road and rail ments, and the firm is aiming at You can also choose the type of a replacement for engineering
schemes, or to compare options consultants who design small materials to be used in the road judgement. “The cheapest route
and identify which would be the schemes such as bypasses. construction and the design of is not necessarily the best,” he
cheapest to build. The processing power of the the pavement, as well as your says. “Design is an iterative
It has been used on projects average PC is not sufficient to preferred construction method process – it’s not just about
over 1,000km long. do the massive computations for road, rail and river crossings. putting a line on a map.”
Access to the complex algo- that enable 1,000km of route to Costs can be entered for However, Quantm’s speed
rithms that compare thousands be analysed in just 10 minutes. all of these parameters, and allows designers to reach a deci-
of potential alignments is sold Instead, the desktop version is Quantm then works out the sion on which routes to focus on
as a service, with users buying able to look at a 20km x 20km most cost effective options for far earlier than they do at the
a licence that enables them to area in any single study – “more the alignment and displays moment.
send their information to the them all visually, with all the Lazaris also envisages the
Quantm server for computation. costs broken down. “Its purpose system will have great potential
The licence price is calculated as is to catch everything in one during public consultation,
a function of the length of the Lazaris is keen to system,” says Lazaris. “At the because designers and high-
proposed scheme. emphasise that moment designers can come up ways authorities will be able to
This has been immensely Quantm should be with a route, but the costs are demonstrate the relative cost of
popular with owners and on a separate spreadsheet, so it’s each proposed route, and also
promoters of major infra- seen as a decision quite a task to compare the cost show that they have considered
structure projects around the making tool, not of different routes.” the various stakeholder interests
world, including the Portuguese It can be used either to start in reaching their decision. They
government, which has been a replacement from scratch on a greenfield site would also be able to respond
using it for route optimisa- for engineering or to compare different align- very quickly to any stakeholders
tion on the Lisbon-Madrid judgement ments within a pre-existing who suggest an alternative route
high speed rail project, and the route corridor. Or, says Lazaris, during the consultation or plan-
Louisiana department of trans- “if the horizontal alignment is ning stages.