Awarded annually since 1978 in recognition of outstanding service to road transport in Australia, the award is only made when the selection committee is satisfied that a candidate merits pre-eminent industry recognition. So Arvo’s award was only the 14th medal presented in the 32 years since its inception.
The citation for his award states, “A true pioneer of modern road construction techniques, Arvo Tinni’s contributions in the fields of road construction and maintenance, pavement design, administration, quality assurance and mentoring of young engineers, are esteemed by his peers not only in NSW, but throughout Australia and internationally.
“Arvo Tinni has spent his working life in the pursuit of excellence. His body of work covers not only the practical side of construction but also embraces leading edge design and research. He has a legendary ability to unravel complex problems and come up with innovative solutions.
“Many of the ideas developed by Arvo, such as road maintenance policies, model specifications and quality assurance in road contracts, have become industry performance standards which exemplify engineering excellence.”
Arvo’s distinguished career stretches over 50 years and he has worked for Abigroup for the past 15.
Tinni said, “I’m delighted to receive the John Shaw Medal and also pleased for my company Abigroup: as it’s only the second time an employee from a private construction company has received this award.
“The Australian road construction industry, has undergone many changes for the better over the
course of my career, and I’m proud to have played a part in helping along this process.”
Some of Tinni’s achievements are:
• Writing the first Department of Main Roads (DMR) Model Specifications for Roadworks;
• Establishing the first DMR pavement management system;
• Documenting the contract road maintenance policy for the South Australian Department of Transport;
• Implementing the first electronic toll collection system in Australia; and
• Assisting a team from Abigroup and the RTA develop the design of the world first, award winning seamless reinforced concrete paving system for the M7.
The John Shaw Medal citation concludes with the words, “Arvo Tinni gives generously of his time and expertise to educate others. He mentors young engineers and shares his vast experience and knowledge through regular technical papers which he writes and publishes.”
The medal is awarded in honour of the work of John Shaw, who was commissioner of the NSW Department of Main Roads from 1962 to 1967, and went on to become commissioner of the City of Sydney and national president of the Australian Road Federation.
More information: See Earthmover and Civil Contractor, March 2009 projects, Roads catch up with Arvo Tinni, visionary engineer.
