“SH Efficiency & Resilience”Focus on SH1 & SH29 to Port of Tauranga Freight & Logistics Forum : BoP Nov 2012

Barry Dowsett- Highways Network Operations, Waikato/BoP : 16 November 2012

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Overview

• Strategic context

• The NZTA’s investment direction

• State Highway Asset Management Plan

• SH Network “Efficiency” & “Resilience”

• Potential route improvements

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Strategic Context

The NZTA seeks to deliver Govt’s transport objectives (GPS and “Connecting NZ”).

The main means of delivery are by the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), Strategies and Plans eg;

• State Highway Asset Management Plan (SHAMP)

• SH Strategic Network/Corridor Plans

• Regional Asset Management Plans

The NZTA’s investment direction: 2012-15 NLTP

NLTP focus on delivering GPS targets:

3 key areas targeted;

• Economic growth & productivity

• Value for money

• Road safety

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SH Asset Management Plan

SHAMP plays 3 key roles (for HNO delivery):

• it is a route map showing how we plan, invest and deliver for the future

• It links SH investment to our Customer First focus, setting target levels

• It is a business case for activities (maintenance, renewals, operations and improvements) required to enable the NZTA to deliver its service to customers

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Overview

Further work is being done on SHAMP to turn NZTA “Strategies into an HNO Action plan”.

This includes how to implement the 30 year SH Strategy, during a constrained economy.

SHAMP update

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SH Customers Map

• Within the SHAMP ‘Customer First’ values are indicated - and this has 3 focus areas.

• Of relevance to the Freight & Logistics industry is the following focus area;

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Reducing Costs of doing Business

Each of the 7 performance level areas (within the Customer Map) has an influence on “Efficient & Reliable Journeys”.

• Journey Time “Efficiency” comprises elements of travel speed and reliability. This is more critical on high volume routes.

• Network “Resilience” is a component of JT reliability, but is usually related to physical conditions (eg extreme weather), but can be improved by good incident management and in some cases Preventative Maintenance.

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Resilience tested! (& response)

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White Out –SH1, 4, & 41

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One in 50 year storm : 2011

Closures• SH1 Desert Road – 50 Hours• SH5 Napier-Taupo – 23 Hours• SH41 - 30 Hours

Response is “Incident Management” – mainly undertaken by the HNO Maintenance & Operations teams, but often involves emergency services and other agencies

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Questions?

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Overview

• Strategic context

• The NZTA’s investment direction

• State Highway Asset Management Plan

• SH Network Efficiency

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Overview

• Strategic context

• The NZTA’s investment direction

• State Highway Asset Management Plan

• SH Network Efficiency

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Potential Future Improvements

NZTA undertaking a number of Strategic Studies (in parallel with national strategic development) which are shaping potential future (out to 30 years) improvements.

• GPS added some potential future ‘Roads of National Significance’ (RoNS)

2 of these are:• SH1 Cambridge to Taupo• SH 29 Piarere to Tauranga

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SH1 Cambridge to Taupo

• Strategic Study extends to Desert Road summit

• Cambridge to Piarere likely to be an extension of 4 lane Waikato Expressway

• Piarere to Taupo potentially 2 + 1 lane (similar to Longswamp to Rangiriri)

• Taupo south likely to be major realignment with passing lanes

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SH 29 Piarere to Tauranga

Study joins Tauranga Urban Network Study just south of Tauriko.

• Piarere to Te Poi (foot of Kaimai’s) likely to be 2 lane plus passing (or 2 +1). Predicted traffic volumes don’t justify 4 laning.

• SH24/29 junction over Kaimai’s to Tauriko south, likely to be 4 lanes to cater for volume and steep gradients.

• Road Tunnel options have been considered, but not viable in current economics.

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Kaimai tunnel options

• During 2007- 2009 a number of road tunnel options were considered in conjunction with the Waikato Expressway strategy development.

• Range of tunnel lengths were 3.1km to 6.5km with rough order costs for a 2 lane tunnel of $1B to $2.1B. Alternative locations further north were also considered, but these require substantial new approach roads.

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Kaimai tunnel options -continued

During 2010 further preliminary investigation of tunnel options was undertaken. These covered 10 options spread over 3 general locations:

• Thompson’s track vicinity (near Te Aroha)

• West of Rail tunnel

• West of SH29Range of tunnel lengths were 4.7km to 9.5km with

Gradients of 0.5 to 4.8%

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Kaimai tunnel options - continued• These 10 options required new roading

approaches of between 15.6km and 27.6km with overall costs for a 2 lane facility of $1.5B - $2.5B

• During 2010-2012 the SH29 Strategic Study consultants also investigated a further 3 tunnel options, below the summit of SH 29, with tunnel lengths of 2.7km to 6.1km and gradients of 2-4%

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Kaimai tunnel options - continued

• All of these investigations (albiet very preliminary) indicate very high cost (even for a relatively short 2 lane tunnel) and uneconomic finance indicator returns (less than 1.0 at 8% discount rate).

• Conclusion is that a Tunnel is not feasible in the current (and foreseeable) economic climate, no matter whether debt funded or tolled.

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Conclusions

• Maintaining route “efficiency and resilience” is a challenge with the environments on SH1 & SH29. It requires vigilant Maintenance and Operation (M&O) with good “incident management”, in a constrained M&O budget.

• Significant route improvement is beyond 10 years, with NLTP investment focus on RoNS and Christchurch re-build etc.

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