The Pacific Highway Story Major Road Projects Conference 2014

12 March 2014, Sydney

Presentation by:

Robert (Bob) Higgins

GM, Pacific Highway

Roads and Maritime Services

Ballina Bypass (2012)

Banora Point Upgrade

(2012)

Presentation Outline

• Upgrading program: • Overview

• Outcomes to date

• Current Projects

• Key challenges: • Natural Environment

• Human Environment

• Delivering Major Projects: • Procurement Models

• Woolgoolga to Ballina

• More information ?

Kempsey bypass (March 2013)

Overview: Program aims

» Improve traffic safety

» Reduce travel times and freight costs

» Engage the community and consider

their issues

» Support economic development

» Support ESD principles

» Provide a safe workplace

» Achieve value for money

Example of fauna underpass

Scrapers in use south of the Kalang River,

February 2014

Overview (cont’d): Role of Corridor

0 300 600 900

Kilometers

Map layersAusLink Network

HV_AADT

5000 2500 1250

Key link in the

National Land Transport Network

Services growing population centres along the East Coast of Australia

Achievements to date: Length of dual carriageway?

Open to four lane divided highway

375 km (57%)

Under construction 87 km (13%)

Main construction contracts:

- awarded/ preferred tenderer

- procurement commenced

23 km (3%)

34 km (5%)

Being prepared for construction 155 km (22%)

State and Federal Governments are currently providing

around $1billion/year to further upgrade the highway.

Achievements to date (cont’d): Travel time saving trends?

Achievements to date (cont’d): Crash saving trends?

Upgrading Program: Priority for Upgrading

Current Status of Priority 1: Hexham to Port Macquarie, Raleigh to

Woolgoolga, Ballina to Border

334 km open to traffic

32 km to go:

Sapphire to Woolgoolga… opens

second half of 2014

Tintenbar to Ewingsdale… opens mid

2015

Woolgoolga

bypass (December 2013)

Tintenbar to Ewingsdale (February 2014)

Current Status of Priority 2: Port Macquarie to Raleigh

25 km open to traffic

105 km to go:

• 47 km under construction

Frederickton to Eungai

Nambucca Heads to Urunga

• 23 km preferred tenderer

identified

Oxley Highway to Kundabung

• 34 km tenders closed

Kundabung to Kempsey

Warrell Creek to Urunga

Frederickton to Eungai - clearing work (December 2013)

Kempsey bypass - open to traffic (March 2013)

Current Status of Priority 3: Woolgoolga to Ballina

• 15 km open to traffic

• 10 km under construction: Devils Pulpit section (7 km)

Stage 2 Pimlico to Teven (2.5 km)

• 155 km to go….. being readied for construction

Route and concept design……………………... finalised

Project approval…………………....…. awaiting approval

Acquisitions………………………………..well advanced

Baseline technical studies………………… well advanced

Detailed design ………………………… … well advanced in sections ( soft soils, Woolgoolga to Glenugie)

Key Challenges:

“A balancing act’

• Functional

• Human Environment

• Natural Environment

• Engineering $

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

“Pipeline of projects” provides a framework for

continuous learning

Challenges over last 3 years (cont’d):

Major Engineering & Environmental

Ground Treatment Measures

(Ballina bypass) Environmental issues (Bulahdelah bypass)

3.2 km Macleay River

crossing

(Kempsey bypass)

Constrained urban corridor

(Banora Point)

Overhead rope bridge, Karuah bypass

Fauna overpass, Yelgun to

Chinderah Key issues:

• High biodiversity areas of the &

North & mid North Coast

• Quality stream systems

• Most projects State and Federal

environmental approval

Extra care being taken to:

- avoid

- minimise

- mitigate

- offset residual impacts

Key Challenge: Natural Environment

Nest Boxes

Key Challenge:

Natural Environment (cont’d)

Mitigation Measures

• Biodiversity offsets

• Erosion and sediment control

• Fauna underpasses/overpasses

• Barrier fencing

• Translocation

• Nest boxes

• Landscaping/revegetation/

rehabilitation

Designated animal passage

Key Challenge:

Natural Environment (cont’d)

Management Measures during Construction

• Comprehensive management plans for:

– Flora and fauna

– Soil and water erosion control

– Waste management

– post construction monitoring

• Extensive monitoring and auditing by contractor, RMS and regulatory agencies

• Incident reporting systems

• Performance indicators

• Learnings culture

Temporary fauna fencing on the existing

Pacific Highway, February 2014.

Key Challenge: Human environment

Key issues:

• Through traffic/local traffic mix.

• Noise/ air amenity for local communities.

• Effect of bypasses on businesses

• Human versus natural environment.

Noise amenity to residences:

• RTA uses a range of treatments to mitigate highway noise:

- Low noise pavement surface

- Noise mounds/ walls

- House treatments

• Need to treat compression break truck noise at its source

Bypass of Karuah

Low noise pavement surface at Bonville

Key Challenge: Human environment

• There are business impacts who rely

on highway trade when a town is

bypass

• Mitigation measures include:

– working with business chambers /

council on opportunities during the

construction phase

– assist with street planning post

opening

– signage (permanent and

temporary)

– rest stop strategy

– working with Destination NSW

Key Challenge:

Human environment

New Rest Stop, Nambucca Heads

Delivering Highway Projects: Procurement models

› Traditional – GC21 (Design then

Construct)

› Design and Construct (D&C)

› Design, Construct and Maintain

(DCM)

› Alliance

› Other

Kempsey

Bypass

(hybrid –

Alliance + D&C)

Frederickton to

Eungai Upgrade

(D&C)

Bulahdelah

(Design &

then

Construct)

Delivering Highway Projects: Delivery Strategy Kempsey Bypass

Bridge Extension

Hard Ground Treatment Soft Ground Treatment

$

Performance

(RMS/ funders)

D&C

Contract

Alliance D&C contractor

Delivering Highway Projects: Selecting a delivery strategy for a project

KEY INPUTS Program Level: - funding & priorities - objectives - desired outcomes Project Level: - objectives - characteristics - risks Resource Capacity &

Capability: - internal - external

PREFERRED

DELIVERY

STRATEGY

Project Packaging

&

Procurement Model

PROCUREMENT MODELS

Design, Construct & Maintain

Design and Construct

Alliance

Traditional contract

Other

Woolgoolga to Ballina: Delivery Options for Main Construction

• Being developed as one project

• Governments have provided some $600 million to fully prepare the

155 km for construction.

• Key inputs for packaging and procurement strategy:

- Availability and timing of funding for the main construction

- Package and procure works which drive efficiencies, optimises

preconstruction / design and utilisation of construction materials /

resources

- Scope flexibility

- Competitive and effective procurement framework

- Harnessing skills and experience of private sector and RMS

- Optimises project risks/ innovations

Woolgoolga to Ballina: Normal packaging & procurement strategy for main construction

• Series of discrete packages:

- 20 to 30 km in length

- $500 million to $1 billion in value

- likely procurement models:

- design & construct

- design contract & then a construct

contract

• Adapt model based on recent learnings

• Separate RMS project/ contract management

teams for each package

• Staggered procurement process to encourage

market appetite/ better value

Delivery Options for Main Construction:

Delivery Partner Model

Key features: • Government retains key control in setting and managing key

delivery parameters

• Delivery partner engaged to deliver to those parameters

• Board established to provide overall governance

Delivery Partner: • Competitively procured

• Drives a ‘whole of project’ strategy

• Incentivised accountability for scope, time, cost and quality outcomes

• Manages procurement for design and construction packages

Contract and Supplier Packages: • Packaged to encourage market appetite and competition

• Risk sharing / allocation

• Range of procurement models

Adapted from the London Olympics model

Woolgoolga to Ballina:

Next steps

• RMS will /continue to prepare the

project to be fully ready for

construction

• Decision on delivery model

• Further consultation with industry

More information?

Pacific Highway Upgrade Program

• Website:

www.rms.nsw.gov.au/pacific

- Project updates

- Monthly achievement report

- Six monthly “report card”

• Pacific Highway Office

21 Prince Street, Grafton

Ph 6640100