DM ROADS LEADS FLOOD RECOVERY REPAIRS IN THE NORTH OF SA

WRITTEN BY ANTHONY O'BRIEN

FLOODWATERS BLANKET THE STUART HIGHWAY NEAR GLENDAMBO MAKING IT IMPASSABLE TO ALL TRAFFIC

The successive La Niña events spanning the end of 2021 and the start of 2022 were associated with record rainfall over much of Australia and some of the most extensive floods in living memory, with the northern part of South Australia severely impacted in late January. The flood damage to roads and infrastructure was widespread and created the need for a rapid response from DM Roads, Downer's Road network management and maintenance business in Australia.

As the incumbent maintenance contractor for the state-owned roads in the regional north network, DM Roads is the Department for Infrastructure and Transport's (DIT’s) first point of contact when repairing road infrastructure ravaged by floods.

THE IMPACT OF FLOODING ON ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

The extensive flooding caused damage ranging from shoulder scours and blocked drains while entire road portions were washed away. At one location between Pimba and Woomera, floods washed away a significant pipe culvert drain, and temporary backfill enabled the road to reopen quickly. In other places, significant water over the road meant that these thoroughfares had to be closed for a period. The worst location was at Glendambo on the Stuart Highway, which closed for around two weeks before water levels were low enough to drive through. According to Geoffrey Dodd, Maintenance Manager – North, DM Roads, it was too dangerous to have this significant road open with the water level so high at this location. This decision had flow-on impacts on DM Road's ability to deliver road repairs and to the communities who rely on this road. The Eyre Highway west of Kimba was also significantly impacted by flood waters.

RAPID RESPONSE AND TEAMWORK REQUIRED

DM Roads' initial response was immediate, with repairs commencing within 24-48 hours of damage reports. Dodd said, "Initially, our team was putting in 12-14 hour working days, including over weekends, to respond to initial callouts and to get the roads open where possible. "Early on, we received a lot of communication directly from the Department's Traffic Management Centre, alerting us to flood-damaged locations. Good communication between all of the operational recovery team – the Department and the contractors – was critical, so regular meetings were held daily initially and then less frequently as the recovery effort went on to prioritise works and track progress." DM Roads also worked closely with the outback roads maintenance contractor, SA Roads Services, to support a coordinated approach to the recovery effort. "We have built a close relationship with the Department’s technical team on the ground, who have been very responsive to our recommendations," Dodd said.

Once the floodwaters finally receded, DM Roads could repair damaged road sections around the Glendambo area before its reopening. DM Roads is involved with all sealed road repairs in the north and west of the state.

THE DM RESPONSE TEAMS

DM Roads had 2 teams of 5-6 person crews focused on flood recovery. These crews are based at DM's depots in Port Augusta and Port Lincoln. DM augmented its road repair resources by using subcontractors to assist when required. Bringing in subcontractors, however, was also a challenge, with many local industry providers already

committed to other works in the area. Dodd added, "Covid also had an impact – albeit a minor one – on the availability of resources and materials."

DM Roads also seconded additional resources from the broader Downer organisation to assist with the longer-term recovery effort, including works that could be programmed for up to 6-8 weeks after the flooding event. According to Dodd, the main difference between flood recovery works and DM Road's daily work is the programmability. There is more urgency to respond during flooding events, to deliver repairs, and open the road. This need for speed means that sometimes a temporary fix is required. Apart from its experienced personnel, DM Roads used standard road construction equipment such as graders, rollers, tip trucks, excavators, and skid steer loaders to complete the repair work.

THE RISKS OF FATIGUING REPAIR WORK

One of the most significant risks when working in an emergency response situation like the northern SA floods is fatigue. Dodd says, "Given the size of the network we maintain, it is a risk all the time but mainly when working on a recovery operation like this. "It was essential for our team to look out for signs and symptoms of fatigue and be empowered to take breaks when needed." Immediately following the flood event, the teams were on the road more than usual and working longer days. "While it was the same kind of work that they are used to doing every day on the network, there is a greater sense of urgency to these tasks. So, making sure we had the right support in place for them was important," Dodd explains. "On the other hand, the team enjoys being out there repairing the network after an event like this. It gives them a new challenge outside of the day-to-day work and can be very rewarding. It also allows them to pick up new skills and earn some overtime."

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

Before the January floods, northern South Australia enjoyed a good run as far as flooding is concerned. The January rains brought the first significant floods for probably 10 years and the last major La Nina event in 2010-2012.

Dodd notes, "Where [the flooding] has caused damage, the emphasis should be on improving the protection around those structures so that it doesn't happen again or not to the same extent. "We will work closely with DIT to provide any recommendations or information they may require in supporting this effort." Another challenge for DM Roads was making sure it fed information back to DIT quickly, particularly concerning works and closures. This information was used by the Department to communicate with the public. "When you are busy trying to deliver repairs in a remote area, feeding timely information to the Department is not always a straightforward task, but it's just something you have to make sure gets done," clarifies Dodd. "In some cases, the public beat us to it by posting the information to social media before we could!"

"While the flow-on effect for freight delivery was frustrating for all stakeholders, our experience on the ground was generally positive," Dodd confirms. "Most people understood the conditions being incompatible with performing repairs until the water level went down and were happy to see things getting done where they could be. “Unfortunately, in Glendambo, DM Road's ability to deliver repairs depended on how quickly the water was receding.”

WHAT WORK REMAINS TO DO?

Now more than four months have elapsed since the damaging floods ravaged northern South Australia, and only a few repairs remain outstanding.* These ongoing works include repairs to unsealed shoulders at various locations and clearing culverts and floodways. Dodd confirms, "We have also scheduled some rock and concrete repairs to major scours around culvert headwalls.

"These are all at sites that have been deemed or made safe until materials can be supplied and works programmed."

ABOUT DM ROADS

DM Roads is Downer's road network management and maintenance business in Australia.

Our DM Roads business manages and maintains more than 8,500 kilometres of road networks and more than 160,000 assets across South Australia.

i DM Roads is the contracted road maintenance provider for state-owned assets in the Metropolitan and Regional North delivery zones. We also deliver statewide ITS and electrical systems maintenance. *Information is correct at time of writing.

REPAIRS BEING UNDERTAKEN ON THE WOOMERA – PIMBA ROAD (OLYMPIC DAM HIGHWAY) WHERE CULVERTS HAD BEEN COMPLETELY WASHED AWAY BY FLOODWATER