Downer New Zealand: Nelson City Council Road Maintenance

Life is a highway

with Downer managing the road ahead

Some say life is one big road with lots of signs. If that’s the case, Downer New Zealand would be the one you’d want to maintain it.

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PROJECT: Nelson City Council Road Maintenance CONTRACTOR: Downer New Zealand Y ou want proof? How about, for starters, Downer’s recent re-awarding of the contract to maintain 262.5 kilometres of sealed roads and 22.5 kilometres of unsealed roads in the Nelson region. The project is worth $2.8 million per annum and has an extended end date of September 2015.

The contract with Nelson City Council (NCC) also includes fault identification and programming, contribution to forward work programming, completion of pre-seal repairs, resurfacing, drainage and bridge maintenance, traffic management and road marking.

In sum, Downer’s job is to maintain a safe road network for all road users in the wider Nelson area. Contract manager Kim Keown says the job is more than just about roads.

“These are the roads that our friends, families and neighbours, travel on every day. Being able to maintain the city’s roading network is something we’re very passionate about,” Kim says.

A key part of the job involves using Road Assistance and Maintenance Management (RAMM) for contract claiming and routine maintenance management.

Kim explains that the team are highly skilled in this system, with the ability to call upon national expertise.

“Downer’s field operatives are competent in the use of Pocket RAMM and the team regularly receive RAMM training. NCC also benefits from the ability for real time reporting as well as

prompt response to customer requests.

“A key factor of this contract is 24-hour incident response. All trucks, patrol vehicles, the supervisor’s vehicle, and most heavy vehicles are fitted with radio transmitters on the network, and base radios are installed in all depots.

“Forepersons and all supervisory staff have cell phones, and depots have phones and internet access. This ensures our team have great communication coverage, so we can respond and update on incidents safely and efficiently.”

All Downer’s work is carried out by local crews and the agreed programme of works has been successfully completed on time each year.

“After working for nine years on this contract there has not been a single Long Term Injury [LTI] recorded,” says Kim.

But this doesn’t mean the company isn’t continually striving to make things safer, better for customers, and more cost effective for the client. For example, all of Downer’s NCC road Maintenance staff have completed the Downer / Transport Agency ACE training, which is designed to make the company more customer focused.

“So as to be ahead of the game, we [also] regularly call upon the Christchurch surfacing team and we benefit from their experience and knowledge during resurfacing programmes.

“We’re also using the new ‘Should I Seal’ [SIS] online tool developed by Downer’s road science division. This gives us clear advice on when to spray bitumen and emulsion.”

As Nelson is known for its stormy events and periods of heavy rain (especially the Maitai Valley Road, which regularly floods), Kim’s crew draw upon their extensive local knowledge and proactively monitor the weather through MetService.

Rumour has it she has even set up an emergency room in Downer’s offices with a NCC map.

“When we need to, this is where we plot where our people are and note down activities. We do things like, for example, sump clearing, to prevent flooding. We’re also experienced in mitigating and responding to slips, road blocks, and fallen trees.”

Ultimately, though, Kim says a lot of the company’s good name comes down to employing competent staff and providing them with the equipment and training to work safely.

To keep the project running smoothly and efficiently Downer has also taken on a few local subcontractors.

These include Kerb and Concrete, which performs various maintenance activities; Ezi Sweep, Downer’s sweeping subcontractor; JC Contracting, which helps with bridge works, painting and service adjustments; and RTL, Downer’s signs supplier.

JC Contracting managing director Fred Gear says his company’s relationship with Downer has been strong for over nine years and is getting stronger every year.

“Their managers demand high standards of completed work which in turn ensures the capital invested by Nelson City Council benefits all in the community and enhances our region,” says Fred.

NCC investigator and contract supervisor Roy Miles says Downer goes above and beyond what is expected.

“They continue to provide excellent outcomes for council, and our wider community. They continue to deliver good service at a good cost. Additionally, health and safety is at the forefront of all operations which is particularly important when working in the public domain,” says Roy. l