Safe Roads SH50: Hawkes Bay Expressway

Innovation helps save lives

PROJECT: Safe Roads SH50: Hawkes Bay Expressway – 1 CONTRACTOR: Higgins CLIENT: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency VALUE: $10.5m

The Safe Roads SH50: Hawkes Bay Expressway – 1 project demonstrates Higgins Contractors’ ability to successfully deliver a contract that will save lives along a heavily trafficked section of road.

Located on SH50 and SH2 in Hawkes Bay, scope included constructing 21 kilometres of wire rope barrier and six kilometres of guard rail barrier. Works ran from February 2019 to June 2020, with WSP Opus consulting.

As part of Waka Kotahi’s Safer Roads initiative, there have already been over 70 wire rope strikes.

One of the challenges was maintaining journey times while working in live lanes. Higgins did this with 10 kilometres separation of work zones and smart temporary traffic management.

Higgins’ innovation introduced the driven post method instead of the auguring method during wire rope barrier construction. This increased efficiency by approximately 25 percent, reducing the construction period and inconvenience to road users.

Higgins also developed a new technique for the removal of the ATP and line marking, which resulted in cost savings to Waka Kotahi of over $219,000. This innovation has been adopted by all Higgins branches and will benefit clients going forward.