HDS Australia Civil Engineers and Project Managers The Murray and Mallee Local Government Association REGIONAL ROAD ACTION PLANS AND 2015 SLRP ROADS DATABASE UPDATE Final Report Adelaide Melbourne Hong Kong HDS Australia Pty Ltd 277 Magill Road Trinity Gardens SA 5068 telephone +61 8 8333 3760 facsimile +61 8 8333 3079 email [email protected] www.hdsaustralia.com.au April 2015 Safe and Sustainable Road Transport Planning Solutions The Murray and Mallee Local Government Association HDS Australia Pty Ltd CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Brief ........................................................................................................................ 2 2.0 PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND OVERVIEW OF OUTCOMES ........................................................3 2.1 Phase 1 Tasks .................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Phase 1 Outcomes ............................................................................................................. 3 2.3 Phase 2 Tasks .................................................................................................................... 3 2.4 Phase 2 Outcomes ............................................................................................................. 4 3.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ............................................................................................................5 3.1 Phase 1 – Regional Road Action Plans .............................................................................. 5 3.2 Phase 2 – 2015 SLRP Roads Database Update ................................................................ 6 3.3 Phase 2A – SLRP 2015-16 Funding Applications Final Priority List .................................. 8 APPENDICES A. Regional Road Action Plans – Endorsed by RTS Committee 6 March 2015 B. Detailed Submissions – Berri Barmera Council C. Detailed Submissions – Coorong District Council D. Detailed Submissions – Mid Murray Council E. Detailed Submissions – Rural City of Murray Bridge F. Detailed Submissions – Renmark Paringa Council G. Detailed Submissions – Southern Mallee District Council H. 2015 SLRP Roads Database Update – Endorsed by RTS Committee 6 March 2015 REFERENCE (downloadable from the M&MLGA website “Reports” page) 1. M&MLGA 2030 Regional Transport Plan – Final Report, HDS Australia, March 2014 2. Murray and Mallee Regional Transport Review 2010, Parsons Brinckerhoff, March 2011 LG802\006 Regional Road Action Plans and 2015 SLRP Roads Database Update April 2015 Final Report The Murray and Mallee Local Government Association HDS Australia Pty Ltd 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background In June 2013, HDS Australia was engaged by the Murray and Mallee Local Government Association (M&MLGA) to prepare its 2030 Regional Transport Plan (Reference 1). The 2030 Regional Transport Plan is a strategic level assessment of transport needs and priorities within the Region for the period from 2013 to 2030. Upon its release in March 2014, it officially replaced an earlier Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) which had been operating since 2002. The final report for the 2030 Regional Transport Plan recognised that the 2030 Regional Transport Plan is a “living” document which will need regular review and updating as subsequent regional planning and development initiatives influence future transport priorities. In particular, Section 9 of the report outlined a methodology for review and update of the 2030 Regional Transport Plan, along with preparation and submission of annual Special Local Roads Program (SLRP) or other funding applications. A flow chart depicting the methodology was presented in Section 9.2 of the report, and is repeated below: LG802\006 Regional Road Action Plans and 2015 SLRP Roads Database Update 1 April 2015 Final Report The Murray and Mallee Local Government Association HDS Australia Pty Ltd 1.2 Project Brief In August 2014, HDS Australia was engaged by the M&MLGA to assist member councils undertake Steps 2 and 3 of the above “Methodology for Review and Update of the 2030 Regional Transport Plan”. The project comprised two separate, but linked components, namely: 1. Phase 1 – Provision of assistance to the M&MLGA and individual member councils with development of Regional Road Action Plans, in accordance with the methodology contained in Section 10 of the 2030 Regional Transport Plan. The purpose of these Action Plans was to develop an overall funding priority list, and associated strategy for seeking additional funds when available, to enable all regionally significant freight, tourism and community access routes, as defined by the maps in Appendix A of the 2030 Regional Transport Plan Final Report, to operate at their “fit for purpose” standard. 2. Phase 2 – Provision of assistance to the M&MLGA to undertake an independent review and prioritisation of road upgrade proposals submitted by member councils for consideration under SLRP annual funding arrangements. This process, identified in Section 9 of the 2030 Regional Transport Plan Final Report, continued to utilise the two step assessment process first employed for the 2006 Regional Transport Strategy update, thereby ensuring continuity with earlier assessments. However, for 2015, all road proposals submitted for consideration were required to have been listed under Regional Road Action Plan 1. This provided an essential link to the 2030 Regional Transport Plan, by ensuring that all SLRP road upgrade proposals were for regionally significant roads with major deficiencies. The project was undertaken by a specialist team of road transport planning and traffic engineers from HDS Australia led by John Olson, Managing Director and Principal Engineer, assisted by Tim Viner Smith for Phase 1 and Kyle Yang for Phase 2, both Senior Traffic Engineers. The M&MLGA RTS Committee acted as a Reference Group for the project, with Peter Campbell and subsequently Peter Bond, Chief Executive Officer of the M&MLGA, as the Client Representatives. LG802\006 Regional Road Action Plans and 2015 SLRP Roads Database Update 2 April 2015 Final Report The Murray and Mallee Local Government Association HDS Australia Pty Ltd 2.0 PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND OVERVIEW OF OUTCOMES 2.1 Phase 1 Tasks Listed below are the activities undertaken in Phase 1, which included one task that was optional, based on individual council requirements. 1. An initial workshop was conducted in Karoonda on 12 September 2014, covering the methodology for determining major and minor deficiencies on the regional road network. It was based upon comparing sample deficiencies with standards contained in the most recent version of the Local Government Association of SA (LGA) SLRP Fit for Purpose Standards Spreadsheet. 2. All RTS Committee representatives were followed up after the workshop to ascertain their level of understanding and commitment to the development of Regional Road Action Plans, including the availability of resources and the timeframe needed to achieve an outcome if tackled in-house. 3. Where RTS Committee representatives indicated that they did not have available in- house resources (which was seven of the eight members councils), HDS Australia assisted those councils to assess all regional routes in their area for major and minor deficiencies. One council, namely DC Loxton Waikerie, elected to undertake this task in- house. This task was carried out over the period October to December 2014. 4. Results from the road deficiency assessments were prioritised into Council Action Plans 1, 2 and 3 (with those roads showing no or insignificant deficiencies listed separately as Fit for Purpose). 5. Consolidated Regional Road Action Plans for the M&MLGA were then developed by HDS Australia, listing all regionally significant roads and highlighting the level of deficiencies identified. Individual councils also provided an estimated upgrade cost for all road segments listed under Action Plan 1, based upon cost estimates included in their five year capital works program. 6. A Phase 1 completion meeting of the RTS Committee was held in Karoonda on 11 December 2014 to review draft Regional Road Action Plans, discuss the significance of the individual lists, seek endorsement from the RTS Committee of the draft plans as presented, and identify the next steps associated with Phase 2 of the project. 2.2 Phase 1 Outcomes Training notes for all attendees under Task 1, plus an initial report to the client under Task 2, were the principal outcomes of the first two tasks. Individual road deficiency assessment sheets, including site specific observations by our field assessor, were supplied to the seven councils who used HDS Australia’s services for the road deficiency assessments (Task 3). All eight councils received Council Action Plans as part of Task 4. Under Task 5, draft Regional Road Action Plans were published for review and endorsement by the RTS Committee, before final versions of the Regional Road Action Plans were supplied to the client representative (for ultimate approval at a subsequent M&MLGA general meeting). Appendix A of this report contains a copy of the endorsed Regional Road Action Plans. 2.3 Phase 2 Tasks The independent assessment and prioritisation of road upgrade proposals submitted