Oversize operators – Play your part at works sites
HEADING INTO A NEW ROAD CONSTRUCTION SEASON, the NZ Transport Agency tell us they are planning one of their biggest maintenance seasons, and there are still plenty of ongoing major construction sites on the State Highway network.
We all know in the transport industry that due to delayed road maintenance, or the very wet winter we have endured, that many State Highways around the country are in dire need of urgent work.
This will mean that the freight industry needs to plan for delays and restrictions while these works are completed. In addition, the emphasis with the health and safety of road works crews is towards greater separation of traffic from staff, which results in more detours, and stop/ go operations.
This association engages with those planning and undertaking these works to ensure there will always be a way for oversize loads to get through the worksite, or that the detour route will be suitable for overdimension and overweight loads.
This is reliant on either contractors, the Transport Agency, or our members, advising of works on the main oversize routes, and then working with the project managers and contractors to plan for oversize loads to continue to be transported through these areas.
We see this as a key part of what the association is for – to ensure that our members can continue to operate – by transporting loads efficiently and safely.
Examples of good recent successes are with the northern tie-in of the NX2 project, where there was going to be two weeks of night closures with no suitable detour for oversize loads. The association negotiated for two nights each week where oversize loads could get through the site.
Another example is on the oversize route on Auckland Transport roads, where due to the lack of suitable alternative route, the contractors have decided to undertake work on weekend nights when oversize loads are not permitted to shift. There was also an alteration to the work plan, as there was no realistic way to ensure that oversize loads can get through, due to a deep dig out.
Once we have negotiated access through a worksite then the emphasis moves to oversize operators doing their part to make sure that the loads can make its way through a works site. The association will advise our members of the requirements for each site that we know about, but there are some general requirements that all oversize operators need to undertake.
1. Prior notification
If the oversize operator needs to undertake a notification that they are planning to transport a load, then they need to ensure this happens – although sometimes lead times can be an issue. This notification can either be to the Traffic Management Coordinator for a State Highway area, or the road works project directly.
2. Liaison on site
When the oversize load approaches the site, the lead pilot needs to communicate with those on site as to how the load will be managed through the work area.
3. Reinstatement of the site
Especially when the site is unattended, or when there is significant deconstruction of the traffic management equipment, the oversize transport team needs to ensure that the site is reinstated to the layout that it was found in.
With these procedures in place, oversize loads can continue to the transported and road works sites can be safely negotiated and managed. T&D