A new report by Austroads has investigated the impact of third-party assets and service authorities on the successful delivery of road infrastructure projects, and proposes changes to reduce potential future barriers.
Through international literature review, jurisdictional consultation and four case studies, the project identified data collection requirements required so that an effective, evidence-based strategy and action plan can be formed.
The report, Review of Impact of Service Authorities on Infrastructure Projects, included the identification of barriers and highlighted areas where a change is required to improve the efficient delivery of major infrastructure projects across Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions.
The project identified 15 high-level issue groups and explored these in detail. The analysis confirmed the complexity and interrelationships of these, highlighting the many ways in which protecting or relocating utility assets affect costs and project timings. The diversity of type, scale and impact of utility assets means that there are no unitary or single solutions.
One key element proposed from the report is a national minimum dataset of information to monitor third-party impacts on road infrastructure projects.
Austroads Transport Infrastructure Program Manager, Ross Guppy, said the problems arising from utility assets on major road and rail projects are “complex, consistent and universal”.
“We have analysed the current situation and issues in detail and through the workshops with transport agencies developed guidance on challenges and potential solutions,” Mr Guppy said.
“Each utility asset type is highly specialist in nature requiring expertise across the many entities and individuals involved in a project.
Mr Guppy said information provided by jurisdictions indicate that where transport agencies establish specialist utilities teams and gather utility related technical expertise, better outcomes are achieved.
“The collection and reporting of high-quality data is essential but depends on stakeholders sharing cost information so that value-based decisions can be made across the whole project,” Mr Guppy said.
“Measurement of costs associated with utilities on projects will permit analysis of past events improving understanding and enabling future predictions.”
The report is available for download here Review of Impact of Service Authorities on Infrastructure Projects.
