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Roading trial gearing up for success

A proactive approach to tackling roading issues around the Far North is driving positive results.

The ‘find and fix’ trial was launched in June this year by the Far North District Council’s southern contractor Ventia as part of a new maintenance contract. It enables roading crews to identify and deal with faults and repairs on the spot rather than waiting for issues to be logged and scheduled.

This means any problems across the district’s 2500km of roads are managed before they escalate, reducing the likelihood of more extensive, expensive, and disruptive repairs.

Previously, most roading issues were raised either through the RFS system, directly from the community, elected members, or staff and were more reactive than proactive. Sections of the roads could be left until a permanent repair was made as an ‘ordered’ work.

Now potholes are filled as soon as they are spotted – even very small surface issues. This early intervention has improved the detection of problems and significantly cut response times, particularly for pothole repairs and grading, and will have long-term benefits for the overall condition of the roading network.

This year’s proactive network improvement plan includes:

  • 80km resurfacing
  • 150km of water tabling
  • 2000 culverts cleared
  • 200 culvert replacements
  • 5km sealed rehabilitation
  • 30km unsealed rehabilitation
  • 1km traction seal

Since the start of the southern trial, roadside vegetation control incidents have dropped by 50 per cent thanks to early intervention, 20 per cent more potholes are being repaired and 45 per cent of repairs are happening faster, with the average response time improving from five days to just 2.8 days. Overall, 50 per cent more faults are being handled and temporary repairs needing rework have dropped by 74 per cent.

The goal is to have 80 per cent of maintenance proactive – a significant change from previous years where 80 per cent of the work was reactive.

In the northern part of the district, Fulton Hogan has also moved to a ‘find and fix’ approach as part of a less formal trial.

It has introduced a targeted and programmed grading trial that will see graders dispatched strategically with ‘flying squads’ handling urgent pothole repairs to maintain safety and service levels between scheduled grading.

“These trials have been successful to date, and we will continue to monitor them monthly, with long-term benefits expected as the network becomes more robust and easier to maintain,“ says Charlie Billington, Group Manager – Corporate Services.

A full report on these improvements and their impact is expected by the end of the year.


Tags: News story