Tuesday, 18 April 2017
Aurecon has been awarded three contracts to develop the first parts of the new Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Practice.
The Safety at Road Worksites strategic priority project was initiated in 2015. The Austroads Board recognised that safety at roadworks was a significant issue for road agencies and industry. It was acknowledged that improvements are required to manage the risks associated with providing the optimal level of safety for employees and contractors working in or near traffic, combined with the need to provide a safe road environment for all road users.
Following completion of a series of research tasks in 2015/16, Austroads committed to developing and publishing a new Guide series for Temporary Traffic Management Practice. This Guide will sit alongside the Australian Standard AS1742.3 which will continue to define the standard for Traffic Control Devices for Works on Roads.
The format for the Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Practice was developed based on the New Zealand Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management. The NZ Code demonstrated a more holistic consideration of all matters relating to temporary traffic management including guidance, training, accreditation and policy. The structure for the new Guide and will include the following parts;
- Introduction
- Traffic Management Planning
- Traffic Control Devices and Approval Process for new devices
- Static Worksites
- Mobile Works and Unsealed Roads
- Short Term Low Impact Worksites
- Guide for Field Staff – Implementation and Supervision
- Traffic Controller Instructions
- Processes and Procedures
- Sample Layouts
- Supporting Guidance
Following an open tender process, Aurecon was awarded the contracts to prepare Parts 4, 5 and 6 of the Guide. Input will be sought from industry and these parts are expected to be ready for consultation by September 2017. It is anticipated that they will be published in early 2018.
In addition to the Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Practice, the previously developed National Training for Temporary Traffic Management will also be reviewed, updated and restructured.
Austroads expects to be releasing further tenders seeking consultancy support to develop the remaining parts of the Guide commencing in July 2017. It is planned that the entire Guide will be published by June 2019. Interested parties are encouraged to register for tender alerts on the Austroads website.
For further information regarding this project, or to submit information for consideration in the guide content, contact Dr Dan Sullivan, Project Manager at austroads@solutionsintransport.com.au.