Chapter F7 Maintenance and operation of roads

F7.11 W/C 141: Emergency reinstatement

Definition: work category 141

Emergency reinstatement

This work category provides for unforeseen significant expenditure that arises from a defined, major, short-duration natural event.

It provides for the restoration (to a standard no better than that which existed before any damage occurred) of the following:

• roads
• road structures
• eligible pedestrian and cycle facilities
• other land transport infrastructure owned by territorial authorities.

Qualifying activities

Only damage that has been approved by the NZTA for funding as emergency reinstatement will qualify.

The NZTA may approve any project where, in its opinion, the project is necessary to effect immediate or temporary repair of damage caused by a sudden and unexpected event.

The cost of the proposed reinstatement must be checked against the NZTA's policy on uneconomic roading facilities.

Reference: For detail, see section section F10.13.

Exclusions: work category 141

This work category excludes:

• repair of damage that is confined to the following extent (which must be programmed under either the appropriate road maintenance work category or work category 241: preventive maintenance):
  • minor scour in water channels and other drainage facilities
  • dropouts and/or slips that do not require restriction of a traffic lane, provided they do not need urgent attention to remove a threat to safety or to the road structure
  • scour, degradation or aggradation threatening roads, bridges or other road-related structures that has accumulated over time
  • any other deficiency that has developed from events occurring over a period of time (ie greater than one month)
• the cost of restoring any damage to work under construction or still within a maintenance period - this is a charge to that project.

Phases of damage repair

Repair of damage is usually undertaken in two separate phases:

1. immediate response
2. permanent reinstatement.

Immediate response

The immediate response phase covers the work necessary to reopen a road or other facility, where practicable, to at least a single-lane facility for safe use by traffic or to minimise risk of further damage. The work may include:

• slip clearance
• construction of temporary detours
• temporary reinstatement of the roadway, eligible pedestrian and cycle facilities, including emergency bridging, etc
• restoration of roadside drainage.

Work undertaken in this phase is exempt from the procurement procedure requirements of section 25 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA).

Legislation: LTMA s26(g).

Permanent reinstatement

The permanent reinstatement phase involves work that is required to restore the road to its former, or a similar, condition.

As the work is of a long-term nature, it generally involves an engineering appraisal of options and may require design input.

The NZTA's policy on uneconomic roading facilities applies.

Reference: For detail, see section section F10.13.

Work undertaken in this phase is subject to the LTMA procurement procedure requirements.

Improvements associated with emergency reinstatement

Where it is clearly evident that an improvement component would be desirable, the improvement work is to be economically justified in terms of the Economic evaluation manual, volume 1 and programmed in the appropriate road improvement work category.

Any improvements undertaken in conjunction with emergency reinstatement are subject to normal programme development and project evaluation procedures.

Examples of improvements include:

• road widening beyond the original width
• easing of bends
• pavement strengthening
• seal extension
• upgrading of road-supporting structures, such as replacing a one-lane bridge with a two-lane bridge.

Funding assistance

The NZTA will provide funding assistance to a territorial authority on the total cost of the emergency reinstatement within a financial year at the funding assistance rate obtained from the figure on the following page.

Note: Requests falling within the shaded area of the graph may be approved by the NZTA's regional representative up to $1.0 million total cost.

Adjustment for under-expenditure

The NZTA may adjust the funding assistance rate for a financial year if actual expenditure is less than the approved allocation.

If the unexpended allocation is carried into the following year, a new funding assistance rate will be determined for that year. Adjustments to forward financial allocations are handled as part of the end-of-year reconciliation.

Reference: For detail, see section E4.9.

Emergency reinstatement funding assistance rate

Formula for emergency reinstatement

The forumla is:

ERR   =   (F ÷ R)   X   100 percent

Where:

ERR   =   emergency reinstatement rate

F   =   total cost of current emergency reinstatement application plus the total cost of any existing emergency reinstatement approval in the current year

R   =   total general rates (exclusive of GST)

Total general rates

Total general rates are defined as any rates levied on a local authority wide basis. This includes general rates and uniform annual charges (as defined in the Rating Valuations Act 1998) and any separate roading rate.