News | 24 October 2023
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All in a day’s work for our transport and infrastructure crew

Behind the road cones and high-vis vests there is a big team of dedicated Wellington City Council kaimahi working to keep the city’s roads and public infrastructure fit for purpose. So, what exactly is our transport and infrastructure team responsible for looking after? Just $1.6 billion worth of city assets! Transport and Infrastructure Manager Brad Singh lays out just some of the duties of his team in this non-comprehensive list.

Transport and Infrastructure Manager Brad Singh, wearing a high-vis and smiling, with his arm casually leaning on the fencing of a worksite.

Looking after all the traffic signals in the city

That could be monitoring the transport network using CCTV cameras and operating the traffic signals, renewing or replacing them, making changes so they work better, and phasing them to ensure traffic moves efficiently through the city and people don’t have to wait too long to cross.

 

Delivering new infrastructure

So this is building all the new stuff! It could be installing new bike lanes, building a new footpath where there isn't one, making improvements to an intersection, or putting in a pedestrian crossing so people can get across safely.

 

Maintenance and renewals

The maintenance and renewals team ensures all our existing transport infrastructure is looked after. This includes overseeing 700km of roads and 2000km of footpaths! They look after 26km of bike lanes, but this will grow to 166km when the network is complete. The team also look after signs, tunnels, bridges, retaining walls, sea walls, road markings, and street furniture (like public benches). A job for this crew could be anything from one person painting a handrail, to a large team working with millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to repair and reseal a road.

An infrastructure worker using heavy machinery to drill into the footpath.

Advising on and approving consents

We have a role to deliver the Council’s obligations under the Resource Management Act. This means providing advice on resource and building consents from a transport perspective. One of the most difficult parts of this job is ensuring that private developers are building new developments (like subdivisions) in accordance with the Council’s Code of Practice for Land Development. As long as they do, we can take these roading assets over and look after them on behalf of the residents.

Graffiti removal

We aim to remove graffiti vandalism as quickly as possible, as rapid removal is one way to prevent further tagging.

Street cleaning

So that includes sweeping the streets, and cleaning out the gutters, drains, and sumps.

Vegetation control

We keep the vegetation next to the road under control, so managing the berms and that sort of stuff.

A person wearing a hard hat and high-vis vest digging into the ground with a tool on a roading worksite, which has heavy machinery and equipment.

Helping with traffic management for events

If an event organiser wants to close the road for a festival or parade, we’ll manage that road closure by obtaining Council permissions, approving the traffic management plans and monitoring the event on the day to ensure that all are kept safe.

Advising on private road works

If anyone wants to work in and around a road, like if a resident needs to dig up the footpath for their driveway, they've got to come through us to get permission to do that. We ensure that there aren't any clashes or that work sites aren't too close together so that we minimise disruption. We approve their traffic management plans and then we audit and control their traffic management to make sure that the public is kept safe while they do their work.

Responding to emergencies

Our maintenance and renewals as well as our network management teams are first responders to any weather-related events, like flooding and slips, that impact our roads and public places. In July and August of 2022 alone, the team responded to over 1000 slips!

A birds eye view of a roading crew in orange high-vis working to clear a large slip off a road.

Supporting Let's Get Wellington Moving

As a partner in the Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme, our team will be doing some of the delivery. We have already managed changes along Vivian Street and the Quays (amongst others) and there will be lots more to come.

Managing Kiwi Point Quarry

We run a quarry as well. Kiwi Point Quarry is cut into the side of the hill on Ngauranga Gorge. It sells aggregate and other products for construction and landscaping. We have Downer which owns an asphalt plant and Allied Concrete which owns a concrete production plant there. We also recycle concrete at Kiwi Point as well.