Regional Infrastructure Projects Update - November 2013
Next Technical Committee Meeting
PLEASE NOTE – the next FNQRRTG Technical Committee meeting has been brought forward a day to Thursday 14 November at the Innisfail Disaster Coordination Centre, Flying Fish Point Road, Innisfail. It should be stressed the venue has nothing to do with past performance of the FNQRRTG Technical Committee or anticipated success of the meeting!
There is a chance members of the TMR National Heavy Freight Network (HVFN) team will teleconference in to impart their wisdom on members regarding roads, loads and truckin' big trucks! They have been a little incommunicado recently so we are not sure whether this is happening or not. Tom Waterhouse is offering 3.00 fixed price on them proceeding with the teleconference ... however, if they don't and his mother is wearing a lilac and turquoise fascinator on Oaks Day, you get your money back up to $20.
RTA Technical Forum
Topics covered at the forum included:
• TMR "Road Safety Interactive Mapping Tool" (Susan Barlow, RTAPT & TMR)
• National Heavy and Transport Reforms (Warwick Williams, TMR)
• TMR Bridge Management (Ross Pritchard, TMR)
• ARRB Route Assessment Tool (Carlos Rial, ARRB)
• Outback RRTG Bureau Service (David Timms, Outback RRTG & Winton Shire Council)
• FNQROC Joint Reseal Project & ROPS (Steven Cosatto, FNQROC)
• SWQRRTG Operational Review (Gary Cook, SWQRRTG & Brandon & Associates)
• RTA Future Focus & Initiatives (Simone Talbot, RTAB & LGAQ)
The focus on freight and the impending National Heavy Vehicle Law and National Heavy Vehicle Regulator was topical as this will have a reasonable impact on Councils when it is finally implemented. The forum only had two hours allotted and with the number of presenters on the card, they basically had to verbally deliver using Gen Y text message language!
RTA Assembly
This should have been renamed the "Give Us Some Love Neil" Convention! Discussion focused primarily on TMR/Council issues as expected with the TMR Director-General presenting. Apparently the TMR Local Government Relations team in Brisbane has been sweating like a QPS officer at a Bandido meeting responding to the multitude of queries, requests and clarification sought from the DG.
Topics covered at the forum included:
• Using RRTGs to support the State Government's Road and Transport Infrastructure priorities (Neil Scales, TMR Director General & RTAB)
• Snapshot – Bowen Basin RRTG (Cr Peter Maguire, Central Highlands Regional Council)
• Snapshot – SWQRRTG (Dave Burgess, Quilpie Shire Council)
• Snapshot – FNQRRTG (Steven Cosatto, FNQROC)
• An open Q&A forum also was conducted.
IPWEAQ Excellence Awards
Congratulations go to local winners at the annual IPWEAQ Excellence Awards Dinner which was held during the State Conference. Award winners were:
• Cook Shire Council for their Precast Link Slab river crossings.
• Cairns Regional Council for their Barron Gorge Road rock fall structure project.
Fortunately for Cook Shire Council's award recipient, Tony Lickiss (or more so the rest of the guests), the awards were presented early in the evening.
Woobadda Creek Crossing
Ahhhh, the illustrious Woobadda Creek project! Contract documents between Cairns Regional Council and construction contractor Cook Shire Council have been signed. Unfortunately there have been delays in terms of the type of structure to be built and the aesthetics of it. However between the "Brady Bunch" of Darlene Irvine (FNQROC EO), Andrew Maclean (WTMA CEO), Sam Wakeford (Cairns Regional Council) and Tony Lickiss (Cook Shire Council), these issues are expected to be resolved reasonably quickly.
Bloomfield River Crossing at Wujal Wujal
And continuing further north up the iconic Bloomfield Track, TMR has awarded a contract for construction of the Bloomfield River Crossing at Wujal Wujal. It is expected to commence in the very near future and be completed by June 2014. Please note, this last sentence was cut and pasted from the March 2011 newsletter with only the year changed. Seriously, there had been a funding issue within TMR which had caused a two month delay.
Kirrama Range Road
Just as the bird life does after winter we head south ... work on the Kirrama Range Road project is expected to commence this month with the rehabilitation of 10 small timber bridges using TRS technology. Construction works on this Council-controlled LRRS are under the management of Cassowary Coast Regional Council. The project has been funded by all three levels of government and when completed will be of great benefit to the travelling public and residents in the south-western Tablelands and southern Cassowary Coast areas.
Etheridge Shire Council
Now if Kirrama Range Road was open to traffic we could head up there to Mt Garnet and then west along the Kennedy Highway and Gulf Developmental Road to Georgetown, home of the time honoured Etheridge Shire Council. Etheridge joined the FNQRRTG on 1 July 2013 after a long innings with the North West Queensland RRTG. After much deliberation and consideration they have made application to the RTA Board to rejoin the NWQRRTG.
NWQ formed a ROC earlier in 2013 and Etheridge joined as a member. It was also felt the road linkages, topography, terrain and climate of Etheridge were more aligned with neighbouring Councils in NWQRRTG, rather than Councils in FNQRRTG, hence the application.
The RTA Board considered the application at its meeting held on 23 October 2013, however notification of any decision made has not been received to date. So at this point in time Etheridge is like last week's washing on the line ... swinging in the breeze!
13/14 Works Program and TIDS Expenditure
The comparison of TIDS expenditure for RRTGs to the end of September 2013 is shown in the following table. FNQRRTG has shown good early form to be sitting on top of the table with the first quarter of the season behind us! Coaching staff are diligently working to ensure complacency doesn't set in, particularly with the mid-season wet period a traditional burden on the team! Head Coach Irvine has implemented further strategies to ensure there is no hangover during the post wet period to ensure the team clinches the minor premiership or at worst a top four position.
Technical Committee members have been working hard behind the scenes putting together the forward four years works program. God knows how, some of them don't even know what they are doing after lunch let alone in four years!! Anyway the boxing gloves will come out at the next meeting in Innisfail when the program will be moderated and prioritised to fit the TIDS allocation. Providing there is someone left standing to deliver it, the draft program will be presented to the December RRTG meeting for approval.
Next Meeting Dates
• FNQRRTG - Monday 9 December 2013, Cairns Regional Council commencing at 1.30pm following the FNQROC Board Meeting.
• FNQRRTG TC - Thursday 14 November 2013, Innisfail Disaster Coordination Centre, Flying Fish Point Road, Innisfail commencing at 9am.