NZ Heavy Haulage Association

Road works contractors and oversize transport operators need to communicate with each other to avoid difficulties for both parties at road works sites

Oversize loads and road works –what needs to happen

By Jonathan Bhana-Thomson – chief executive, New Zealand Heavy Haulage Associationsociation

ROAD WORKS SITES ARE A NECESSITY ON OUR ROADS IF WE

want the roads to be better-quality and safer.

However there are certain aspects of road works projects that can make it difficult for both oversize load transporters and the roading contractors to carry out their roles.

Planning for oversize loads

A road works project should expect that there will be oversize loads of all sizes needing to come through the sites. How this impacts on the transport operator very much depends on the scale of the project, the duration and the nature of the restriction.

It used to be that larger oversize loads had the roads available at night for travel with offpeak traffic volumes. However more and more often the most restrictive roading jobs also now take place at night – for the same reason.

Road works sites need to plan their traffic management to expect and allow oversize loads through the worksite. On the other hand, oversize transporters need to be proactive and keep an eye open – and keep their ears open – and keep checking their emails and other communications to identify where road works are taking place on the routes that they intend to use.

Transport operators need to also use their networks to identify those sites for potential issues – these can be weekly updates from the likes of the NZ Heavy Haulage Association, info from other transport operators or drivers, and from the load pilots who are piloting them on their next job.

Designing for oversize

One of the biggest issues on road works jobs is that often the lanes provided for traffic to use through a work area are too narrow for oversize transporters, with lane widths that are often three metres at the most. In addition, contraflow operations often have chicanes that are too tight, or in detour situations the routes have not been scoped to see that they are suitable for overdimension or overweight loads.

Works that are being undertaken on identified oversize routes need to provide for oversize loads – including wider lanes, or allowing oversize traffic through in both directions if a detour is not suitable.

At the same time, oversize transporters should be proactive and contact road works contractors in advance (if the works are known about) to provide notice that an oversize load is coming through. Or, if an operator is travelling through a site to pick up an oversize load and will be returning, it would be wise to stop and advise the traffic management crew of that.

Communication

The lack of communication is one of the bigger issues that causes problems. Transport operators often tell us that road work sites “pop up overnight,” yet the work must have been planned for some time. In addition, some sites are complicated and change the restriction on oversize over the duration of the works.

At present, oversize operators have a major task getting through the Dome Valley – between Auckland and Whangarei – and while the NZHHA knew about the planned works, the schedule by which they were to be carried out appears to have changed....and the work has morphed into multiple worksites.

The lines of communication are open, but the impact of the works on oversize transport (and vice versa) only become clear through discussion and ongoing two-way communication.

We hope that both roading contractors and oversize operators can do their bit to ensure that we keep the roads open and oversize loads moving. T&D