Work category 357: Resilience improvements

Introduction

This work category A type of activity – not confined to a particular activity class, e.g. new roads (work category 323) appears in:

* activity class 12 – local road improvements
* activity class 13 – state highways improvements provides for non-routine work required to protect the serviceability of the following from damage, and to minimise the threat of road closure arising from natural phenomena:

• roads
• road structures, and
• eligible cycle facilities.

Examples of qualifying activities

Examples of qualifying activities include, but may not be limited to:

• new works that protect existing roads from sea or river damage
• new drainage to drain incipient slips
• toe-weighting of unstable slopes
• protection planting designed to arrest the slumping or displacement of a road platform, and
• work to overcome changes in a river’s course or bed level that threaten roads, bridges A structure designed to carry a road or path over an obstacle by spanning it. This includes culverts with a cross-sectional area greater than or equal to 3.4 square metres. or other road-related structures, but which is not attributable to one climatic event.

Other potential activities that are not in the above list should be discussed with the Transport Agency for eligibility.

Funding is subject to the conditions of funding set out below.

Exclusions

This work category A type of activity – not confined to a particular activity class, e.g. new roads (work category 323) appears in:

* activity class 12 – local road improvements
* activity class 13 – state highways improvements excludes maintenance of protection planting.

This is covered under Work category 121: environmental maintenance.

Conditions of funding

Resilience Improvement activities must be individually identified and economically justified. They must be the long-term, least-cost option for the Approved Organisation and the Transport Agency (state highways), calculated in terms of present value (PV A future cost or benefit at its discounted value at the present day. Net present value (NPV) is the present value of a future benefit less the present value of the associated future cost. All benefits and costs are in current day values, without adjustment for inflation. ).

The cost of proposed works must be assessed against the NZ Transport Agency’s policy on uneconomic roading facilities.

A risk assessment for each proposed activity must be undertaken, using the risk assessment table below.

The following components of protection planting are eligible for funding assistance under this work category A type of activity – not confined to a particular activity class, e.g. new roads (work category 323) appears in:

* activity class 12 – local road improvements
* activity class 13 – state highways improvements :

• the initial costs of planting, including any fencing or other protective measures to prevent damage by stock
• the purchase of any land required outside the road reserve A legally described area within which facilities such as roads, footpaths That portion of the road reserve set aside for the use of pedestrians only. and associated features may be constructed and maintained for public travel. for planting and/or retirement, and
• compensation payable to a landowner for a covenant to retire land and/or plant trees for road protection where purchase is impracticable or undesirable.

Approval of funding assistance for protection planting is conditional on legally enforceable agreements are to be implemented that define the responsibilities for management of retired areas outside the road reserve A legally described area within which facilities such as roads, footpaths That portion of the road reserve set aside for the use of pedestrians only. and associated features may be constructed and maintained for public travel. no duplication of funding assistance from the NZ Transport Agency and other sources. 

Funding assistance rate

The usual funding assistance rate is:

• the Approved Organisation's normal FAR,
• the Approved Organisation's special purpose road improvements FAR; or
• 100% of the Transport Agency's state highway costs.

Applying for funding approval

Applications for funding approval of proposed projects should be made through the 'Resilience improvements' module in Transport Investment Online (TIO The NZTA's web-based funding allocation system. ). Projects of less than $300,000 implementation cost should be added to a Minor Improvements programme. Projects over $300,000 cost require to be added to a Regional Land Transport Plan prior to adding to the National Land Transport Programme Interrelated and complementary combination of activities that, when delivered in a coordinated manner, produce synergies – can span more than one work category and more than one activity class, e.g. a programme could include a road improvement and public transport improvement activities. .

End of year carryover

Transport Investment Online (TIO The NZTA's web-based funding allocation system. ) will automatically carryover the unspent allocation every year (excluding minor improvements).  Therefore it is vital that Approved Organisations and the Transport Agency(State Highways) declare as surplus the unused allocation for completed projects by making a cost-scope adjustment via the Reviews module in TIO.

For eligible activities an investment assessment profile The three-part rating for an activity, rated as high, medium or low e.g. HMM, and representing the assessment for Strategic Fit, Effectiveness, and Benefit and Cost Appraisal respectively. is required in addition to the risk assessment, using the Transport Agency Investment Assessment Framework. The result of the above risk assessment does not determine the strategic fit for Resilience Improvements activities. The road improvements strategic fit assessment should be used to determine the Strategic Fit.

References

For detail about:

• uneconomic roading facilities, see Uneconomic roading facilities.
• simplified benefit-cost analysis procedure for resilience The ability of the network to withstand, or recover quickly after a disruption. The availability and restoration of each facility when there is a weather or emergency event, whether there is an alternative route available and the road user information provided.  This can be measured through the number of journeys impacted by unplanned events, or acceptable risk where there is no viable alternative access should it be closed by an unplanned event. improvements, see the Economic Evaluation Manual.
• do-minimum – refer to section 2.7 of the Economic Evaluation Manual