Roads, Signs and Footpaths

Background

Mount Isa City Council manages a total road network of 2,054km. That's longer than driving the distance from Mount Isa City to Brisbane City, or Mount Isa to Alice Springs and back!

This Asset Management Plan (AMP) incorporates Mount Isa City Council’s roads, stormwater drainage, kerb, pathways, traffic management assets with a current replacement cost of just over $335 million. Council excludes state-controlled road assets as Council is not the steward of the State's road maintenance performance contract.

The purpose of this AMP is to assist Council in:

  • Demonstrating responsible management;
  • Clearly outlining the measurable service levels;
  • Communicating and justifying funding requirements for the future; and
  • Complying with regulatory requirements.

This ‘core’ plan documents road-related asset management planning information for Council. This includes a review of strategic trends facing the Council and potential impacts on the asset stock, asset condition and performance against key indicators, long-term financial forecasts for the next 10 years (2020/21 to 2030/31), and an improvement plan for managing the assets.

The potential benefits of this AMP are:

  • Enables Council to satisfy community needs in the most cost-effective manner;
  • Enables Council to know where to spend funds to get the most bang for their buck;
  • Protects Council from industry regulators, Queensland Audit Office, etc.;
  • Protects Council against potential litigation;
  • Documented asset management processes make it easier for existing and new staff;
  • Enables Council to avoid waste - and the associated unfavourable publicity; and
  • Enables Financial Sustainability.

Councillors

Represent needs of community,

Allocate resources to meet planning objectives in providing services while managing risks,

Ensure services are sustainable.

Executive Management Team

To ensure that Asset Management policy and strategy is being implemented as adopted,

To ensure that long-term financial needs to sustain the assets for the services they deliver are advised to Council for its strategic and financial planning processes.

Community

Users of facilities,

Consultation on key issues.

Council Staff

As the designated strategic custodian of Infrastructure assets, responsible for the overall management of the assets,

To ensure provision of the required/agreed level of maintenance services for asset components,

To ensure design and construction of assets meets required/agreed standards,

To ensure that risk management practices are conducted as per Council policy,

To ensure that adequate financial information is provided to Council to the relevant asset managers to facilitate sound management of the assets.

Insurance Provider

Partner in insurance and risk management issues.

State and Federal Government Departments

Periodic provision of advice, instruction, grants funding to assist with the provision of community assets.

Sealed Roads

surface renewal is programmed when the Age is greater than 10 years or the % of Surface Defects is greater than 15% by Area (stripping and cracking) and IRI less than 8 or %

Pavement Defects area is less than 30% to avoid resurfacing a failing pavement.
pavement renewal will be considered for programming when IRI is greater than or equal to 9 or % of Pavement Defects is greater than or equal to 70% (rutting and failure), or rideability issues are identified.

Unsealed Roads

surface maintenance is engaged via grading works when the safe driving speed is less than 80-90 km/hr, which represents an international roughness index of 6-8.

pavement renewal (wet weather access) is engaged when gravel coverage is less than 65% by length. This is by visual inspection of a segment to ensure a minimum of 65% gravel coverage by length.

Footpaths and Kerb

Maintenance and renewals are based on visual inspections to identify trip, defects, drainage effectiveness and overall condition.

Waterway Crossings

Bridge renewals are based on structural integrity, via a level 2 inspection every 5 years.

Drainage structures (all structure types) are inspected and sampled during comprehensive revaluation.

Renewals

A detailed roads survey with condition monitoring was undertaken for all road assets. Condition data and associated renewals for sealed and unsealed road components are provided in the following charts.

The 10 years replacement profiles below were established from a combination of modelling of remaining lives using the RACAS condition data, analysis of historic expenditure, and target service levels:

sealed surfaces the average for reseals is $1,370,000 per year (approximately 56 km per year based on current unit rates).
sealed pavement the average renewals is $997,086 per year (approximately 6 km per year).
unsealed pavements the average for resheeting is $1,545,000 per year (approximately 70 km per year).
Unsealed shoulders (on seal roads) the average for shoulder resheeting is $150,000 per year (approximately 15 km per year).

Operations and Maintenance (Opex)

The average spend of the previous five years is approximately $X million

New and Upgrade Capital Works

Council budgeted (planned) new and upgrade works over the next 10 years are estimated to total approximately $X million for new and $X million for upgrade.

Renewals

Total planned renewals (forward works program) spend is approximately $X million over the next 10 years

The majority of these renewals are $X million for sealed surfaces, followed by $X million for sealed pavements.

Asset Management
Improvement Task Timeframe Status
Undertake regular (3-year maximum interval) road condition assessments and analyse 2021/22 Pending
Review planned renewals and the forward works program to ensure planned (service level) works are included in future works. The first 5 years could be project specific against service level models. July 2022 Pending
Complete asset verification process of minor drainage structures. July 2022 Complete
Measure performance against assigned service levels. There are several items that can’t be measured at this stage. See Service Level tables. July 2022 Pending

Continue to improve and maintain a comprehensive register of all assets and required attributes for managing them in the GIS:

  • Undertake audit of road components
  • Ensure all infrastructure is captured
  • Physically measure the widths of the sealed roads to confirm the current mapping attributes.
   

 

This Asset Management Plan should be fully reviewed every three years (2023/2024 financial year) and the Improvement Program updated annually.