Western Ring Route, Auckland, New Zealand
Aurecon provided transport and road engineering support and advisory services to the largest and most complex road infrastructure project in New Zealand.
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Without a doubt, the Western Ring Route is the largest and most complex infrastructure project Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has ever embarked upon. Aurecon was closely involved in this enormous undertaking in a variety of roles culminating in being Owner’s Verifier to Waka Kotahi for the delivery of the project.
Aurecon oversaw all six component projects that make up the Western Ring Route to ensure they were integrated with Waka Kotahi’s requirements and interfaces. A critical aspect of integrating the projects into the network was the Operations Plan. Aurecon was the first consultancy to manage this type of project for Waka Kotahi, and quickly became deeply involved in all facets of the programme of works.
Aurecon’s Western Ring Route Operations Plan was a strategy-led approach. The Operations Plan provided guidance to the route operators for the completed Western Ring Route and allows them to achieve the operational outcomes Waka Kotahi has set.
Proof of Aurecon’s success in this capacity was that it’s projects were delivered on time to ensure that the Operations Plan was ready for the completed Waterview Connection Tunnel to open in July 2017.
Developing this Plan for the project required an intense level of engagement and collaboration with stakeholders. It benefits all stakeholders who play a role in the operation of the Western Ring Route, as well as those who are involved in its ongoing management.
A systems design approach adopting a software systems design approach to the Western Ring Route, Aurecon followed three steps:
The operational concept carefully manages and balances traffic flows through a series of scenarios used by the traffic control centre on the completed Western Ring Route.
By developing effective operating strategies, separating local and regional traffic, as well as prioritising the appropriate movements, the Operations Plan has enabled shorter and more predictable journey times on both the motorway and arterial networks. The community outcomes from the project include:
The Western Ring Route has significantly added to the future prosperity of New Zealand’s fastest growing city and is key to unlocking its potential to become a truly world-class city that all stakeholders and the community can be proud of.
Through the mutual trust, respect and competencies within the unique partnership of Waka Kotahi and Aurecon (together with other consultants), the parties were able to maximise the full range of potential benefits, minimise costs and manage risk to achieve operational integration for the network’s operators and managers.
"Aurecon staff have interacted with the Waka Kotahi team professionally and provided a high level of service across the suite of Western Ring Route projects over the last 11 years. In particular, our project managers working on the Western Ring Route have all interacted with various members of the Aurecon team."
Sumi Eratne, Western Ring Route Project Director, Waka Kotahi
The project has won the following award:
Aurecon provided transport and road engineering support and advisory services to the largest and most complex road infrastructure project in New Zealand.
Aurecon was involved in the SH20 Waterview Connection project in Auckland which forms part of the Western Ring Route (WRR), New Zealand’s largest transport project and a road of national significance.
Aurecon is delivering human-centred modular design to three new rail stations with integrated transport options for Auckland's southern growth area.
