Value For Money Behind New Road Priority System

A new priority system for road maintenance should maximise returns on the $25 million the Far North District Council spends on its 2,530km road network each year.

The council has introduced a road maintenance hierarchy to standardise service levels on roads across the district.

Infrastructure and assets general manager David Penny says the hierarchy sets levels of maintenance for all roads in the district according to traffic densities and whether the road is an arterial, collector or local road.

“It would be nice to have every pothole on every road receiving immediate attention, but the reality is that roads with high traffic volumes are always going to be given a higher priority," he says.

The hierarchy will give residents and contractors a clearer understanding of the routine maintenance the council will undertake on a given road.

“It provides a more precise formula under which the council can manage and budget for the district’s roading needs over the next decade.”

The hierarchy also provides the council with a mechanism for consistent decision-making within available budgets.

"This is pretty much new ground, particularly for unsealed roads. Very few attempts have been made to implement a system of this type previously."

The hierarchy doesn’t prevent the council undertaking special maintenance on roads if traffic volumes - particularly heavy vehicles - increase unexpectedly or roads are damaged by an unexpected weather event and need to be reinstated as a matter of urgency.

"We will be working closely with our contractors to ensure more uniform service delivery and will be reviewing and refining priorities to reflect changing circumstances.”

However, as a general rule, ratepayers can expect improved consistency in levels of service across the district and better value for the money spent.

"With road maintenance remaining the only area attracting significant levels of government subsidy, it is very important that we spend every dollar to maximum effect.”

The council aims to have the hierarchy on its website at www.fndc.govt.nz for people to read by the end of the month.