Road Asset Management Contracts—North Coast

In July 2019, RoadTek and Downer were awarded 5-year contracts to provide responsive, routine and programmed maintenance services across the North Coast Region.

We are managing the following types of maintenance activities which are covered under the contracts: 

  • Incident management including after hours and emergency call outs  
  • Flood damage initial response works 
  • Pothole and road pavement repairs  
  • Vegetation management  
  • Minor drainage and culvert maintenance  
  • Roadside signage and furniture maintenance 
  • Surface debris and sweeping  
  • Graffiti control  
  • Litter control  
  • Bitumen reseals 
  • Road resurfacing, asphalt overlays and minor works. 

To ensure the best value for the community, we prioritise maintenance work with safety issues given the highest priority and other maintenance activities such as litter and graffiti removal, mowing and vegetation clearing, given a lower priority. 

Pothole repairs 

Our maintenance contractors regularly inspect roads to identify any potholes and undertake repairs as necessary. Pothole repairs are based on a safety priority, with consideration given to the location of the potholes within traffic lanes and traffic volumes.  

Periods of heavy and extended rain mean potholing is sometimes unavoidable, and after a rain event it can take time for the road to recover from saturation point. Temporary pothole repairs are usually carried out using a cold pre-mix material. A permanent repair involves excavating the pothole and filling it with a hot asphalt mix, which requires the road surface and sub-surface to be completely dry and the fill must be laid in fine weather.  

To report a pothole, call 13 19 40 with details of the road, including road name and location of the pothole. 

Mowing and vegetation clearing 

Mowing alongside state-controlled roads is carried out periodically to maintain line of sight and signage visibility for motorists. However, vegetation growth varies according to seasons and weather conditions. Mowing is undertaken along the roadside edge to allow a safe line of sight for roadside furniture (signs, guideposts and so on), driveway access points and other intersecting roads. It is important to note that due to funding constraints, mowing does not extend all the way to property boundary fences and is not undertaken for aesthetic purposes.

Invasive plant (weed) removal

  

To ensure we are meeting our general biosecurity obligation, we prioritise invasive plant maintenance within the available funding based on the requirements detailed in the Biosecurity Act 2014. We are committed to controlling prohibited and restricted invasive plants that are identified as a high or medium risk by local governments in the area. Due to competing funding priorities, other species are unfortunately not able to be treated in our program. Further information on invasive plants can be found at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website.

Graffiti removal

We share the community's frustration about graffiti and have implemented several strategies to reduce instances of graffiti on state-owned assets. Graffiti is illegal. The cost of removing it is high and the process is time-consuming. Offensive graffiti is removed as a priority, while 'tags' and non-obscene graffiti are added to the routine maintenance program. To have an 'immediate removal' policy for non-obscene graffiti would require a redirection of maintenance funding away from funding for safety-related issues.

Litter control

Roadside litter is an ongoing problem throughout Queensland. We carry out regular litter collection on all state-controlled roads as part of routine maintenance. Additional litter collection programs are also undertaken when required.

Programmed Maintenance (asphalt overlays, reseals and pavement rehabilitation)

Road reseals and resurfacings are conducted on a periodic basis to ensure the roads continue operation in a safe and serviceable condition. When road reseals and resurfacing are planned there is often a need to carry out pre-treatment works to prepare the road for new surfacing. These pre-treatment works include patching potholes, repairing cracks and smoothing road shoulders and road edges. 

We use specialised design and construction systems to ensure the longevity of the road network however, there are some instances where sections of road surfaces can suffer severe deterioration. In these instances, the department carries out road rehabilitation works. These works are also prioritised based on safety and traffic volumes and are scheduled once funding becomes available. 

Benefits

  • Improves safety
  • Improves network efficiency
  • Improves ride quality
  • Better road access

Key features

  • Incident management including after hours and emergency call outs  
  • Flood damage initial response works 
  • Pothole and road pavement repairs  
  • Vegetation management  
  • Minor drainage and culvert maintenance  
  • Roadside signage and furniture maintenance 
  • Surface debris and sweeping  
  • Graffiti control  
  • Litter control  
  • Bitumen reseals 
  • Road resurfacing, asphalt overlays and minor works. 

Funding

The Responsive Management Contract and Road Asset Management Contract will deliver incident response and maintenance works totalling approximately $172 million throughout their 5-year duration.

Total investment
$172 million
Queensland Government
$172 million

Current status

In July 2019, RoadTek and Downer were awarded 5-year contracts to provide responsive, routine and programmed maintenance services across the region.

Residents within the immediate vicinity of programmed maintenance works are notified via a letterbox drop. For more information, please call (07) 5451 7055.