Road Traffic Authority NSW Upgrading Road Infrastructure: Feedback from the ground. Greg Collins

The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW (RTA) is responsible for the management of approximately 17, 900 kilometres of State road network . Each year the traffic and freight demands on this network increase, and the RTA is required to effectively maintain its existing network and upgrade infrastructure to enable it to meet service requirements. This places the RTA in a unique position to take advantage of opportunities to improve biodiversity outcomes across the state in particular outcomes related to biodiversity.
The delivery of these upgrades and maintenance are a primary concern for the RTA as it balances several drivers to achieve efficient outcomes. The road network sits contextually within a spectrum of legislation covering roads, contracts, OH&S and environment. When this is overlain with funding requirements it is easy to see how decisions must consider a multitude of issues to ensure a positive outcome.
Another critical aspect is land tenure adjacent to the road network. Managed by a range of bodies, both public and private, this places the road network as only a thin strip of land within the broader landscape. An example of this is where a project requires the provision of a glider crossing. Road design and site specific studies have identified individual takeoff and landing trees at the one location this can be achieved for several kilometres. The trees are marked and the RTA enters property negotiations with the private landholder to purchase the required land with the trees in place, the negotiations break down over an unrelated issue and the compulsory acquisition process is required during which time the owner logs the area removing the trees. The requirement on the project remains and a lesser alternative must be found. In NSW, the RTA has invested considerably in measures to improve connectivity. No matter what works are undertaken from a major new infrastructure project to minor maintance, this is achieved through a system of contract delivery, and it is critical for all involved in biodiversity outcomes related to road infrastructure to consider how their work will be achieved on the ground via one of these contracts. The interaction of the scientific and planning disciplines with this area of project/maintenance delivery has provided a rich area for feedback. This presentation provides a brief overview of some of the challenges and results an agency such as the RTA can meet and achieve as it incorporates connectivity measures into road projects. It also highlight areas symposium participants can focus upon to demonstrate that biodiversity outcomes can also be consistent with delivery of public value

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