Asset Management

Greater Manchester Maintenance Strategy (GMMS)

The GMMS, along with the Transport Asset Management Plans which are being produced by the local authorities, provide a sound base for the continued maintenance of the highway network as a whole. The GMMS identified key objectives for maintenance to be prioritised based on the needs of the local area.

The Main objectives for the GMMS are;iii

  • Maintain a safe network of highways
  • Ensure network availability
  • Achieve network integrity
  • Ensure reliability of network
  • Maximise value to the community
  • Improve accessibility across the network
  • Maintain a safe network of bridges and structures
  • Ensure accessibility on all LA owned bridges and structures
  • Maintain a safe and comfortable waiting environment
  • Influence private sector operators to maintain a safe, efficient and reliable public transport network

Over the next five years this should help to create a more reliable network for all users with improved levels of maintenance, a reduction in delays due to improved co-ordination of repairs, improved safety and an improved physical environment.

Over the long term we anticipate:

  • More sustainable and long lasting effective maintenance of roads and bridges.
  • Increasing consistency of quality within the network.
  • Added value from maintenance work due to development of integrated facilities via maintenance program.
  • Increased user satisfaction.

Detailed progress in developing TAMPS is provided in the LTP Annex

Rights of Way Improvement Plans

Greater Manchester Local Authorities will be producing Rights of Way Improvement Plans (RoWiPs)iv during the first part of the LTP2 period. These RoWiPs will contain detailed assessments of the potential of each authority’s rights of way networks to meet present and future needs of various user groups and identify measures to improve the networks.  The RoWiPs will contain a 10 year action plan for the management and improvement of the network. Initially the work identified will be actioned within the works programme outlined in the LTP but over the period of the Plan it is intended

  • to prioritise the upgrading of routes due to identified local need,
  • create new routes where needs are identified, and
  • ensure that the local network links with and supports other larger routes to create a more cohesive network.

The RoWiPs in Greater Manchester will be guided by the following principles:

  • Improve the accessibility, environment, attractiveness and safety of the regional centre, town and district centres and employment areas.
  • Improve road and community safety
  • Minimise environmental damage caused by transport, thereby improving the quality of life and health of the population
  • Increase the proportion of trips made by non-car modes
  • Improve accessibility by ensuring the ROW network meets the needs of all sections of the community and the rural economy, promotes social inclusion and widens choice
  • Improve links with the rest of the country
  • Maintain, improve and make best use of existing ROW, and ensure all schemes offer long-term value for money
  • Assist in improving health, the local economy and recreational opportunities

These principles and the resulting plans will support the shared priorities both through the actions in the plans and by supporting other policy areas including the cycling, walking, and accessibility strategies.

 

RoWiPs can assist the Shared Priorities

Table 2 RoWIPs can assist the shared priorities

Through:

Resulting in:

Encouraging the use of non-motorised transportation by identifying network improvements that will increase the usability of the network for different trips.

Management and reduction of congestion

Improvement of air quality

Improved road safety

Better integration of the RoW network with the road system offers opportunity for segregated use where appropriate

Reduced conflict between modes

Improved safety for all users including horse riders

Improvements to the infrastructure will increase levels of accessibility to the RoW network.

Improvements to the network to increase the facilities that are accessible through it improving opportunities for people with limited transport options.

Promotes inclusion

Increases quality of life

Overall, providing and promoting a network for trip making by non-motorised means will help us to achieve a more physically active society and so an improvement in the health of the population.

Highway Maintenance

In the light of the achievements of the first Greater Manchester LTP, and the proposed improvements outlined as part of the 5 year capital programme for LTP2, there have been and continue to be major changes in the way we manage maintenance of the transport infrastructure. These changes have also been driven by new codes of practice for Highways Maintenance Management, Management of Highways Structures and Street Lighting. Improvements in our approaches to maintenance will contribute to the success of LTP2 in two ways:

  • By ensuring the sustainability of programmed improvements, by maintaining new infrastructure to higher standards,
  • By directing maintenance operations on the network as a whole in such a way that it supports the LTP objectives, particularly with regard to the shared priorities for safety and reducing congestion.

The Greater Manchester Maintenance Strategy contained in the LTP2 Annex Volume 1 (A1.7), outlines common objectives for all of the Greater Manchester Authorities. For the first time the Greater Manchester Local Authorities and GMPTA are now considering maintenance of transport infrastructure in its entirety. This means that highway and structures maintenance considerations will be placed alongside maintenance of public transport infrastructure to enable the delivery of maintenance programmes to support improvements through the bus strategy and other component strategies for walking, cycling, road safety, freight transport.

The overall priority of the strategy is to support the delivery of a safe, reliable, accessible and sustainable transport system, which meets the requirements of a modern, regenerated, attractive and competitive conurbation. The objectives of the strategy are in line with the new Codes of Practice for Highways Maintenance Management, Management of Highway Structures and Street Lighting. These are as follows:

  • To prioritise expenditure based on local needs and achieving maximum value to the community but with reference to LTP objectives concerning economic and urban regeneration, social inclusion and environmentally sustainable transport.
  • To ensure network availability and facilitate reliability for all users, particularly public transport, pedestrians and cyclists
  • To undertake regular reactive and cyclic maintenance to ensure the integrity of the fabric of the highway
  • To ensure maximum accessibility for all users during maintenance works
  • To improve the integrity of the network
  • To maximise value to the community by seeking to incorporate integrated facilities (eg bus, cycle and pedestrian) as part of maintenance programmes
  • To assist maximum efficiency of the network by maintaining signage for all users
  • To minimise cost over time by using whole life costing, projections of network condition and economic ranking techniques
  • To obtain maximum environmental benefit through specifications and methods of working
  • To provide safer streets by improving lighting on the network and maintaining it
  • To gradually shift more resources away from reactive works to planned and preventative maintenance
  • To reduce our liability on claims which will free resources for further enhancement of the network

We will meet these objectives by pursuing the following measures:

  • Maintaining bridges, structures, carriageways, footways, off road cycle routes, signage, Public Rights of Way and street lighting efficiently, effectively and to modern standards;
  • Deploying a robust monitoring regime of public transport related operating standards;
  • Maintaining high standards of facilities maintenance at bus stations and bus stops;
  • Maintain enhanced and improved traffic management and safety measures provided through the LTP process to agreed standards.
  • Maintain the efficient flow of traffic through the requirements of the 2004 Traffic Management Act;
  • Incorporating design features within maintenance works that achieve wider LTP objectives, including the provision of roadspace reallocation, enhancements to pedestrian crossings, disabled persons access, raised kerbs at bus stops etc.
  • Employing environmental best practice in respect of site management, the recycling and safe use and disposal of waste material, hours of operation, use of locally sourced materials, improvement of air quality where practicable and responsible fleet management practices.

These objectives, and the measures to support them, must be placed in the context of a significant backlog of maintenance work required on the network across Greater Manchester. This means that a balance must be struck between sustaining capital improvements through LTP2, and clearing this backlog of reactive maintenance. Individual authorities have made significant progress towards developing Transport Asset Management Plans (TAMPs) that will address this issue by identifying the options that deliver best value for money in the short, medium and long term, in relation to the mix of reactive, planned and investment in preventative maintenance. This will ensure that the gradual shift towards more preventative measures, and greater attention to new higher standards of infrastructure, does not compromise local needs for safety and network reliability in the short and medium term.

As such the TAMPs will provide a framework for robust and objective appraisal of options in terms of their contribution to local priorities and LTP objectives. The TAMPs will also aim to improve co-ordination between maintenance, network management and highway improvement programme development to ensure maximum efficiency an minimal disruption through highway infrastructure operations.

Annex A1.8 describes progress and further work towards the development of TAMPs, which should be completed by March 2007.

Statement

Retaining Walls, Oldham MBC

Linfitts wall, Delph

Introduction

Oldham Metropolitan Borough is situated in the north east of the conurbation. The topography of Oldham is quite  contrasted. To the west are the relatively low-lying areas of Failsworth, Chadderton and Royton , whilst to the east and north east the settlements are in much hillier areas  such as - Shaw and the South Pennines Saddleworth villages. It is in this part of the Borough that a substantial number of major arterial roads were built into the hillside supported by traditional drystone walls, many of which are well over 100 years old.

Current Problems and Issues

 General weathering and the relentless increase in traffic had been posing increasing maintenance problems, particularly  from 1990 onwards.  The development of a GIS retaining wall database and a comprehensive condition assessment of retaining walls throughout the Borough in the late 1990’s identified over 21km of retaining wall in either a failed or failing condition.  It became obvious that in order to tackle the problem a substantial increase in funding was required and resulted in the submission of a Supplementary Major Maintenance Bid in 2001.

Approach Taken

The prospect of continued funding over a number of years, specifically for retaining wall strengthening and reconstruction, provide an opportunity to review design, procurement and delivery strategies and to adopt “Rethinking Construction” and “Partnership” principles to the whole process. The objectives we want to achieve can be distilled into: -

  • reduce lead-in times from design to construction
  • apply a “system build” approach to retaining wall design and construction
  • maximise the benefits of economies of scale by providing continuity of work for contractors
  • a high degree of price certainty
  • maintain and improve on the high level of workmanship achieved in previous years
  • flexibility of contract to be applicable throughout the Borough and for a number of retaining wall solutions without re-tendering
  • improve safety and consideration for the public and reduce disruption.

With retaining walls in the Saddleworth area being predominantly of natural drystone construction, the Council’s engineers were keen to maintain the built heritage and promote sustainability in construction. As a consequence the specification for wall reconstruction stipulates the reuse of recovered materials, particularly existing walling stone, as much as possible. Reclaimed stone is used as a facing to mass and reinforced concrete walls and together with the stipulation for recessed pointing, helps to replicate the drystone appearance.

Funding Sources

Owing to the scale of the retaining wall problem in Oldham and the limited funding available through the LTP Structural Maintenance Allocation, funding has had to rely on major funding via a Supplementary Major Maintenance Bid in 2001. A five year major scheme is being completed in 2005/06, and a further bid has been submitted for an extension of this project

Targets and Objectives Met

Overall the scheme has contributed significantly at a local level to Government objectives. The Bid was assessed with reference to the Government’s NATA appraisal framework and showed positive impacts against the stated policy objectives of Environment, Safety, Economy, Accessibility and Integration. In addition an economic evaluation of the bid showed a significant cost benefit ratio in favour of the proposed Works.

The objectives set at implementation stage (see Approach Taken above) have been met with an innovative retaining wall framework contract that delivers high quality work in sympathy with its environment. The system build approach to retaining wall reconstruction has enabled speedier delivery of schemes through a reduction in lead in times for design, tendering and contractor mobilisation. Value for money considerations were addressed through the competitive tendering process in line with European legislation and a rigorous tender appraisal based on a quality and price submission. This has helped to ensure a high degree of price certainty and to build in measures to minimise disruption and consideration for the public.

 

  1. The Greater Manchester Maintenance Strategy can be found in the LTP2 Annex
  2. The deadline for publication of RoWiPs is November 2007 Reports from individual authorities on progress towards producing them are contained in the LTP2 Annex.

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