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The Ruby Bay bypass is a new highway at the top of the South Island, New Zealand. During construction a number of initiatives were put in place to challenge the design, push the boundaries and deliver beyond expectations. These initiatives involved 'smart planning' - a partnering group of key stakeholders; 'smart performance' to increase productivity; and 'smart outcomes' to complete ahead of time and below budget. The project team focused on community, especially local Maori (indigenous New Zealanders), relations and environmental outcomes owing to the sensitive working environment. The completed project has significantly improved levels of service and safety, and reduced traffic volumes on the bypassed highway.
1. Introduction
The Ruby Bay Bypass is a new 10-7 km long section of State Highway 60 located between Nelson and Motueka in the Tasman district of New Zealand (NZ). The project started in 1997 and the design by Opus International Consultants was completed in early 2000, but financial constraints meant that construction funding was not available until 2008. The contract was awarded to Downer NZ by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and the NZ$30· 1 million project was completed in 2010, ahead of the scheduled programme.
Downer NZ had the ambition to push the boundaries and produce a final product that would be an outstanding feature for the district for years to come. An integral component was to conduct the works to put the community and environmental concerns first. This paper outlines the initiatives that were taken to achieve these ambitions.
2. Smart planning
Planning is critical with any large construction project; before construction started, the project team decided to extend the planning and decision-making process beyond the normal channels, by establishing a partnering group. The purpose of the partnering group was to develop a forum that would be integral in the planning process. It would allow any concerns or issues to be raised and resolved prior to construction in a timely manner.
All key parties and concern groups including the Department of Conservation; Tasman district council (TDC); the six affected Iwi (Maori tribes); forest and bird societies and local community associations were also asked to join the partnering group. The group also included members of the high-level internal governance team, the project management board, which...