WC 216: bridge and structures renewals

This page relates to the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.

Introduction

Work category 216 provides for the like-for-like replacement of bridges and structures that are at the end of their serviceable life.

Qualifying activities

Qualifying activities are like-for-like replacement of bridges and structures that are at the end of their serviceable life. A bridge or structure is at the end of its serviceable life when  replacing the structure within the relevant  NLTP period is:

• more cost effective than continuing to investment in maintaining the structure to provide the level of access deemed appropriate for the network and
• the risks associated with endeavouring to continue to maintain the stricture are considered unacceptable from a life risk perspective.

Work category 216 is available to the following activity classes:

• local road improvements
• state highway improvements.

Local road and state highway improvements

Examples of qualifying bridges and structures

Examples of qualifying bridges and structures include, but may not be limited to:

• a bridge and its immediate approaches
• retaining structures, including sea walls, that support a road
• tunnels
• culverts with a cross-sectional area of 3.4 square metres or greater.

Definition of `like for like’

In this context : ‘like for like’ means the modern equivalent of the structure, not necessarily of the same material type, configuration or structural form, that meets current design standards.

Current design standards will vary depending on the type of structure and the planned design life of the structure. Current design standards may include the following:

• NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) design guides eg Bridge manual (SP/M/022).
  Bridge manual (SP/M/022)

• Responding to requirements of the relevant local or regional authority to obtain a building consent and / or a resource consent.
• Appropriate design in response to statutory requirements to manage or mitigate the risk and consequence of hazards impacting the design life for the structure. Note for such risk mitigation it will be necessary to undertake sufficient technical risk analysis to quantity the risks, their consequences and to determine the most economically appropriate approach to mitigate or manage the risks over the design life of the assets.
• For information technology components (systems and equipment) associated with operating and / or monitoring the structure, this is to achieve the minimum performance to deliver the continuous delivery of systems functionality; eg hardware and software at the lowest performance specification necessary to operate. Enhancements beyond that are improvements.
• Small improvement that is above like for like, provided:
  • the total cost of doing the improvement is minimal; or
  • the improvements reduce the whole-of-life cost (for example through choice of construction form and materials to reduce future maintenance needs and costs).

Like-for-like replacement is on the basis that the structure is replaced in the same approximate location and includes the immediate approaches to the structure. This may include altering the alignment to allow off-line construction and/or improve safety and geometric performance of the structure in the network (approach lengths are limited to the distance necessary to safely transition to and from any new off-line alignment in accordance with the design parameters for the safe and appropriate speed for the road classification).

One Network Framework

You can discuss with us (NZTA as investor) whether other potential improvements not listed above might also be eligible for inclusion in this work category or another work category. 

Bridge manual (SP/M/022)

Highway structures design guide

Exclusions

Work category 216 excludes:

• renewal of bridges or structures that are not at end of life but are proposed primarily to address a network deficiency
• culverts with a cross-sectional area of less than 3.4 square metres – these are funded under work category 213
  Work category 213: drainage renewals
• increasing the width of structures beyond the minimum design standard to allow for additional lanes and/or shared-use paths – these would be assessed as an improvement under a different work category
• other improvements to the bridge or structure at the time of replacement that are beyond like-for-like.

These excluded activities may instead be assessed under the following work categories:

• where the improvement component is less than $2 million in total, from work category 341: low-cost, low-risk improvements from the relevant road improvement activity class:
  Work category 341: low-cost, low-risk improvements (webpage yet to come)

• where the improvement component exceeds $2 million, as a standalone improvement from work category 322: new or improved bridges and structures.
  Work category 322: new or improved bridges and structures

Requirements for inclusion

To qualify for inclusion in this work category the design solution must be the long-term, best whole of life cost option that fulfils current design standards and hazard risk management requirements. Approved organisations and NZTA (for its own activities) are expected to apply the decision tree shown in simplified procedure SP2 Bridge renewals. If, through the SP2 process, it is deemed a bridge replacement is the appropriate solution, a present value end-of-life (PVEoL) analysis must be carried out. The approved organisation and NZTA (for its own activities) must make copies of the SP2 evaluation (including the specified economic evaluations) available as requested by us.

• SP2 Bridge renewals is provided on the NZTA Monetised benefits and costs manual webpage.
  Monetised benefits and costs manual

• Guidance on determining the eligibility for funding from this work category, including the PVEoL template and example, are set out in the Replacement of bridges document.

Replacement of bridges [PDF, 160 KB]

Note: all proposals for improvements must consider the optimal design approach, the timing (including fit within the wider network) and set out the best-value approach to implement those improvement elements in part or in full.

Funding assistance rate

The usual funding assistance rate (FAR) is:

• the approved organisation's normal FAR
  Normal funding assistance rates

or

• the approved organisation’s special purpose roads FAR for the 2024–27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP)
  Other funding assistance rates

or

• 100% of NZTA state highway costs.

Submitting activities for NLTP consideration and funding approval

Approved organisations and NZTA (for its own activities) submit these activities for NLTP consideration and funding approval, using the maintenance, operations and renewals template in Transport Investment Online (TIO).

Transport Investment Online(external link)

For guidance on using TIO, see the TIO learning and guidance page on our website.

Transport Investment Online (TIO) learning and guidance

Further information

You can use the preliminary PVEoL analysis template spreadsheet when calculating preliminary present value end of life.

Preliminary present value end of life analysis template [XLSM, 3.6 MB]