The Process of Building a Road |
The different stages |
IntroductionThe aim of this document is to outline the process of building a road in Ireland, from the decision to build to its opening to the public. Most of the information is gathered from the NRA’s publication, National Roads Project Management Guidelines. Any additional information comes from the personal experiences of individuals and groups involved in road campaigns. Each road project must follow
the sequence of events outlined in this document, but there is no
time frame give. In
other words, a Constraints Study has to happen before Route
Selection, but no fixed time is given for the Study, nor does there
have to be an extended period of time between the two. Phase 1: Overall Project PlanningThe National
Development Plan (NDP) is the basis for all roads planned for
Ireland between 2000 and 2006.
New roads are proposed by the Local Authority to the NRA.
These proposals should identify a need for the road.
The Local Authority appoints a Design Office Project Engineer
who is the primary point of contact for the scheme with the NRA,
consultants and the public. The Regional Design Office (RDO)
team working on the project is overseen by a Management Steering
Committee comprising of City/County Managers and representatives of
the NRA. Once a project has been
approved by the NRA it proceeds onto Phase 2. Phase 2: Constraints Study
A Constraints Study is
defined as “the gathering of information … determining what
constraints (physical, procedural, legal, environment, etc) exist
that could affect the design of the scheme, delay progress and
influence the costs.”[i] This research is to be
desk-base, with no field work necessary.
It will lead to the creation of a basic large scale map.
Once this map is ready, a First
Public Consultation is held. The First Public Consultation
is intended: 1. to inform the public about the statutory process and likely time scales 2. to get general public co-operation with the project 3.
to be used by Local Authorities to learn about matters of
local concern It is not intended to show
any route options A series of public information sessions are held. Such meetings are “not intended to provide a forum for in-depth debate on the pros and cons of particular proposals”[ii] but to inform the public in a general way as to what is happening. Comments from the public are recorded for future reference and written submissions are accepted. 1. Definition of study area 2. Issues raised at First Public Consultation 3. Details of property ownership 4. Details of special designation areas (SAC, SPA) 5. Hydrological information, i.e. rivers, drainage systems, flood records 6. Heritage Sites 7. Traffic data, including accident data 8. Details of standard of existing road network 9. Details of local economy 10. Information on European Legislation relating to funding and the environment Phase 3: Route Selection 1. Traffic Surveys 2. Route Options 3.
Environmental Impacts (including a Habitat Study of the
affected areas. This
needs to be done between April and September). Particular attention should be given to ground water levels in areas of proposed road cuttings. All the relevant public bodies (Duchas, Regional Fisheries Board) should be consulted and made aware of the project These meeting must be minuted and the minutes agreed. A copy of this report should be circulated to the elected members of the local authority and the public. 1. Present the impact of the project on lands, the environment and the economy 2. Hear public views. These views should be recorded 3.
Respond to queries. Specific
details are not available at this point. Following the input from the local councils and the public the Route Selection Report is revised and an final report presented to the Council and forwarded to the NRA. This final report should have specific route recommendations. The aim of Phases 1,2 and 3 is to avoid any procedural delays with the rest of the project.[iii] Phase 4: Preliminary Design/Land Acquisition
Procedures
The aim of Phase 4 is to
prepare design of the projects so that land acquisition can take
place. It has 4 main parts: 1. Preliminary Design 2. EIS/Part X Report 3. Land Acquisition Mapping 4.
The Statutory Process The Preliminary
Design contains details on drainage, junction layout and any
necessary bridges. Formal
reports are made to the NRA by the RDO. An Environmental Impact Statement is prepared. The preferred route must be subject to detailed field investigation. At a minimum this should include: 1. Phase 1 Habitat Study 2. Hedgegrow evaluation 3. Assessment of waterways 4.
Mapping of locations of protected species. The preferred route must try to avoid all areas of special designation (SAC, SPA etc).[iv] All schemes should have an
EIS, even if it is not legally required.
If an EIS is not carried out, then the project needs to
comply with Part X of the Local Government Regulations.
This means that details of the proposed projects must be made
open to public scrutiny. Following the EIS, a Land
Acquisition Plan is drawn up. This
plan needs to be clear in case it is needed at an inquiry at a later
stage. “Decisions
regarding acquisition of land and severance impacts should be costed
to ensure that the most economical approach is taken”.[v]
Land acquisition involves the extinguishment of
Rights-of-Way. This
happens under Section 73 of the Roads Act.
It is a “valuable test of local reaction towards the
project"”[vi] A Managers Order for the
acquisition of land is made and that starts the following process: 1. Publication of the Order and a Viewing period for the public 2. Observations/Objections to the scheme may be made to the Minister 3.
The Minister decides if a formal public inquiry is needed If a public inquiry is held
it follows the following steps: 1. Appointment of an Inspector and a date set 2. Inquiry held 3. Inspector considers submissions and reports to Minister 4. Minister considers report and either confirms the order, amends it or annuls it 5. If confirmed, a notice is placed in the media and a time allowed for a high court challenge 6. If no successful challenge is made the scheme proceeds to the finalisation of Contract Document Preparation and Land Acquisition 7. The Order is valid for three years Phase 5:Construction documents
Preparation/Tender/ Award
The last 3 phases of the
project are focused on the actual construction of the road.
Consultation with the public and the local authorities is
completed. During Phase 5 a Final Design
Plan is drawn up. This
contains costings of the project.
Land Acquisition is an important part of this cost.
Therefore, “negotiation with landowners should be carefully
planned”.[vii] The contract type is decided on. Is the project to be build under one, or multiple, contracts? The scheme is then advertised and open to tender. Phase 6: Construction
Phase 6 sees the construction of the road. There may be a need to change some design specification due to unforeseen circumstances. Any changes are to be carried out by the Design Team. Phase 7: Final Account and Closeout
A Substantial
Completion Certificate is given to the main contractor.
A Final Safety review will be carried out no later that 2
weeks before the opening of the road. The road is opened and ready for traffic. |