McConnell Dowell is thrilled to have received recognition from our client NZ Transport Agency for ‘Going the Extra Mile’ on two of the high profile projects we are delivering for them - the Russley Rd Upgrade in Christchurch, and the Waterview Connection in Auckland.
The Russley Rd Upgrade, being delivering in a joint venture with Downer, received the Keeping Customers Moving Award, for our innovative approach to temporary traffic management at the Memorial Roundabout. By constructing the slip roads first and linking them into one big roundabout that encircles the construction area, and supported by a comprehensive stakeholder communications strategy, the team was able to avoid 12 proposed traffic management changes throughout the construction programme. It has minimised disruption to the public, created a safer working envelope for construction and enabled the project to proceed ahead of schedule.
“Every day we’re looking for ways to live up to McConnell Dowell’s aim of ‘Creative Construction’,” says Roading Director Aidan Brannan. “The Project Team has done a sterling job of rising to the challenge of delivering a unique road feature not seen previously in New Zealand, and from which our customers benefit every day.”
Road users frequently comment that the new roundabout is more efficient than the previous one, their journey time reliability has increased and traffic disruption reduced.
The Well-Connected Alliance, the team delivering the Waterview Connection Project in Auckland also won three awards, including the Supreme Award.
The Teaming Up Award recognises ‘working with others collaboratively to achieve outstanding results’. Waterview’s has worked with the Transport Agency and educational organisations to host visits to site by more than 200 college students last year as part of a Government initiative to encourage students to consider engineering-related jobs. These visits required significant planning and support from people right across the project, and the judges said Waterview had worked with others collaboratively to achieve “outstanding results.”
For the second year running, Waterview also won the Connecting with Our Community Award, reflecting the project team’s commitment to engaging with the community beyond normal expectations. With the project area spanning five suburbs, the team has “walked with the community” in small and large ways including formation of a community design group, management of cultural impacts in partnership with key mana whenua partners, and co-designing a playground with the local school, a process which won the team the Best Practice Award from the NZ Planning Institute.
Topping off the hat-trick, the Supreme Award was open to all the successful GEM finalists and celebrated outstanding performance in Going the Extra Mile.
“This is an outstanding outcome for all of us. Our GEM success justly recognises the passion and commitment all our people and teams demonstrate on this great project of ours,” said Alliance Project Manager Iain Simmons.
“The NZ Transport Agency is one of our most valued clients, so we’re delighted with their recognition of our efforts to deliver their projects to the highest standard possible,” says Managing Director Roger McRae. “We look forward to delivering transport solutions with the Agency for many years to come.”
About the GEM Awards
The GEM (Going the Extra Mile) Awards acknowledge the NZ Transport Agency’s suppliers for their commitment to the Agency’s our priorities and quality industry standards, and are a way to exhibit outstanding examples of the diverse range of activities on the state highway network.
The finished playground
A playground design workshop at Waterview school
McConnell Dowell’s Private Training Establishment (PTE), the first in New Zealand’s construction industry, has been recognised at the 2016 ITENZ Awards.
Registered in 2013, the PTE was established to provide high-quality and effective training that leads to improved safety outcomes on McConnell Dowell’s construction sites.
It is designed to meet the relevant industry requirements and current best practice as well as being aligned with McConnell Dowell’s internal standards and company values. All learning and assessment material goes through a stringent internal and external moderation process, to ensure that the training meets the required national standards and that the assessments are fair and robust.
Training is designed to be accessible - it is scheduled around daily work practice and schedules, and offers flexible hours such as training on the weekend to minimise down-time on site.
Courses aim to be engaging and interesting by including a mix of media, presentation styles, presenters and interactive activities. To support trainees from diverse cultural backgrounds, and literacy and numeracy support is also provided.
Benefits of the training include better understanding of obligations, greater confidence to raise safety concerns, improved participation in safety conversations and activities, and ultimately, greater safety consciousness and reduction of incidents. The outcomes support McConnell Dowell’s goal of Zero Harm every day.
McConnell Dowell was awarded a Highly Commended in the Provider of the Year category, which recognises the provider which has been outstanding in the promotion of quality assurance in an independent tertiary education organisation.
The judges were impressed with the way McConnell Dowell has used feedback to improve delivery and content, and applies systems which are likely to lead to students’ communication, learning and achievement successes.
L&D Manager Anand Naidu received the award.
The City Rail Link (CRL), which is being delivered by a McConnell Dowell and Hawkins Joint Venture, has been awarded a ‘Leading’ Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Design rating by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA), the highest possible achievement in the IS scheme.
The rating to Auckland Transport is for the design and construction planning of Contract 2 – Albert Street tunnels and a stormwater diversion.
To award a rating, ISCA considers project performance across six themes: Management & Governance; Using Resources; Emissions, Pollution & Waste; Ecology; People & Place; and Innovation. The process the CRL has undertaken to engage and partner with Mana Whenua (the local Maori people who hold customary rights in that area) to embed cultural values into an industry recognised sustainability framework has been acknowledged as a ‘world first’ innovation.
Auckland Transport worked closely with Mana Whenua to tailor the IS tool to suit not only Auckland, but also the New Zealand cultural context. Also through this partnership with Mana Whenua, the CRL design is developing a cultural richness and sense of place, which will be carried through to the completed project.
“The sheer scale and significance of the CRL means taking a sustainable approach throughout the project lifecycle, is not an option, it just makes sense. This recognition tells us we’re on the right track to achieving our sustainability goals,” says Auckland Transport Project Director Chris Meale.
The submission to ISCA consisted of design documentation produced through the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase with AT’s Principal Technical Advisors (Aurecon with Mott MacDonald, Jasmax, Grimshaw and Arup) and delivery partner Connectus, the McConnell Dowell/Hawkins joint venture.
The City Rail Link Contract 2 package achieved a rating score of 78.7, well above the 50 points required to gain an ‘Excellent’ rating.
Sustainability underpins the entire CRL project from inception, planning and construction and through life operation. The CRL is the first public transport project in New Zealand to measure carbon emissions associated with the construction and operation of the stations and tunnels, with data on energy and water use and waste generation being collected monthly during construction.
Key CRL sustainability initiatives planned over the project lifetime include:
- Switching from diesel generators to grid electricity during construction
- The use of LED street-lighting for the Albert Street reinstatement
- Collaborating with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to promote efficient driving and monitor machinery during construction to reduce fuel use
- Changing excavation methods to reduce diesel and water use
- Installing tree pits in the street to collect and filter stormwater runoff.
McConnell Dowell is pleased to announce our success at the 2016 International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA) Excellence in Project Execution Award on Friday in Paris, France. The company’s Fourth Transmission Pipeline Phase 2 (FTP2) project in Thailand beat outstanding projects from around the world to secure the award for Excellence in Project Execution. Further information about the award can be found at the IPLOCA website.
Delivered between June 2014 and August 2015, the complex gas pipeline and facilities project spanning over a distance of 300km was completed in a challenging, densely populated environment, ahead of a demanding one-year schedule and with zero lost time injuries.
Speaking on accepting the award, Project Director Rod Blackwell thanked customer PTT Public Company Limited, construction partner CCC and his project team.
“The collaborative relationship formed between McConnell Dowell and PTT was the foundation of success for the project. It allowed us to align our objectives, present as a seamless team to the local community, and address every challenge encountered quickly and effectively.”
“Our project team was outstanding. Along with our partner CCC we successfully managed a peak workforce of over 2,800 people spread over more than 50 concurrent worksites to deliver the project safely and to a high quality standard. The results showcase the skill, commitment and dedication of all involved. Thank you to everyone on the team.”
McConnell Dowell (again in JV with CCC) also received the runners-up prize for the 520km long Australia Pacific LNG pipeline project; showcasing the company’s broad geographic footprint and resource capacity for delivering major, cross-country pipeline projects.
The
video showcases the challenges and triumphs of our team on this important project.
After 14 months in the Northern Territory, the Amadeus team have completed the last of the facilities along the Amadeus Gas Pipeline between Darwin and Mereenie, approximately 300km west of Alice Springs.
APA awarded the project to McConnell Dowell in May 2015, whereby the existing coating of the below ground pipework at 25 facilities was to be removed and replaced with a new epoxy coating, and the sites reinstated to their original condition. An additional facility was added to the project scope during execution of the site works, taking the total number of stations completed to 26.
Battling the heat and remote locations, and travelling long distances, the McConnell Dowell project team did an outstanding job of completing the work safely and to a high standard. The relationship between APA and McConnell Dowell was exceptional, and the site personnel worked extremely well together to ensure the success of the project.
“McConnell Dowell faced some extremely challenging conditions over the life of this project and to their credit have completed the works without major incident and with zero lost time injuries.” Senior Project Engineer Ben Tibenszky, APA Group
McConnell Dowell Project Manager Grant Kruger “The work was physically demanding and the heat was a significant factor to address. Following our governing procedures for the challenging conditions the team did a great job. The project was successfully completed safely and on time."
Some statistics from the project:
Site Mobilisation: 03/07/2015
Site Demobilisation: 23/08/2016
Project Sites Completed: 26 (9 MLV, 4 offtake, 5 meter stations and 8 scraper station)
Project Sites Spread over 1700 driving kilometres
In excess of 250,000 driving KM’s
Volume of Soil Excavated: Approximately 6675m3
Pipe Painted: Approximately 1400 m2
Health, Safety & Environment
Days on Site: 319
Man Hours: 30,000+ (combined APA and McConnell Dowell)
Lost Time Injuries: 0
APA Management Interactions: 85
Permits Issued: 340
Permits Reviewed: 40
SWMS Reviews: 87
Inductions: 54
