Question without notice - Road Safety - Wire Rope Barriers
Wednesday 22 September 2021
Ms ARMITAGE question to DEPUTY LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Ms PALMER
[2.38 p.m.]
Deputy Leader, noting that wire rope barriers on roads have high ongoing maintenance costs, can the Deputy Leader please advise:
(1) The annual maintenance budget for inspection, maintenance and replacement of posts, checking and/or replacing cables, post caps or any other system componentry?
(2) Is the maintenance budget sufficient to ensure all wire rope barriers are in good and safe working order?
(3) How often are wire rope barriers checked and replaced and/or repaired?
(4) How much did the Government spend on maintenance and repairs for each of the past five financial years?
(5) What would the total cost be to ensure that all wire rope barriers were checked and maintained according to best practice standards?
ANSWER
I thank the member for Launceston for her questions.
(1) Maintenance budgets, including budgets for inspections, are allocated on a lump sum basis across the entire maintenance program, with work activities prioritised on a needs basis. Accordingly, wire rope budget allocations are not specified.
(2) The overall maintenance budget is sufficient to ensure that all wire rope barriers are in good and safe working order.
(3) Wire rope barriers are visually inspected on a regular basis, re-tensioned in accordance with manufacturers' recommended frequency and repaired as required when damaged. Depending on the level of damage to a wire rope barrier as a result of vehicle impact, they may also need to be re-tensioned as part of the repair.
(4) Annual maintenance expenditure over the past five financial years is as follows: 2016-17, $98 000; 2017-18, $102 000; 2018-19, $282 000; 2019-20, $330 000 and 2020-21, $462 000. Expenditure records for wire rope safety barriers prior to the 2018-19 financial year are considered less reliable.
(5) Wire rope barriers are given high priority within the overall maintenance budget to ensure that barriers are checked and maintained in good and safe working order.