BBO was engaged by Hamilton City Council to investigate, develop and evaluate options, provide detailed design, and procure construction services for the lead strategic infrastructure associated with the Peacocke Development, (construction value approximately $150M).
The Peacocke Strategic Transport project largely centres around the new bridge over Waikato River – a landmark structure that will also be used to transport utility services across the river; and a pedestrian/cycle bridge over Wairere Drive on the north bank of the river.
Roading infrastructure includes an extension of the Hamilton Ring Road (a Major Arterial route) into the development area and extensive urban upgrade to the existing roads complete with provision of all new utility services. Major intersections are proposed, which serve future demands, but are designed with a particular focus on providing for walking, cycling, and public transport.
Large-scale stormwater treatment devices have been designed that cater for ultimate future urban development needs yet stylised with novel naturalised treatments for its outfalls into the Waikato River. Local water services are provided throughout, including large-scale strategic services for future demands of the entire Peacocke Development (wastewater to Pukete) and resilience needs for Hamilton City water supplies (strategic supply line over Waikato River).
BBO has completed the investigation and detailed design for these works, as well as the procurement phase for construction with a commencement date of October 2020 and completion expected in April 2023. BBO will continue to provide site supervision services throughout the construction period.
The challenge
The 720 ha Peacocke growth area, in Hamilton’s south, is zoned for urban residential development. When completed, it will be home to around 20,000 new residents. With Government and Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency) support, Hamilton City Council (HCC) is investing around NZ$330M in strategic transport and service connections to enable development.
The Council set a bold goal in its vision for the area - to enable the development of an attractive and sustainable community in Peacocke. Having funding for lead infrastructure for development, rather than playing catch up, presented an extraordinary opportunity to influence land use and transport. In 2018, BBO was engaged by Hamilton City Council to challenge ourselves to deliver more than ordinary infrastructure outputs that would set the benchmark for delivery within the Peacocke area.
The optioneering resulted in additional project elements being included within the scope, which was the right decision, but they still needed to be delivered within the overall programme.
The project objectives for the Waikato River Bridge called for a solution that needed to be a landmark structure, minimised adverse effects, offered a value for money solution (within funding limitations), delivered within programme, and with buy-in from stakeholders. Not all of the objectives were entirely compatible and there was a risk that the resultant trade-off would compromise the optioneering process. As a result, BBO developed a comprehensive multi-criteria assessment framework that presented compelling, transparent, and easy-to-understand evidence of the trade-offs between options. This enabled easy decision-making and resulted in widespread support for the proposed solution.
The outcome
BBO has delivered the detailed design, and procured the construction contract, for Hamilton City Council’s single largest ever new infrastructure contract (approximately $150M value). This has been undertaken no less than three months ahead of programme; included significant additional project scope, and was procured during extreme circumstances (i.e. during the NZ Government imposed Covid-19 lock-down conditions).
BBO took a collaborative approach in engaging with other project teams and led the charge for professional service contracts relating to Peacocke Development, which required the development of numerous systems, processes, and reports to suit the unique requirements of the project. In the interests of “best-for-project”, documents were shared freely with other consultants and set the standard for delivery on other projects.
BBO also responded positively to every challenge encountered during the project delivery. Even when the scope was changed/increased, and circumstances occurred outside their control (i.e. client-request to accelerate the programme and NZ Govt Covid-19 lockdown), the project team still managed to deliver the works well ahead of programme. In addition, even though the project scope has significantly increased, the expected construction estimate for the works is on target for delivery well under the allocated budget.
In the words of Andrew Parsons, Hamilton City Council’s Strategic Development Manager:
“Just a note from me to say thank you for the huge effort you’ve all put in (and your individual teams) to get us to where we are today in the Peacocke programme……..this result is due to your dedication, focus and drive to achieve this. For me, it’s a privilege to be part of your great team that’s delivering a future Hamilton community…….”
The end result is a product that has set the standard for future urban development within the Peacocke Development area. The Waikato River Bridge will be a landmark structure that is unique and memorable, with a high aesthetic value, with cultural symbolism representative of the area. The structural form of the Waikato River Bridge (with a large steel lattice central pier) is a unique solution; an arrangement that has never been designed or constructed in NZ before. The transport network has the community at its heart – it focuses on all modes of transport, providing a safe, efficient, and effective network, with a strong emphasis on active modes (walking and cycling) and public transport. It also integrated with community initiatives, with the use of active play areas, pocket parks, community gardens, and walkways integrated within landscaped wetlands and stormwater ponds. Together, we have helped Hamilton City realise its vision for an attractive and sustainable community in Peacocke.
