West Arnhem Regional Council (WARC) recently identified a unique opportunity to develop the skills of its local workforce while repairing damaged roadways essential to the community.
Planned Roads to Recovery culvert works in the remote Croker Island township of Minjilang included upgrading the existing drainage structure between the airport and townships.
The project employed local resident workers and used local plant and equipment from start to finish giving valuable experience and on the job training.
A series of new culverts was needed along Airport Road, to protect the roadway from future damage. The work entailed replacing the existing plastic and metal realm culverts that were in poor condition with new concrete box culverts. The road pavement also needed to be reinstated and compacted to ensure strength and durability.
Skills learned included experience of preparing the work site daily, ensuring traffic management was in place – including a new road detour for access between town and airport for the duration of the project. During construction the workforce experienced hands on training in operating the plant and machinery and all other aspects of the job.
The initial project was completed in advance of the planned timeline enabling WARC to replace an extra two culvert sections also in poor condition.
Ongoing maintenance and inspections will ensure that the drainage system will work effectively and improve road conditions for years to come.
