Working with Stakeholders in the Adelaide CBD

One of the most challenging aspects of our recent work on the APA Gas Mains Renewal Program in Adelaide has been the variety of stakeholders we have had to work with.

The project on Area N in and around Rundle Street required insertion work and a pressure upgrade to 7 kpa, along with replacing the low pressure cast iron and steel gas mains in order to secure the gas network. This was made more challenging by the fact that we had to work in conjunction with a wide variety of stakeholders, in addition to a busy Adelaide CBD location and traffic management demands.

The work also had to be carried out during the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, with some of it located around the Pullman Hotel, a primary quarantine site. In addition, Rundle Street is one of Adelaide’s busiest shopping and dining precincts, and so we needed to work in collaboration with large scale property owners the Maras Group, individual restaurant and bar owners, Adelaide City Council, as well as other stakeholders.

One of the reasons we were so successfully able to negotiate this complex work environment, with only limited excavation being required and therefore minimal disruption to traffic and business, was through using an intrinsically safe live gas mains inspection camera. This is not a commonly used piece of equipment in Adelaide, and so exemplifies our approach to modern methodologies and providing innovative solutions.

We also employed a large diameter pipe handler attached to an excavator, which is designed to grip a pipe, position it and then insert it without the need for manual handling. This equipment improves safety and efficiency, and significantly contributed to there being zero incidents for the duration of the project.

Overall, despite the many challenges posed by this project, our collaborative approach with Downer, APA and all stakeholders involved, as well as our proven project management skills and expertise in a wide range of gas infrastructure upgrade work enabled us to complete the work on budget and ahead of schedule. Since the completion of the project, we have received hugely positive feedback from the many stakeholders involved.