Overview
The Transport Agency is certifying its high value state highway projects to international sustainability certification system Greenroads®.
The Transport Agency delivers environmental and social outcomes as part of the design, construction and operation of state highway projects. These outcomes are delivered as part of the Agency’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, and to address opportunities or risks raised during the public engagement and approvals processes.
By using Greenroads, the Transport Agency builds its understanding of how these outcomes rate against an international framework and can communicate these outcomes to interested parties. Greenroads allows project teams to be recognised for the great outcomes they achieve. The Transport Agency is using Greenroads to understand how committed outcomes rate on an international scale, not to seek additional outcomes.
It is a requirement for teams delivering state highway improvement projects that are over $15 million in value and delivered via a design and construct, alliance or public-private-partnership delivery model to seek Greenroads assessment and certification.
For more information about Greenroads and how it applies to state highway projects please contact the Environment and Urban Design team .
Greenroads
Greenroads is a sustainability certification system that is specific to the design and construction of roading projects. Greenroads certification applies to specific projects and certification is sought by project teams during detailed design and construction.
Greenroads requires the achievement of 12 mandatory project requirements. Points can then be earned from over 40 voluntary credits delivering sustainable outcomes such as habitat conservation, work zone health and safety, recycled and recovered content, electric vehicle infrastructure, and multi modal connectivity. If more than 40 points are achieved the project is certified as a Greenroad.
Project teams progressively upload evidence to show they have achieved project requirements and credits during the detailed design and construction phase. Certification normally occurs after the project opens. Four certification awards are available depending on the number of points achieved.
Information for project teams
Project development
The Environment and Urban Design team will request that a project is recommended for Greenroads certification as part of the detailed business case report. The Environment and Urban Design team will contact relevant Transport Agency project managers during the business case stage to provide information about the process and cost estimates for budgeting purposes.
Project delivery
If a project proceeds to pre-implementation and is successfully consented, the requirement for the project team to seek Greenroads certification will be included in requests for tenders and in contract agreements. The Environment and Urban Design team will determine the certification level that should be sought for a particular project after the project is consented.
During the procurement phase, project teams tendering for projects subject to Greenroads will be required to provide evidence via a high level assessment that they can achieve the desired certification level.
Successful tenderers will be contractually required to seek Greenroads assessment during the detailed design and construction stage and certification by project opening.
At the beginning of the detailed design stage the successful tenderer will need to register the project with Greenroads, select which credits they will seek and sign up to a certification plan with Greenroads. The successful tenderer will pay the Greenroads Foundation directly for registration and certification fees. Project teams will progressively upload documentary evidence to show they have completed project requirements and credits, culminating in final assessment and certification.
Costs
Project teams will incur costs to assess a project against Greenroads. Costs include a fixed certification fee and time for the project team to coordinate, prepare and upload their evidence. The NZ Transport Agency is an Evergreen Member of Greenroads meaning certification fees are discounted by 25%.
Benefits
Greenroads provides project teams with a checklist of what good looks like from an environmental and social perspective on a roading project. This creates ideas and discussions for what is possible.
Projects registered for assessment may communicate this goal to interested parties through signage and information. The outcome of the independent third party assessment informs the team how well their project rates against an international framework. The resulting score can be used to communicate and gain recognition for the outcomes achieved.
More information on the benefits can be found on the Greenroads website .
Training and membership
The Transport Agency is a member of the Greenroads Foundation. Contracting and consulting organisations can also become members to receive further discounts and support. Information on membership can be found on Greenroads .
Those interested can find out more about Greenroads by logging on to a free Greenroads webinar. The calendar of webinars can be found on Greenroads .
Individuals may seek to become a Greenroads Sustainable Transportation Professional (STP). The STP credentials are designed to allow individuals to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of sustainable transportation and the philosophy and approach behind Greenroads. Those with STP credentials are therefore very handy to have in project teams seeking Greenroads certification; STPs in project teams also receive credits for their team. Those professionals in New Zealand with STP credits can be found on Greenroads .
Certified and active projects
To date the following projects are seeking (or are required to seek) Greenroads certification.
- Mingha Bluff
- Transmission Gully
- Puhoi to Warkworth
- Christchurch Northern Corridor
- Peka Peka to Otaki
- Baypark to Bayfair
Resources
Greenroads Pilot Projects
The NZ Transport Agency commissioned pilot assessments for five state highway projects to help understand how the Greenroads assessment works. These assessments identify the potential score and the type of credits that could be achieved on New Zealand projects.
These ratings were done retrospectively and with limited access to project teams and documents. They are an indication only and do not represent the final rating that these projects could have achieved had the Greenroads framework been implemented during their design and construction stages.
- Te Rapa Bypass
- Papatawa Realignment
- Memorial Park (Buckle Street Underpass)
- SH16 Causeway Upgrade
- SH1 Peka Peka to Otaki
Key lessons from the Greenroads foundation
- Start early, registration and implementation do take time and some are time critical
- #1 issue is staff turnover on the project team
- Plan for refresher training at least annually
- Most projects over 2 years long experience this problem
- Must have turnover plan in place to ensure baton is passed on
- Scope changes over time
- Inform your Greenroads reviewer
- Any revisions to segment boundaries need to be approved by Greenroads
- Scope changes may affect the certification costs
- Schedule changes, plans and deadlines
- Please notify Greenroads if any of these happen on your project.
Greenroads evaluation tool
The Greenroads evaluation tool may be useful when assessing a project against Greenroads manual version 2 .
Please note that the tool needs to be used in conjunction with the Greenroads manual .
For further information contact environment@nzta.govt.nz .