Central City Infrastructure Rebuild Plans

This suite of documents provided a comprehensive programme management tool for the definition, prioritisation, design and construction of interdependent projects within a central city environment. The documents were developed and used for an intensive post-disaster rebuild but had other applications with similar operating parameters.

At the outset of the rebuild programme in 2011, SCIRT identified nearly $140 million of infrastructure work to be completed in central Christchurch. While accounting for less than 10 per cent of total SCIRT work, the central city presented significant challenges.

SCIRT worked closely with other organisations, including CCDU (the Central City Development Unit, part of CERA, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority), and the Christchurch City Council to develop a series of plans to anticipate and manage specific issues.

Plans included delivery management (coordination of work), design parameters, engagement, communications, transport, and utilities coordination.

More than 70 per cent of central city buildings were to be demolished and there was extensive damage to pipes (particularly earthenware) and bridges.

There was an opportunity to largely complete the horizontal rebuild (infrastructure) before the vertical rebuild (buildings) gathered momentum. Wastewater and stormwater pipes, water supply, utilities, roads, and bridges all had to be repaired or rebuilt.

However, not all of the infrastructure design could be completed until the Central City Recovery Plan and blueprints were developed, in 2012. The blueprint also included a number of “anchor projects”, such as a convention centre and a sports stadium. Although some of the anchor projects were delayed or revised in scale, SCIRT had to plan its work to accommodate them.

Army cordons controlled access to the central city from February 22, 2011 to June 30, 2013, which limited SCIRT’s access to this area. After that date, SCIRT continued repair work in a much busier environment as people, cars, and buses returned to the city centre.

Maintaining the transport network was vital to support the city’s economy; therefore the pace of reconstruction had to be matched to the capacity of the city to cope with the volume of work. Communicating with remaining businesses in the central city while intense activity went on around them was essential for their livelihoods.

Other issues were traffic disruption, parking, and site access. The number of crews rebuilding a variety of services in a relatively small space presented a logistical challenge.

The following material and reports provide an overview of the structure which enabled comprehensive programme management of the central city rebuild.

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