Development stages of a road management strategy suitable to the Burdekin shire

Local government infrastructure makes possible the wide range of lifestyle choices enjoyed in Australia and at the core of local government, there is the forum for local decision-making. There is a need to explore whether all aspects are being considered for such decisions; how the infrastructure functions, what is required to be sustainable in the future and are the resources to be able to do better accessible. Undoubtedly, the five W’s and H (who, what, when, where, why and how) can abridge this exploration. The Burdekin Shire was the area considered for this research project and the aim was to commence development towards establishing strategic direction for road management. Throughout this year, the opportunities and challenges facing the region were investigated alongside the collection of traffic-related data and stakeholder input. The research was fundamental since Burdekin has limited formal policy relating to road management, which can be vital to demonstrating to the ratepayers that Council is operating consistently and can be accountable for its decision-making. Naturally, Council’s ultimate goal is to be operating effectively, realizing efficiency and maintaining sustainability. It was evidenced by the literature that sustainability is an on-going process and that defined strategies are pivotal to reaching infrastructure goals. How road infrastructure can contribute to the environmental, economic and social pillars was also examined. The research findings show that planning is instrumental to enabling infrastructure to reach its full potential for these pillars of the municipal. The implementation of a data collection program highlighted various traffic and safety trends that should be insightful to the planning of works. The analysis also acknowledged the importance of the local context and regional profile in establishing strategic direction so that it reflects the community being serviced; thereby enhancing the chance of acceptance. The success of the formulations can be measured by continued data analytics of the traffic and social environment in the Burdekin. The research project work has been a large step forward in establishing strategic direction suitable to the Burdekin, and there are many opportunities for future work to enhance sustainable engineering road management practice