City of Cape Town Transport System Lifecycle Cost Optimisation
Cost optimisation for the City of Cape Town’s transport system
The City of Cape Town’s transportation system is its most valuable asset. A large road network of approximately 10,000 km, including 1 000 bridges and culverts, serves the rapidly growing population of 4,2 million people and supports the economic growth and prosperity of the city.
Zutari was appointed in May 2016 for three years to develop and implement an infrastructure management system to help minimise the life cycle cost of this strategic asset, while ensuring its ongoing performance.The project included field data collection, condition assessments, asset decay forecasting, and mathematical optimisation of expenditure to prepare an investment plan that maximises the return on the city’s sustaining capital expenditure.
Undertaking a field survey was challenging in this large, populous city with its busy transport system and several areas with security risks. However, with support from the city’s district offices and the police, the field campaign was successfully executed by a large team of field assessors, who were managed simultaneously.
Digital field data collection
A digital data field collection approach was used, including real-time tracking of assessors, online maps, dynamic routing of assessors to avoid high-risk areas, real-time data uploading and quality assurance processing in the back office.
This methodology was used to track progress and the client representatives could to see live data on the location of assessors in the field, and access the inventory information captured for the assets, which included photographs.
“We are proud to have helped Cape Town develop a management strategy and sustaining capital investment plans. They will ensure the long-term sustainability of this strategic asset for today’s and future generations”
Advanced modelling forecasts the future
Zutari implemented dTIMS BA, advanced life cycle modelling analytical software that enables the balancing of cost, asset performance and risk over a forecasted period 20 years. This ability to forecast the future allows the development and testing of strategic scenarios and management decisions.
The comprehensive information base that our project team collected informed effective decisions to be made on management strategies and investment plans that best supported the long-term objectives of the city. In addition, the project’s analytical methodologies allowed the minimisation of sustaining capital cost.
“We are proud to have helped Cape Town develop a management strategy and sustaining capital investment plans. They will ensure the long-term sustainability of this strategic asset for today’s and future generations”, says Zutari’s Project Director, Chris von Holdt.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
