A service connection is booked. The crew has been told it counts as minor works, so no consent is needed from the road authority. A lot of people take that to mean no paperwork at all.
In Victoria, those are two separate questions. Whether you need consent is one test. Whether you need a traffic management plan is another, and for works on a road, the answer to the second is yes.
Do utility works need consent from the road authority?
Yes, unless an exemption applies. Utility companies, public transport operators and the contractors working for them must get consent from the coordinating road authority before working in the road reserve. The Department of Transport and Planning is usually that authority for freeways and arterial roads, and the local council for local roads. Doing the work without consent is an offence.
One catch. The exemptions belong to the utility and its agents. If you are a private contractor doing work for a property owner, councils like Port Phillip are clear that you need consent before you start. If you are not sure which authority manages your road, we have explained who approves a plan in Victoria.
What counts as minor works?
For a utility or its agent, minor works are exempt from consent as long as they are not also traffic impact works (more on that below). Under the Road Management (Works and Infrastructure) Regulations 2015, minor works include:
installing, repairing or maintaining overhead cables
works to connect a customer to a service
using an access hole to reach infrastructure under the road
repairing or maintaining poles, street lighting and traffic control devices
pruning trees and vegetation
small excavations
There are limits. Digging up more than 8.5 square metres of roadway, footpath or shoulder takes the job out of minor works. So does extending a network under more than 100 metres of road in an urban area, or more than 300 metres elsewhere.
When do minor works become traffic impact works?
This is the test most crews miss. Minor works lose their exemption if they are also traffic impact works, and the regulations are very specific about what that means. Works are traffic impact works if they are:
on a freeway, or on an arterial road and push traffic into an oncoming lane
in a clearway or bus lane while it is operating
within 20 metres either side of a children's crossing while it is operating
on or affecting a bridge, or on or near a level crossing
closing part of the roadway for more than 12 hours straight, or more than 24 hours in 7 days
closing or blocking a bus or tram stop in an urban area for more than 15 minutes
closing a through lane on an urban arterial within 100 metres of traffic lights, between 6am and 8pm
There is also a public transport test in the urban areas of Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. Works lasting more than 15 minutes that are likely to hold up a bus or tram by more than 2 minutes, between 6am and 9am or 3pm and 7pm on a weekday, are traffic impact works. Between 9am and 3pm, the trigger is works lasting more than 2 hours that cause more than a 5 minute delay.
A quick pit job outside a primary school at 3.15pm can tick two of these at once.
If you do not need consent, do you still need a traffic management plan?
Yes. This is where most of the confusion sits. Transport Victoria states that all roadworks need a traffic management plan that follows the Code of Practice for Worksite Safety, Traffic Management. The plan must be on site and available for inspection whenever workers are there, and it must list every traffic control device being used.
An exemption from consent only deals with consent. The plan is still required, even for a two hour service connection with a footpath closure.
Do you need a Memorandum of Authorisation?
Sometimes. A works manager for a utility, or someone working on their behalf, can put up the common devices without a Memorandum of Authorisation: works advisory signs, hand held stop signs, work zone signs, temporary speed limit signs down to 40 km/h and VMS boards. Two conditions apply. The works must have consent or be exempt, and every device must be on the traffic management plan kept on site.
Other devices need authorisation. Where DTP issues it, the fee depends on the impact: 4.76 fee units if no lanes are closed, 15.46 if one or more lanes are closed and 40.43 to close a road.
What about emergencies?
Genuine emergencies are exempt from consent. That covers a burst water main, a gas main explosion or power lines down on the road, and work that has to be attended within a set priority response time of between 24 hours and 3 business days. The road authority still needs to be told as soon as practicable.
Work that could be planned or put off does not count, however urgent it feels. If it could have been booked, it needs consent and a plan like any other job.
What does a traffic plan for service works usually involve?
Most service jobs are short and repetitive, which makes it easy to cut corners on the plan. A typical plan covers a short duration work area, a footpath diversion, where the vehicle and plant sit, and what changes if the job runs into peak hour. On an arterial road, near a tram line or outside a school, it gets more involved quickly.
For stormwater and water service connections, we draw the work area across the full frontage of the property rather than one small section, so the crew can work anywhere along the front of the block without the plan needing to change. Pedestrians are diverted where needed, and every layout meets the AGTTM. The mistake we see most often is crews assuming that because the job is minor works, no plan is needed at all.
OnPoint prepares plans for utility and service works across Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Each state has its own rules, and everything above is Victorian.
Frequently asked questions
Is a single service connection minor works?
Usually, if it is done by or for the utility. Works to connect a customer to a service are listed as minor works, as long as the dig is no more than 8.5 square metres of roadway, footpath or shoulder and none of the traffic impact tests apply.
Does the 8.5 square metre limit apply to each hole?
Not necessarily. Councils such as Port Phillip count multiple openings together, so several small holes can add up to more than the limit. Check with the road authority if the job has more than one opening.
Do I have to tell the council when the works are finished?
Sometimes. A utility does not need to give notice after minor works unless they were traffic impact works or involved digging up the roadway, footpath or shoulder, other than for a single pole in an urban area or up to three elsewhere. Where notice is needed, it is due by the 14th of the following month.
Do NBN and other telecommunications works need consent?
Telecommunications carriers and their agents are exempt from consent under the Telecommunications Act 1997 when installing low impact facilities, although they must give written notice to the owner and occupier. Works on the road still need a traffic management plan.
Can I use the same traffic plan for repeat service jobs?
The layout can be similar, but each plan has to fit its site. A children's crossing, a bus stop or a clearway nearby changes what the plan needs to show.
If you have service works coming up, send us the address and a description of the job. We will tell you whether it needs consent, what the plan needs to cover, and have it ready before your crew is booked.
We quote within 15 minutes and plans are drawn within 4 hours of receiving your details.
