CSP’s MFP® – the way of the future
As Auckland City ramps up for the America's Cup in 2021 the heat is on projects such as the City Rail Link (CRL), which has seen traffic detours and disruption to downtown Auckland for the past few years, to enable completion of key areas of the city that will ensure visitors to Auckland can move around freely.
The Connectus Alliance has been building cut-and-cover trenches along Albert Street – a key arterial which will eventually house part of the 3.4kms of twin tunnels that run from Britomart through to the Mt Eden station. There the CRL will connect with the existing Western rail line, with connections east and west to make the rail network two-way.
As parts of the tunnel near completion, sections of Albert Street are about to be reinstated meaning the installation of street lighting along with communication and security services.
The need to co-locate a number of urban street applications into a single structure meant CSP’s specialist MFP® (Multi-Function Poles) were the perfect solution for the upper and mid sections of Albert Street.
“Our MFPs will include street lighting, traffic lights in some places, telecommunications (Wi-Fi access points) and CCTV cameras – all in one pole,” says Lawrence Amos, Senior Product Engineer – Poles for CSP. “We are working with two companies that have been awarded different sections of Albert Street to supply a total of approximately 40 MFPs - CSL Infrastructure and Broadspectrum.”
“CSP are manufacturing this new breed of poles which cover a variety of needs,” explains Adrian Larkins, Operations Manager from CSL Infrastructure. “We are working very closely with Broadspectrum on this project who are doing the street lighting and the foundations/bases for the poles and we are doing the rest which includes the signalised intersections and the CCTV systems.”
| “We are looking to start the installation of the first of these new poles in mid to late September,” says Sanjog Nadan, Project Manager for Broadspectrum. “We are working on preparing some of the sites which is very difficult due to the spider web of cables and services that run beneath Auckland’s streets and footpaths. Due to robust technical and design requirements both Broadspectrum and CSP will work in conjunction over the next year to ensure the project is delivered with the required quality, and within the required deadline and budget. The new streetlight design will ensure an updated lighting control (Telematric CMS system) is rolled out along Albert Street providing better visibility with a centrally managed control system.” |
Adrian says that the CCTV cameras are more than just cameras these days, now venturing into the world of ‘smart data’ with Auckland Transport aiming to combine most CCTVs operating in Auckland into a single system, one that the police will also have real-time access to. The new analytics data is a developing field and will eventually replace wired loop vehicle detectors cut into the road and will assist with number plate recognition and bus lane enforcement.
Eventually the aim is to have 8,000 cameras linked into one system. The installation of MFP® around the city as CCTV locations will be an important part of achieving this outcome.
The southern end of Albert Street will be reinstated in about 2023, once the mid-town station and bored tunnel works are complete.
What will Albert Street will look like when complete? Click here to view the video.