Applying Subsurface Utility Engineering To Highway and Road Projects

Applying
Subsurface Utility Engineering

to
Highway and Road Projects
Existing Underground Utilities are the

Veins and Arteries of our
Cities and Roads
And yet, we know very little
about where they are
Communication
Gas / Propane
Petroleum
Sewerage
Drainage
Power
Steam
Water
WHY?
We keep adding and changing utilities
Expansion
Modernization
Changing Utility
Technology
Changing Facility
Missions
We dont keep good records
Referenced to
changed topo
features
No centralized
records storage
No standard format
No responsibility
Where do we get Utility Info?

Old Project Plans (As-Designed)
Old Project Plans (Red-Lined)
Utility Records (As-Designed)

Utility Records (As-Built)
Maintenance Records
Repair Records
Visual Observation
Field Survey
The Engineer uses these

sources to compile a utility
composite that overlays the new
design
Nowadays, we frequently
digitize this data into a
CADD or GIS System
This can result in even more errors
The Engineer ends up

with utility data of
unknown reliability
I think the gas line is here, but
Im not really sure. It might be in
conflict with this proposed piling.
This makes it
extremely difficult
to manage the
risks that are
created by existing
underground
utilities
I guess well let the

contractor worry
about that !
What are these Risks?

Utility Damages
Affecting the Safety
of
Construction crews,
or the Public
The Telecommunications
and other industries
recognize this
There are a lot of other risks too
$$
TIME
Intangibles
Redesign costs
Higher construction
bids
Change orders
Extra work orders
Construction Claims
Higher insurance
costs
Higher financing
costs
Project delays
Detours
Bad publicity
Fortunately, theres a way

to handle this risk
SUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING
S.U.E. Combines Traditional

Engineering Practices, such as ..
Utility Records Research
Relocation Cost Estimates
Utility Design/Relocation Design
Plotting of Utilities from Records
with New Technologies
Utility Designating
via
Surface Geophysical
Methods
Utility Locating
Via Non-Destructive
Vacuum Exposure
The Most Significant Advancement

is the
Utility Quality Level Attribute
Quality Level Attributes are attached to plotted utilities
They indicate how utility data was developed

Reliability and Accountability
are defined
Quality Level D
The least reliable utility data
This level of effort

is great for Project
Planning purposes,
utility inventories,
and very preliminary
utility relocation cost
estimates
Plotted on plans from records.

Sometimes a field visit - to look for
utility indications on the site - is
made.
Sometimes verbal recollections
are plotted.
Quality Level C
The traditional utility depiction
Problems with records

interpretations still
exist: e.g. schematics,
no appurtenances
depicted, utilities not
straight between
appurtenances, no
records exist, and so on.
Surface Appurtenances are

surveyed and accurately plotted on
a current site plan
Utility data from records (QL D) are
correlated to the appurtenances
Quality Level B
A significant upgrade in quality
Non-recorded utilities
found. Utilities routes
between appurtenances
are imaged.
Typically used in early
preliminary design for
construction footprint
decisions.
Surface Geophysical Methods

used to search for and trace
existing utilities.
Designated utilities are then
surveyed and plotted on site plan.
Quality Level A
A guarantee in 3-D
Typically used in final

design stages. Allows
small adjustments in
design for big savings
in construction
Utilities exposed via nondestructive air-vacuum means

Exposed utilities are then surveyed
and plotted on site plan
Elevations, Size, Condition,
Materials, Precise Horizontal
Positions are measured and
documented
QL A and QL B upgrades
have been successful in
reducing risk on tens of
thousands of highway
and road projects.
Used extensively by
Eastern State DOTs

Municipalities
This is a tried
and true
process
SUE has an Outstanding Record

Under recent contracts with various departments of transportation including the
Texas DOT,
New Jersey DOT,
North Carolina DOT,
Virginia DOT,
Pennsylvania DOT,
Delaware DOT,
Ohio DOT,
Georgia DOT,
Florida DOT,
Arizona DOT,
and the Maryland State Highway Administration,
This represents tens of thousands of separate projects, some of which

involved
over 200,000 feet of utilities (Quality Level B)
and 850 test holes (Quality Level A).
Yet, SUE has not been used as a

professional standard practice in some
areas for many reasons.
No concerted local or regional effort to

educate project owners or engineers of
benefits
Lack of interest by state DOTs
Development of SUE has been primarily
on the east coast
Few national providers
Combined construction values in some
areas lower than in others
Lack of a well defined standard of care
created little incentive for changing the
status-quo
These
Impediments to
SUE are rapidly
disappearing
There are now national standards under

development
American Society of Civil Engineer /
American National Standards Institutes
National Standard Activity
This will
redefine the
standard of care
for utility
mapping by the
engineering
profession
Standard Guidelines for the

Collection and Depiction of
Existing Subsurface Utility Data
With an anticipated publish

date of December 2001
A January 2000 FHWA / Purdue University

study (Publication No. FHWA-IF-00-014)
states the following:
A savings of $4.62 for every $1.00

spent on SUE was quantified from a
total of 71 projects. These projects
had a combined construction value
in excess of $1 billion. The costs of
obtaining Quality Level B (QL B)
and Quality Level A (QL A) data
on these 71 projects were less than
0.5 percent of the total construction
costs, and it resulted in a
construction savings of 1.9 percent
over traditional Quality Level C
(QL C) and/or Quality Level D (QL
D) data. .62 for every $1.00 spent on SUE
One individual project had a $206.00 to

$1.00 return on investment (North Carolina
DOT).
Only 3 of 71 projects had a negative return
on investment.
The simple conclusion of this study is that
SUE is a viable technologic practice that
reduces project costs related to the risks
associated with existing subsurface utilities
and, when used in a systematic manner,
will result in significant quantifiable and
qualitative benefits.
And theres more!

SUE is recognized as
a
BEST PRACTICE
by
AASHTO
Federal Highway Administration
Associated General Contractors
Office of Pipeline Safety
National Transportation Safety Board
Network Reliability Council
Many state DOTs
SUE offers a OneStop Shop for all

of a projects
utility needs
A SUE Provider has the Diverse Experienced Staff

necessary for these services
Highway Designers
Utility Design Experts
Utility Accommodation Policy Experts
Records Researchers
CADD Technicians
Utility Engineers
Field SUE Specialists

Field SUE Technicians
Survey Party Chiefs
Professional Engineers
Professional Surveyors
Professional Geologists
Equipment Repair Techs
Air/Vacuum Fabrication
Vehicle Maintenance
Subsurface Utility Engineering offers tremendous value

for your projects, too
With a mix of
field and office
activities
Field survey of utility appurtenances, designating, and locating data

Utility designating via surface geophysical techniques
Utility locating via non-destructive vacuum exposure
Utility mapping using quality level attributes
Utility Conflict avoidance advice and design
Utility design and relocation design
Utility relocation coordination
Relocation cost estimates
Utility records research
Utility easement plats
Slide show and pictures courtesy of So-Deep, Inc.

Applying Subsurface Utility Engineering To Highway and Road Projects

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Applying

Subsurface Utility Engineering

Existing Underground Utilities are the

We dont keep good records

Where do we get Utility Info?

Utility Records (As-Designed)

The Engineer uses these

This can result in even more errors

The Engineer ends up

I guess well let the

What are these Risks?

There are a lot of other risks too

Fortunately, theres a way

S.U.E. Combines Traditional

Utility Records Research

Relocation Cost Estimates

Utility Design/Relocation Design

Plotting of Utilities from Records

with New Technologies

The Most Significant Advancement

They indicate how utility data was developed

This level of effort

Plotted on plans from records.

Problems with records

Surface Appurtenances are

Surface Geophysical Methods

Typically used in final

Utilities exposed via nondestructive air-vacuum means

Eastern State DOTs

SUE has an Outstanding Record

This represents tens of thousands of separate projects, some of which

Yet, SUE has not been used as a

No concerted local or regional effort to

There are now national standards under

Standard Guidelines for the

With an anticipated publish

A January 2000 FHWA / Purdue University

A savings of $4.62 for every $1.00

One individual project had a $206.00 to

And theres more!

SUE offers a OneStop Shop for all

A SUE Provider has the Diverse Experienced Staff

Field SUE Specialists

Subsurface Utility Engineering offers tremendous value

Field survey of utility appurtenances, designating, and locating data

Slide show and pictures courtesy of So-Deep, Inc.

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