Thank you for Subscribing to Utilities Business Review Weekly Brief
Utilities Business Review | Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Technological advances and the development of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) processes have reduced the stigma and improved over time.
FREMONT, CA: Many engineers, designers, and contractors viewed "utilities" as a four-letter word because conflicts with subsurface utilities accounted for the majority of the cost and schedule overruns on construction projects. The stigma has gradually improved with technological breakthroughs and the continued development of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) procedures. Many departments of transportation (DOTs), municipalities, and utility owners now utilize subsurface utility engineering during the design and construction phases of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) projects as standard operating practices or as a mandate. It considerably reduces the likelihood of a utility strike and eliminates, in many cases, the need for needless utility relocations.
HDD with subsurface utility engineering allows a driller to move around or avoid existing underground utilities. It is because subsurface utility engineering correctly maps subsurface utilities' horizontal and vertical placement, providing the required information to prevent damage to underground facilities. Understanding what's beneath the surface and where it is can reduce the danger associated with excavation. Subsurface utility engineering has shifted from an emphasis on test holes (ASCE Quality Level A) to a more significant focus on designating (ASCE Quality Level B), and work activities have shifted from 99 percent in the design phase to a three-to-one ratio of design and construction.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
The change is partly attributable to the costs associated with right-of-way acquisition and property owners doing more with less space. The change has resulted in more utility owners drilling within easements. The ability to achieve more with less is also attributable to the evolution of HDD, a more advanced drilling technique. Instead of drilling straight down or at a linear angle, modern technology enables drill operators to navigate the drill head through a labyrinth of utility facilities. In many states, contacting the one-call system before construction or groundbreaking is compulsory. The valuable method serves its purpose by giving an approximate horizontal utility position before construction.
Drilling and ignoring the approximate horizontal location of a utility can endanger the driller, the general public, and any underground infrastructure in the corridor. Before drilling, most, if not all, HDD installers perform a thorough utility verification in the field. The necessity for field verification gets eliminated when subsurface utility engineering is utilized before construction, as a buried utility's horizontal and vertical components are delivered to the contractor or engineer by the subsurface utility engineering provider. When subsurface utility engineering is applied early in a project's design or construction phases, the project plans display highly accurate utility locations that serve as a road map for horizontal directional drilling.
More in News