Subsurface Utility Engineering
Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) is a technique used for accurately identifying the quality of subsurface utility information needed for design plans. It allows designers and engineers to easily acquire utility location data and to manage the level of information during the progress of a project. A January 2000 Federal Highway Administration / Purdue University study states the following: A savings of $4.62 for every one dollar spent on SUE was quantified from a total of 71 projects. These projects had a combined construction value in excess of one billion dollars.
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| Quality Levels - There are four industry-recognized quality levels associated with SUE work: |
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Quality Level A - Exposing utilities with the use of vacuum excavation. |
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Quality Level B - Designating underground utilities via geophysical prospecting. |
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Quality Level C - Correlating record information with mapped surface features. |
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Quality Level D - Utility records research and inventory. |
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Benefits of SUE |
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Reduce project delays and costs unforeseen utility conflicts and relocations. |
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Accurate location, description, and condition of buried utilities is known and correctly shown on design or construction plans. |
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Improve productivity and quality. |
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Minimize risks of utility damages – reducing insurance liabilities. |
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Typical SUE Procedures
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Obtain utility records from owners identified by the local one-call system. This would typically include, but not be limited to, telephone, gas, water, electric, cable television, fiber optic communication lines, traffic control systems and forced sanitary sewers. In the case of a private site, the utilities may include steam, petroleum and communication lines that interconnect buildings. The client is provided with a list of all utility owners and contacts. |
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Appropriate traffic control and warning signs are used during all phases of field investigation and survey. |
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Utilities are then designated using electromagnetic or Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). |
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The marked utilities are then collected using conventional or GPS survey equipment. |
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The collected utilities are plotted in an electronic format chosen by the client. These plots are compared to field sketches and utility records in the quality assurance phase. |
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Mapped utilities are delivered in a hard copy plot and / or electronically in a Microstation™ or AutoCAD® format. |
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Quality Level A data are submitted in an approved hard copy report. A licensed professional seals the work if requested and/or required.
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