Underground Construction
Trenchless methods: Trenchers remain valuable for utility construction
(UI) — In the 1970s, new residential developments were being built with all utilities underground. Of course, water, sewer, and gas lines always had been buried, but now telephone and electric dissertation wires were, too, as would cable television services that would come later.
Harbor Peak breaks ground on seven-mile fiber optic conduit system in Ashburn, Va.
(UI) — The underground infrastructure system will enable lateral connections into the many data centers surrounding the conduit system, and interconnect to Harbor Link’s 60-mile conduit build along I-95 to Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, totaling approximately 300 route miles between the networks.
Virginia piloting underground technology to assist in locating parking spots
(UI) — The three-year pilot project aims to improve the user experience for metered parking spaces in two key commercial-residential corridors in Arlington, Va. The pilot will use underground sensors to provide real-time occupancy information for each of the parking spaces included in the project area.
ProStar expands with acquisition of underground locating technology PointMan
(UI) — ProStar Holdings Inc., a provider of precision mapping solutions, announced that it has expanded its footprint in Australia with the adoption of PointMan by Provac. Provac Australia Pty. Ltd. provides unparalleled reliability and trusted services in both underground utility locating and non-destructive vacuum digging.
Tech Tips: Locating underground assets
(UI) — As municipalities and other agencies embrace the concept of asset management for their underground infrastructure, locating and identifying those assets become more important. In the past, the options for locating and identifying underground assets were a challenge.
NextEra Energy subsidiary FPL starts moving power underground in Coral Gables, Fla.
(UI) — More than 100 city officials and employees of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) gathered in a neighborhood in Coral Gables, Fla., to officially start a long-awaited project: the undergrounding of electricity lines in the area as part of FPL's Storm Safe Underground Program.
Ditch Witch unveils largest all-terrain direction drill to optimize underground construction productivity
The AT120 gives operators the power and stability needed for efficient fiber, pipeline and utility installation through hard rock.
Registration open for 17th ASCE UESI/BAMI-I Utility Investigation School
(UI) — The Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I) and ASCE’S Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) Pittsburgh chapter have teamed to conduct the 17th ASCE UESI/BAMI-I UIS School in 2023.
PG&E curtails plan to bury over 3,500 miles of power lines in effort to reduce wildfires
(UI) — In order to reduce the risk of wildfires in the western United States, California-based electric utility and natural gas supplier PG&E Inc. has scaled back its plans to lay over 3,600 miles of power lines underground through 2026. Beginning in June, PG&E will be tried for manslaughter in connection with fire fatalities allegedly resulting from its overhead power lines, which were blamed for the deadliest wildfire in California history in 2018.
26th Annual Municipal Sewer/Water Infrastructure Forecast & Market Analysis
(UI) — To say 2022 was an eventful year for the underground infrastructure industry would be an incredible understatement. The billions in federal monies being pumped – finally – into the nation’s infrastructure was game-changing for many cities.
Inside Infrastructure: After Surprising Election, Chaotic Start, 118th Congress Begins Its Work
(UI) — Comprehensive reforms to the permitting process for energy projects remains a priority for any entity interested in initiating projects to improve America’s dilapidated underground infrastructure. This has become a bipartisan issue after a $1.2-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill was enacted and getting projects off the ground was in the best interest of the White House and every lawmaker who voted for the IIJA.
Convention Preview: Workforce Development, Damage Prevention Are High on PCCA’s Agenda
(UI) — The Power & Communication Contractors Association (PCCA) entered 2023 focused on issues surrounding the influx of federal funds into the broadband and electric power markets, primarily finding a sufficient workforce, keeping the underground space safe and dealing with various stipulations placed upon the funding. PCCA also has two meetings planned for 2023 – the 78th Annual Convention in Miami, Fla., March 3–8, and the Mid-Year Meeting in Dana Point, Calif., Aug. 6-9.
Geophysical Survey Systems unveils ground penetrating radar system for underground utilities
The UtilityScan DF is an ideal choice for identifying buried utilities at multiple depths. Both metallic and non-metallic targets can be identified quickly and easily, and GSSI’s patented LineTrac technology gives users the ability to detect AC power and induced RF energy present in buried utilities.
Greenlight announces $9 million fiber optic expansion plan for New York’s Hudson Valley region
(UI) — New York’s Greenlight Networks has announced that it is bringing its sought-after fiber optic Internet network into the Hudson Valley, with underground construction scheduled to begin in the hamlets of Mechanicstown and Scotchtown in spring 2023.
Jury decides $10.4 million award for Portland natural gas explosion trauma
Lawyers for gas leak investigator Eric Rader and stylist Kristen Prentice said both suffered life-altering changes, including post-traumatic stress disorder, after an excavator hit a buried gas pipeline Oct. 19, 2016.
White House aims to speed up pace of infrastructure construction
The White House hosted a summit last week to help speed up construction projects tied to the $1 trillion infrastructure law as the Biden administration tries to improve coordination with the mayors and governors who directly account for 90% of the spending.
RehabZone: A Trenchless Experience
(UC) — A UCT exclusive, RehabZone is the original, hands-on, interactive educational experience, in the exhibit hall, for the sewer and water industry. This self-paced, walk-through exhibit-within-the-exhibit provides a comprehensive look at modern rehabilitation methods in a no-sell environment.
UCT Opens Registration for Orlando Event, Industry-Leading Education Program Announced
As 2023 nears and the underground infrastructure industry eyes emerging opportunities for the new year, registration has officially opened for the Underground Construction Technology Conference & Exhibition (UCT) – the leading educational and exhibition event to provide essential intelligence, information and business leads. c
Modern Guidance for Auger Boring Matches Growth of Technology
Horizontal auger boring equipment was making trenchless installation beneath roads, highways and other obstacles for years before the term “trenchless technology” came into use.
Editor’s Log: Launch of the Big Event
(UC) — There’s a good chance by now that most of our readers have seen announcements for the evolution of the next big event for underground industry awards – a very special occasion that will reward accomplishments and people of the underground infrastructure industry in a unique, personal and deserving fashion.
Political, logistical complications prevent Idaho cities from accepting infrastructure funding
City leaders in Idaho say they could use funding for water, wastewater, broadband and other infrastructure projects, but for a variety of reasons, 16 Idaho cities have rejected a combined $700,000 in federal coronavirus rescue money.
ARA forecast remains bullish on equipment rental revenue growth despite headwinds
Today’s economic indicators are mixed and uncertain, but all continue to point toward significant growth for equipment rental revenue in the U.S. according to the latest quarterly update of the five-year forecast released by the American Rental Association.
CASE Construction, country music star launch contest to bring awareness to construction careers
"We need to keep teaching kids that careers in construction bring great pride, lifelong earning potential, and the ability to build a world and path of their own,” said award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Jon Pardi.
California submits proposal for 45-mile underground water tunnel
A new plan to reroute how water moves from wetter Northern California to drier Southern California would ferry some of it through a single, 45-mile (72-km) underground tunnel, wrapping around the state’s existing water delivery system and dumping it into the main aqueduct that flows south to vast swaths of farmland and millions of people.
Be part of the inaugural UC Awards
The Underground Construction Awards will be the best opportunity of the year to truly recognize and honor the best of this grand, underground infrastructure industry in which we all relish and participate.
Staggering rise in trenching deaths spurs Department of Labor to enhance enforcement, oversight
In 2022’s first six months, 22 workers have fallen victim to the deadly hazards present in trenching and excavation work – surpassing 15 in all of 2021 – and prompting the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to launch enhanced enforcement initiatives to protect workers from known industry hazards.
Utility & Communications Construction Update
“Less for More” remains the theme for 2022, as price increases in labor, materials and fuel plague the underground construction industry.
Newsline
Colorado Developer Progressing Plans for $2.3 Billion Water Pipeline, EPA Announces $6.5 Billion in Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects and more.
Michigan panel seeks details on Great Lakes pipeline tunnel plan
A Michigan regulatory panel said Thursday that it needs more information about safety risks before it can rule on Enbridge Energy's plan to extend an oil pipeline through a tunnel beneath a waterway linking two of the Great Lakes.
Two workers killed after trench collapses in Washington
Two workers were killed after a trench collapsed in Shoreline and the slope was too unstable to recover their bodies Monday so efforts will resume Tuesday.
- Recycled water pipeline completed in Encinitas, Calif.
- Broken water pipe in Jackson, Miss., leaks 5 million gallons per day
- Texas water infrastructure failing under growing population
- Ice pigging offers low-risk, high-performance option for water system cleaning
- 60-Year wait ends as Arkansas Valley clean water pipeline project begins construction