Underground Infrastructure

Summit Carbon Solutions secures 80% right-of-way in North Dakota for carbon capture project

Summit Carbon Solutions has acquired 80% of the Right-of-Way (ROW) needed for its proposed carbon capture, transport, and storage project across North Dakota.

Zoo requires unique, specialized approach to infrastructure construction of new exhibit

Discover how Longhorn Organics utilizes high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes in a groundbreaking project at Caldwell Zoo's Amazon River's Edge exhibit. With a focus on water features for giant otters and jaguars, this article explores the fusion of 7,000 feet of HDPE pipe, ensuring reliability and durability.

Dig into your future at UIC

To unlock the secrets of this subterranean realm and revolutionize your approach to utility construction, rehabilitation and asset management, there's no better investment than the 2024 Underground Infrastructure Conference (UIC) to be held in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Idaho Broadband Advisory Board invests $120 million in 18 statewide fiber optic projects

(UI) — The Idaho Broadband Advisory Board (IBAB) has awarded $120 million in funding from the Idaho Capital Projects Fund (CPF) to 18 broadband projects across Idaho, connecting over 30,000 homes and businesses.

Brentwood, Tenn., expanding fiber optic infrastructure along city’s western edge

(UI) — The company, Kane Konnections LLC, has been awarded a $266,068 contract by the Brentwood City Commission to install an underground fiber optic cable along Longstreet Drive and Robert E. Lee Lane, situated on the western side of Franklin Road.

UI Awards ’24 finalists announced

(UI) — The annual Underground Infrastructure Awards (UIA), the most comprehensive and prestigious program to recognize outstanding performance and technology for the entire underground infrastructure industry, has announced the finalists for the 2024 awards.

PG&E hits milestone with 600 miles of underground powerlines, reducing wildfire risk for 20 counties

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has constructed and energized more than 600 miles of underground powerlines since its ambitious 10,000-mile undergrounding program started in mid-2021, the company announced on Dec. 20.

Editor’s Log: And then reality sunk in

In the underground infrastructure realm, plastic piping, conduit and related products are essential to solving market needs. Plastic piping systems are sustainable and environmentally responsible because they are energy-efficient during manufacturing and provide protection from contamination during service.

San Diego's North Park neighborhood celebrates undergrounding of power lines

(UI) — The North Park neighborhood in San Diego, Calif., recently celebrated a significant milestone as it witnessed the removal of overhead power lines from their community.

Michigan regulators approve $500 million Great Lakes tunnel for aging oil pipeline

Michigan officials approved a $500 million plan Friday to encase in a protective tunnel a portion of an aging oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, leaving just one more regulatory hurdle for the contentious project.

New drill bores deeper into tunnel rubble in India to create an escape pipe for 40 trapped workers

Rescuers drilled deeper into the rubble of a collapsed road tunnel in northern India on Friday to fix wide pipes for 40 workers trapped underground for a sixth day to crawl to their freedom.

California approves PG&E rate increase to underground power lines for wildfire prevention

About 16 million Californians will experience an average monthly bill increase of over $32 in the coming year as Pacific Gas & Electric raises rates to bury 2,100 miles of power lines, aiming to minimize wildfire risks.

New York Transco's $1.4 billion power line plan receives state nod

(UI) — New York Transco has received the green light from New York State's utilities regulator on Thursday for three transmission projects. As part of this comprehensive project, the developer plans to introduce three new underground cables linking Long Island to the broader state.

Russ Ford named 2024 MVP of underground infrastructure industry

(UI) — Russ Ford, a noted infrastructure expert, has been selected as the Most Valuable Professional of the underground infrastructure industry for 2024. Ford, a senior associate at Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc., will be honored at a special luncheon on March 19 at the annual Underground Infrastructure Conference (UIC).

CGA’s GIS case study highlighting value in facility mapping information

(UI) — Common Ground Alliance (CGA) recently released a groundbreaking case study as part of its Next Practices Initiative titled “PILOT: Improving Efficiency and Reducing Damages by Providing Ticket-Level Visualizations of Underground Facilities to Designers, Locators and Excavators.”

CGA’s DIRT report correlates infrastructure investment with increased excavation damage

(UI) — Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the national nonprofit trade association dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them and their communities, recently announced the findings from its 2022 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT). It revealed concerning increases across key damage indicators.

Underground Infrastructure Awards ’24 finalists announced

The annual Underground Infrastructure Awards (UIA), the most comprehensive and prestigious program to recognize outstanding performance and technology for the entire underground infrastructure industry, has announced the finalists for the 2024 awards.

Century-old sewer system in Manning, S.C., to receive $10 million overhaul

Manning, a city with a charter dating back to 1861, has earmarked nearly $20 million for a substantial upgrade of its underground infrastructure. Set to commence in 2024, the primary focus of this effort is the city's sewer system, with an estimated project cost exceeding $10 million.

Charges filed 5 years after underground gas explosion leveled home and injured 3

Attorney General Michelle Henry said Wednesday that the criminal complaint alleges methane gas in an underground storage reservoir owned and operated by Equitrans L.P. migrated upward into a deteriorating company storage well and eventually reached the Greene County home, leading to the blast.

USIC collaborates to align utility locating resources with BEAD program infrastructure deployment

(UI) — USIC announced that is collaborating with state broadband leaders and internet service providers to ensure the utility locating resources required to support nationwide broadband deployment funded by $42.45 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program grants over the next five years.

US military to begin draining leaky fuel tank facility that poisoned Pearl Harbor drinking water

The military next week plans to begin draining fuel from World War II-era underground fuel tanks in Hawaii, nearly two years after the massive facility sickened 6,000 people when it leaked jet fuel into a Pearl Harbor drinking water well.

Contractor killed in San Francisco trench collapse, prompts investigation

(UI) — A contractor in San Francisco's Lower Haight died on Sept. 28 after a trench beneath a sidewalk collapsed. While five workers managed to escape, one male worker became trapped under eight feet of dirt and debris.

Manhattan Beach, Calif., resumes underground utility line project after two-year hiatus

(UI) — In a significant development, the underground utility line project in Manhattan Beach is set to continue, following its suspension in 2021. The city has stepped in to support the endeavor, which will involve burying power, cable, internet, and phone lines for homes and buildings in two northern Manhattan Beach neighborhoods.

Foley Products acquires underground stormwater storage technology patents

(UI) — Foley Products Company LLC and Pre-Con Products have agreed to assign all the patents and trademarks for StormPrism, an underground stormwater storage solution, to Foley in the United States and Canada.

Schnabel Engineering acquires tunnel expert JCK Underground

(UI) – Schnabel Engineering, a leading provider of tunnel, dam, geotechnical, and infrastructure engineering, has announced its acquisition of JCK Underground, an industry recognized leader in tunnel engineering.

Montana telecom completes $11 million, 380-mile fiber cable burial project

(UI) — Blackfoot Communications, headquartered in Missoula, has recently celebrated the successful culmination of a six-year endeavor, entailing an $11 million investment, to install more than 380 miles of cutting-edge fiber optic cable within the Flathead Reservation vicinity around St. Ignatius, according to Government Technology.

Maui's wildfire tragedy ignites calls for safer electric grids with underground power lines

Lawmakers probing the cause of last month's deadly Maui wildfire did not get many answers during Thursday's congressional hearing on the role the electrical grid played in the disaster.

Tachus to invest $100 million in Texas fiber optic network expansion

(UI) — Tachus Fiber Internet, a Texas-based provider, has unveiled plans to inject $100 million into expanding its state-of-the-art XGS Fiber Network. The network is set to revolutionize internet connectivity, offering ultra-fast multi-gig speeds to both homes and businesses in the Southwest Houston region.

Beaumont, Texas, unveils $123 million plan to overhaul water infrastructure

(UI) — This intricate plan, spanning five years, carries a substantial price tag of $123 million, with a significant portion, $43 million, allocated to the replacement and maintenance of water pipelines during this period.

D.C.'s $583 million sewer overflow prevention tunnel now active

(UI) — In a significant milestone for Washington, D.C.'s ambitious Clean Rivers Project, the $583 million Northeast Boundary Tunnel has officially gone into service, marking the completion of the largest segment in a five-part, $2.7 billion system aimed at combatting chronic sewer overflows throughout the city.