Undergrounding
California water officials to replace 500 feet of sewer pipe in San Juan Capistrano
(UI) — From June 5 to 18, the Santa Margarita Water District will repair 500 feet of sewer pipes on Los Rios Street as part of San Juan Capistrano's sewer upgrade plans.
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.
PURIS enhances potable water rehabilitation leadership, acquires D&D Water & Sewer
(UI) — PURIS, a provider of trenchless infrastructure renewal solutions, has announced the acquisition of the assets of D&D Water & Sewer Inc. Headquartered in Canton, Mich., D&D provides the region with specialized underground infrastructure installation and repair solutions.
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.
DCA launches new workforce campaign ‘Success Looks Like This’
(UI) — Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) is launching an alluring new workforce initiative — ‘Success Looks Like This’ — a campaign designed to showcase underground utility jobs for what they are: well-paying, personally fulfilling career opportunities.
RodRadar signs $1.4 million deal with Sitech Tejas
(UI) — RodRadar, developers of groundbreaking imaging technology for detecting underground utility infrastructure during excavation, has entered into a $1.4 million agreement with SITECH Tejas, a HOLT company. The deal will see the North American dealer add RodRadar’s debut product, LDR Excavate, to its portfolio of heavy civil construction solutions.
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.
$80 million project installs over 9.5 miles of new water mains, sewers in three NY neighborhoods
(UI) — The project replaced over five miles (26,815 ft) of older distribution water mains with new pipes ranging from 8 inches to 24 inches in diameter throughout Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing neighborhoods. More than two miles of new trunk water mains were also added, which included 5,775 ft of 72-inch mains and 8,295 ft of 48-inch mains.
Common Ground Alliance issues “50 in 5” challenge to cut damages to buried utilities in half by 2028
(UI) – Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the national nonprofit trade association, has issued its “50 in 5” industry challenge to stakeholders with a goal of reducing damages to critical underground utilities by 50% in five years.
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.
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.
San Diego plans to speed up utility undergrounding
In a new plan, San Diego officials plan to speed up efforts to bury utility lines across the city.
UCT 2022 gathers in Fort Worth, TX
UCT 2022 gathered in Fort Worth, TX to recognize educational presenters and promotors within the industry.
Making the Grade: Tracking On-Grade Bores
Two 300-foot bores, 17 feet deep, through 44,000 psi of basalt – all at a 0.75 percent grade. It’s just another day’s work for Logan Kallwick and his crews.
Michigan Offers Grants for Rural Industry, Infrastructure
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is offering grants supporting land-based industries and infrastructure that benefit rural communities.
PG&E Commits to Underground Power Lines as Part of Wildfire Rebuild
PG&E announced today that it will put all electric distribution power lines underground in the Town of Paradise and some of the surrounding areas as the town rebuilds from the Camp Fire.
First Look: Utilizing Inertial Navigation Technology for 3D Mapping, Locating, Management
Over the last two decades, significant advances have been made in the quality and application of inertial navigation technology targeted at mapping underground pipe and duct assets. This article provides information on pipeline technologies that are available to map a minimum internal diameter (ID) of 1.6-inch to larger sizes. The pipeline mapping system offers a range of solutions that can map any pipe, regardless of its material, depth or type of utility.
- DeLa Express seeks FERC approval for Permian-to-Louisiana gas pipeline project
- OSHA penalizes Houston contractor over safety violations resulting in worker's death
- Fiber infrastructure has no known expiration date, Fiber Broadband Association research concludes
- Nevada OSHA fines Elon Musk's Boring Company over safety violations in Vegas tunnel project
- Damage prevention and safety: Turning awareness into action