Brief Overview:
During the pre-construction phase of the State Highway Design and Build transportation project, a Subsurface Utility Engineering investigation identified and designated over 450,000 meters of utilities, leading to the excavation of over 600 test holes, based on this information, road designers adjusted their plans by shifting the right-of-way 90 meters to avoid relocating high-pressure pipelines, preventing project delays and yielding an estimated cost savings of 3 million dollars.
Case Study as Reported:
A SUE investigation was undertaken as part of the pre-construction phase of State Highway 130, a major Design-Build transportation project involving a four-lane highway, toll facilities, and major interchanges.
The design called for the relocation of many utilities, as well as the construction of new utilities, to support the toll roadway.
The SUE firm designated approximately 1.5 million linear feet of utilities, and excavated more than 600 test holes.
Based on the SUE information, the road designers revised their plans, shifting the right-ofway by approximately 300-ft., to avoid the relocation of several high-pressure pipelines.
This change prevented project delays and resulted in savings estimated at $3 million.
Keywords: Highways/roads/intersections; Design/redesign; Savings; Excavating; Test holes (QL-A); Surface geophysical techniques (QL-B)