Brief Overview:
In order to determine the precise positions of water and sewer mains buried deep beneath a swamp and river for a Design and Build bridge project, an innovative Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) approach involving the shutdown and dewatering of the mains on a national holiday.
Followed by the use of an electromagnetic sonde, allowed the contractor to successfully locate the utilities, enabling the completion of bridge pilings without interference.
Case Study as Reported:
A contractor on a Design/Build bridge project needed to determine the exact locations of a water main and a sewer main serving a local educational facility that were located deep beneath a local swamp and river.
An innovative SUE approach was used to locate the exact position of the mains beneath the water surface.
The consultant shut down the mains on a national holiday and dewatered them, so that an 38 electromagnetic sonde could be pulled through the pipes. Using a receiver on the surface, the exact location of the deep utilities was determined.
Based on the information provided, the contractor was then able to complete the design and construction of the bridge pilings while avoiding the utilities.