The Threat from Below: Considerations for Subsurface Utility Mapping

By Matthew Fitzgerald Every construction professional has been there at some point in their career — subsurface utility unknowns causing injuries, schedule delays, budget concerns, design updates or unhappy customers. Plagued by inaccurate and unreliable utility records and as-builts, the design and construction industry continues to see the negative impacts of underground unknowns. Imagine hitting a gas main next to a school or cutting off the oxygen to a hospital’s intensive care unit. What if a hidden set of trolley tracks suddenly derails your building schedule? Or you hit a decades-old fuel tank that was long forgotten until you find … Read more

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Sundt Crew Digs Up Solution that Keeps Project Moving

Sometimes the most challenging part of construction work happens underground. A Sundt team ran into just such an issue on a project for Southwestern College and quickly developed a way to climb out of the hole. While starting utility relocations for a 25,000-square-foot science building on the National City, California campus, they ran across two old storage tanks located 8-10 feet below grade. While both were empty, local, state and federal jurisdictions and authorities had to give the clearance before work could proceed. Since this isn’t the first building to be put up on the site – there have been … Read more

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