As more EV charging stations emerge across the country, some first-time buyers are inadvertently overlooking the importance of verifying what utilities lie below project sites. Enter subsurface utility engineering (SUE) professionals: the unsung heroes of the EV transition.

After accidentally nicking an underground power line, one school district was forced to halt construction on an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure project.

The school was in the process of connecting an EV charging station to a cluster of ground-mounted solar panels located across campus, an investment that would and accommodate its growing number of EV drivers.

With the start of school just weeks away, Civil Engineer and Geophysicist Iko Syahrial was called to locate and map the underground utilities inside an 80-foot radius (about one tennis court’s length in every direction) for a safer path forward.

“The severed utility line was the only obstruction beneath the designated project area,” Iko said. “We also located multiple abandoned conduits that posed no risk to further construction activities.”

The process involved the use of five, non-destructive geophysical instruments, a standard operating procedure for subsurface utility engineering (SUE) evaluations that renders near-perfect depictions of underground utility networks.

“There’s no silver-bullet solution that can ‘see and detect’ everything,” Iko said. “But through the strategic integration of multiple, specialized tools — each designed to address specific aspects of subsurface analysis — we enhance our ability to unveil a comprehensive and accurate depiction of the hidden complexities below the surface.”

It’s the orchestrated collaboration of technology, Iko said, that brings clarity to the intricate subsurface landscape.

In other words, each instrument covers the other’s blind spot, piecing together an accurate picture and understanding of the subsurface conditions in question. They include:

• Line Tracer:
  • Passive mode identifies natural frequencies emitted by utility lines, such as the 60 Hz signal from electric power lines or radio frequencies from communication lines.
  • Active mode actively induces a signal onto the utility line using a transmitter and receiver, enabling tracing of the line’s path, even if it doesn’t emit a natural frequency (what Iko used to trace the rest of the nicked line).
• Ground-Penetrating Radar: uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. Helpful in locating buried conduits made of both metallic and non-metallic materials such as PVC or HDPE (think water pipes).
• EM-61 (electromagnetic devices): a powerful metal detector that detects the presence of metallic objects by generating an electromagnetic field and sensing the responses caused by metal conductors.
• M-Scope (conductivity meter): senses the conductivity of the materials (including soil). By detecting breaks in the homogeneity of the materials (discontinuity), it can be assumed that there is a possible underground line/object (think backfill).
• Gradiometer: measures variations in the Earth’s magnetic field, which can help identify subsurface anomalies or buried metallic objects.

Multi-method geophysical evaluations open projects to a wealth of insights that help inform safer construction activities.

The proactive involvement of SUE via geophysical methods in EV charging station projects is essential for the safe and efficient expansion of charging infrastructure, particularly for schools and institutions seeking to promote sustainability on their campuses.

By identifying and mapping underground utilities, these professionals mitigate risks, reduce construction costs, and support the growth of electric mobility, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future.

The process took Iko approx. four hours and cost a fraction of what the school will end up paying in change orders.

“These types of accidents can almost always be avoided,” Iko said. “If you’re thinking about adopting EV charging infrastructure, determine the location of all underground utilities before you dig. It’s a budget-friendly way to save time — and lives.”

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The moment a shovel or backhoe bucket is put in the ground, there is a risk of hitting or damaging a utility line.  As a result, locating underground utilities is critical to the design and construction of any roadway, infrastructure or building improvement project. Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) is a risk management process that combines civil engineering, surveying and geophysics. When used in conjunction with Utility Coordination (UC), SUE provides a method of characterizing, identifying and resolving utility conflict related issues.

SUE and UC are critical to minimizing impacts to existing utilities, but they can be even more beneficial and lead to greater cost savings when used during design, as opposed to during construction.  SUE allows designers to make intelligent decisions regarding their design.  Slight adjustments can produce substantial cost savings by reducing utility relocations and project delays.  

In an independent study by Purdue University, a total of 71 randomly selected projects that utilized SUE were studied in detail from Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio.  The result — a savings of $4.62 for every $1.00 spent on SUE.

When establishing a SUE scope, only certain quality levels (QL-A, B, C, or D) may be recommended based on the project’s need and purpose.  Our process is to identify the most cost-effective methods so that we can pass on significant cost and time savings to our clients and their customers.  Additionally, when a SUE service provider is identified, a strong, established relationship with transportation and utility owners provides a significant advantage. Knowledge of SUE and UC, understanding of the utility industry, and strong relationships with key stakeholders help to expedite any utility-related project issues encountered.

Atlas, through its acquired company, Long Engineering, has played a critical role in developing Georgia DOT’s SUE program into one of the most advanced in the country today.  Building on that expertise, we are focused on managing the risks associated with all aspects of utility coordination—mapping at appropriate quality levels, conflict analysis, relocation design, coordination, condition assessment, and consistently communicating all utility data to stakeholders.

Our crews routinely locate underground utilities including, but not limited to, water, gas, power, communication, CATV, fiber optics, fuel lines, force mains, and sanitary sewer lines. In addition, we utilize a full array of tools and technology to provide accuracy and quality results including radio detection designating equipment, ground penetrating radar, and vacuum excavation to existing utilities to determine their exact location, size, and elevation.

We have the necessary personnel to coordinate and manage high-volume workloads, while maintaining stringent Quality Control standards and schedules. This begins at the top management level and flows through our entire team. From a managerial perspective, Atlas is well-positioned and has recently completed additional key management hires, all of whom are seasoned industry leaders with proven experience in contract terms, issuing of task orders, and rapidly mobilizing personnel to complete work. Atlas team members Randy Sanborn, PE (VP SUE – Georgia and Florida); Tom Rock (VP of SUE – Carolinas); and Mike Goodman (VP of SUE – Virginia) are three of the Southeast’s most experienced SUE/UC managers, and they have each successfully managed large, statewide SUE contracts. These core individuals provide management redundancy and collaboration to quickly find creative solutions for challenging utility-related issues and have greatly assisted our efforts to serve additional markets such as the Carolinas, Virginia, and Florida.

Atlas was recently awarded a contract to provide statewide SUE services for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). Our team will support GDOT on an “On-Call” basis, and this newly awarded contract will remain in effect for three years. Additionally, Atlas currently manages SUE, survey, and UC services on 7 of the 11 GDOT – Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) projects. These projects represent the State’s largest, most ambitious transportation initiatives and include enhancements to I-75, I-85, SR 400, I-285, I-85, I-20, and over 100+ bridge locations.

A thorough knowledge of the design-build process as it relates to the SUE scope of service is extremely important for these types of projects. Additional work includes high-profile projects such as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, several projects at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, award-winning and sustainable projects on college campuses, and projects for well-known utility companies such as Georgia Power and Southern Company Gas to name a few.

About the Author:

Randy Sanborn, PE is registered in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina and was instrumental in helping the Georgia DOT obtain funding for their first ever SUE project, making him the longest tenured utility provider in the State. With over 33 years of experience, Randy is widely recognized as an industry leader in the subsurface utility engineering (SUE) and utility coordination (UC) arena.