The Importance Of Utility Mapping For Commercial Construction. What underground utilities need to be mapped?

Most people don’t even imagine it, but most underground places below their prospective building sites are highly occupied with utility lines. This is regardless of whether the site itself is empty or not. If you’re looking to put up construction, you need a map that accounts for all the underground infrastructure. Utility maps show the positioning and identification of buried pipes and cables. 

Utility mapping is important if you wish your construction project to proceed smoothly without any dangerous and costly accidents. It’ll give you comprehensive information on anything hidden underground or directly related to the above-the-ground features.

The importance of underground utility mapping

When digging, you can accidentally bump into an underground utility line. If the situation is not contained quickly and correctly, there could be serious consequences and potentially a delay in the project completion.

The good thing about having a utility map is that you know exactly where utility lines are buried, thus avoiding any unforeseen inconveniences. Here are some of the reasons why utility mapping is important:

1. Safety

You protect those working on the job site. Each year there are numerous accidents linked to hitting underground infrastructure while digging.

2. Deadlines

You avoid numerous time-consuming delays that would arise. This enables you to stick to a schedule.

3. Expenses

Damaging underground utility lines can burden you with unanticipated repair costs and lawsuits that are likely to send your costs soaring.

4. Accuracy

Imagine disrupting your entire project because you didn’t map out your utilities ahead of time! That would be so inconvenient. You save so much time, energy, and resources when you know exactly where to dig without damaging utility lines.

When do you need subsurface utility maps?

There are numerous instances when you need subsurface utility maps. These mostly include occasions where the ground is going to be disturbed. Some of the most common applications of utility maps include:

1. Construction projects

It’s important to have a utility map before the commencement of a construction project. An accurate map ensures that the project goes on smoothly as it helps prevent damaging any existing underground utility lines.

2. Land development

As you plan for new development like a park, you need to understand what the land is zoned for and the existing infrastructure, both above and underneath.

3. Excavations

Sometimes excavations need to be done if, for example, the ground is settling and needs to be refilled or if you’re looking to install a basement or swimming pool. It’s important to know what lies beneath the surface whenever an excavation is being planned. This will help avoid damaging the utility lines.

4. Emergencies

If a natural disaster hits or a building collapses, it’s important to act quickly to save lives. However, before you can start digging up the rubbles and dirt, you need to assess the area and locate any underground utility lines.

The utilities that need underground utility mapping

Before a commercial construction project starts, you need to acquire a subsurface utility map. Without information about where subsurface utility lines are located, it’s very easy to accidentally damage utility lines while going on with your project.

Which underground utility lines are shown in the maps? All of them really because these lines are everywhere, but they can be seen. Let us take a look at the most common types of underground utilities that you need to follow up on before starting your commercial construction project:

1. Mapping for Water Utilities

Water utility lines are one of the most common and challenging types to work with because they can be located in many different places. So it’s very important to have them properly mapped out.

Water lines are susceptible to damage during commercial construction projects. Fortunately, their damage doesn’t cause lots of serious injuries compared to other utility lines like electrical and gas pipelines.

2. Mapping for Gas Utilities and Pipelines

Mapping gas utility lines is critical for obvious safety reasons. That’s why there are strict regulations governing where they should pass and exactly where they are. Since gas pipelines run underground, it’s not uncommon to find them in private and public places.

If you hit a gas pipeline during commercial construction, there’s a high chance that a serious explosion will happen. That’s why it’s very important to know where gas pipelines are located before getting started with your construction.

3. Mapping for Electricity Utilities

This is yet another utility whose mapping is very critical. Like gas pipelines, electrical lines can be located anywhere (above and below the ground). They’re mostly positioned underground in places where they’re prone to damage by harsh weather conditions.

The greatest danger associated with them is in contact. Touching electric lines could result in electrocution that can potentially lead to death.

4. Mapping for Telecommunication lines

Overall, these aren’t dangerous, but the consequences of damaging them are huge. For example, if you cut a telecom line, you could bring the entire neighborhood’s internet down. Contact the service providers to find out where they’ve placed their lines.

Mapping utility lines for commercial construction is an important task that should be done carefully and accurately.