Understanding the Underground World to Maximize the Potential of Site Development with Subsurface Utility Exploration (SUE)

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Allen Underground knows what lurks beneath the surface—and this knowledge can help save lives (and money)

Although Subsurface Utility Exploration (SUE) might seem futuristic, Allen Underground uses it all the time to see what’s underneath a construction site. This is especially handy when redeveloping a job site that requires locating and/or moving below-ground utilities. After all, you can’t plan how to accomplish this before knowing what’s down there.

At the same time, paying attention to the necessary compliance requirements is critical. Horror stories abound when the process is not undertaken properly. This can be especially costly when proper underground mapping hasn’t taken place before the bulldozers start rolling. One recent example from our home base of Florida involves a town being on the hook for utility relocation even though it was a state project. This resulted in the town ultimately deciding to sell its water rights to a private concern this spring. While it is impossible to imagine “what might have been” in this situation, it remains true that applying SUE technologies as early as possible can head off such potential pitfalls later.

Allen Underground continues to be an industry leader in applying SUE technology to magnify the possibilities of how site development proceeds. Being fully informed about the often-unseen underground world at a job site can help maintain cost and schedule during development. Even if no previous structure has ever existed at the site and no previous utilities installed, it is crucial to have a “clear” picture of what is there—which is where SUE comes into play.

While it is highly unlikely that an undeveloped piece of land may be hiding subsurface sewer, power, or other utility lines, SUE technology might uncover items of archeological interest. For example, many unmarked graves around the country have been spotted thanks to ground penetrating radar. And right here in the Sunshine State, the remains of members of Native tribes that once lived extensively throughout the Florida Peninsula have been discovered beneath public parks. Disturbing human remains is a complicated issue at the best of times; relocating them is fraught with additional legal and cultural complications, especially when it comes to Indigenous graves that existed long before there even was a United States. This is another important way in which SUE tech can be applied to get the full subterranean picture of the underground past before an above-ground structure can be erected.

But no matter how you plan to use ground penetrating radar and/or SUE technology, it is key to understand the appropriate laws and procedures—a major safety imperative for Allen Underground. Case in point, the FCC requires that utilizing such equipment stays within safe radiation limits and that it does not potentially disrupt other electronics or utilities that may already be under the ground. Each state may have additional restrictions as well, so it is important to familiarize yourself with any such limitations and work with a reputable company to ensure compliance.

The exciting future of SUE technology is still being written and Allen Underground. Its uses in construction and redevelopment help mitigate risks and keep projects on track to complete on time and on budget.

Contact us today to get a quote for any subsurface or underground utility identification needs and allow our experienced SUE team to deliver the information you need with advanced technologies like ground penetrating radar, RFID scanning, and specialized devices to help you stay safe and effective in your construction and development projects.

Innovation for Long-Term Planning — Using a Mapped Layout of Underground Utilities to Cut Risks and Save Costs

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The underworld is real—and Allen Underground’s underground mapping professionals can uncover it

On any given day, people walk over a bustling array of underground utilities without even realizing it. By one estimate, there are over 20 million miles of below-grade wires, cables, and pipelines beneath the ground we walk, run, bike, drive, and commute on. Engineering professionals spent time and effort installing those underground utilities over many years. And even after installation—sometimes years or even decades later—work crews often need to dig down again for necessary repairs.

Understanding the layout of below-ground utilities is crucial before any of the digging commences to ensure the safety of construction workers and their equipment. Thanks to a competency known as Subsurface Utility Exploration (SUE), Allen Underground’s professional surveyors and mappers can get a peek into the intricate maze of cables and pipes hidden below the surface. SUE technology allows for a deeper and more detailed look at what’s underground, helping companies dig smarter and faster.

The reality is that America’s infrastructure is aging—and many areas require repairs to remain operational and relevant. The United States is a large, geologically diverse country, with well over a century’s worth of telephone, internet, sewer, and other utilities installed underneath the ground. The problems associated with this are legion, not the least being the possibility of mysterious fires underneath streets, as recently happened in Baltimore.

While it may be impossible to get out ahead of every potential problem affecting underground utilities (remember there are 20 million miles’ worth of underground assets), employing SUE technology to obtain a fuller understanding of the subsurface environment helps engineers and other problem solvers know where the issues might be, and then formulate a plan to fix them.

In addition to correcting subsurface utility installations of the past, SUE technology also allows us to look at solutions for crafting the infrastructure of the decades still to come. This year’s hurricanes devastated aboveground power lines, requiring a thorough revision of how the community is supplied with electricity. In Tampa, those familiar wooden poles are being taken down and power lines are being relocated underground. This is one small way in which SUE professionals are looking ahead at the longer term for an energy future, and an infrastructure plan, in which utilities must be relocated below the surface to withstand stronger and more frequent weather-related events.

In addition to locating and potentially replacing outdated utility lines, the technology can uncover storage tanks, contaminants, and septic tanks, which may need updating and/or remediation—without digging. We’ve shared data before from the Department of Transportation that every $1 spent on SUE translates to $4.62 in total savings. Furthermore, the agency reports that SUE also reduces construction-related costs. Accordingly, the long-term solutions to the infrastructure issues of the present won’t necessarily bring along a hefty price tag. Think of it as investing in our collective future.

“The pipelines and other utilities that exist under the ground represent a patchwork of work undertaken by different companies, agencies, and workers for well over a hundred years—and much of it is in drastic need of modernization,” said Kyle Binni, Allen Underground’s Director of Sales and Business Development. “By using SUE, we are able to locate all of these underground installations, and provide the market with valuable data, empowering better decision making by civic authorities exploring long-term, cost-efficient plans for envisioning an entirely new infrastructure that will stand for generations to come.”

Our Allen Underground team has spent years refining the processes of applying SUE tech to see beneath the ground and create the most up-to-date maps of below-grade utilities. The technology also has other applications for highways, railroads, military, and other types of construction as well.

Get in touch to learn how Allen Underground’s underground mapping professionals continue to innovate on projects requiring economically efficient solutions to the ongoing puzzles located beneath our feet. We will continue to safely apply the latest SUE technologies to ensure your development and construction projects get off the ground successfully.