HRT-16-019 Feasibility of Mapping and Marking
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Feasibility of Mapping and Marking Underground Utilities by State Transportation Departments PUBLICATION NO. FHWA-HRT-16-019 JULY 2018 Research, Development, and Technology Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101-2296 FOREWORD The Federal Highway Administration conducted research from 2012 to 2015 to document issues associated with State transportation departments asserting their responsibility to manage utility installations within the highway right-of-way. The research focused on the use of three- dimensional (3D) techniques by State transportation departments. The research addressed the following topics: (1) feasibility of State transportation departments as the central repository of utility data within the State highway right-of-way; (2) benefits of having reliable, accurate utility data available during project delivery; (3) barriers for collecting and managing utility location data as well as strategies to overcome those barriers; and (4) cost to manage 3D utility location data and mark utilities with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The analysis concluded that developing and maintaining reliable inventories of utility facilities within the State highway right-of-way is feasible and provides significant benefits. The research outlined 10 implementable strategies to achieve this goal along with 6 strategies that need development work. The return on investment (ROI) for preparing 3D inventories of utilities could be of the same order of magnitude as the ROI for conventional utility investigations. The application of RFID technology to mark utility installations at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is unique among State transportation departments. VDOT started its RFID program as a damage prevention strategy to protect relocated utility installations during highway construction. The average cost of installing RFID markers at VDOT is $0.65/ft of utility line, assuming RFID markers every 25 ft. The audience for this report includes State transportation departments, utility owners, one-call notification centers, consultants, and contractors. Cheryl Allen Richter, Ph.D., P.E. Director, Office of Infrastructure Research and Development Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA-HRT-16-019 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Feasibility of Mapping and Marking Underground Utilities by July 2018 State Transportation Departments 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Cesar Quiroga, Ph.D., P.E.; James Anspach, P.G.; Paul Scott, 601161-01 P.E.; and Edgar Kraus, P.E. 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Texas A&M Transportation Institute College Station, TX 77843-3135 11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-12-C-00025 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Office of Research and Technology Services Technical Report; October 2012–April 2015 Federal Highway Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 6300 Georgetown Pike HRTS-01 McLean, VA 22101-2296 15. Supplementary Notes The Contracting Officer’s Representative was Richard B. Duval (HRDI-20). 16. Abstract A critical factor that contributes to inefficiencies in the management of utility issues in highway projects is the lack of accurate, complete information about utility facilities that might be in conflict with the project. Barriers that transportation agencies must overcome before collecting and storing utility location data include, but are not limited to, liability in connection with data accuracy, visualization of data reliability and accuracy, long-term storage and maintenance of the electronic data, access to the data, and homeland security issues. The objective of the research was to document issues associated with State transportation departments asserting their responsibility for managing utility installations within the highway right-of-way. The research focused on the use of three- dimensional (3D) techniques by State transportation departments. Activities completed to meet this objective included the following: (1) a literature review on the use of 3D technology; (2) outreach to State transportation departments to document business practices and lessons learned from a review of selected case studies; (3) an analysis of strategies, barriers for implementation, and return on investment; and (4) a review of the use of radio frequency identification technology to mark and manage underground utility installations, along with a discussion of benefits and costs. The audience for this report includes State transportation departments, utility owners, one- call notification centers, consultants, and contractors. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement 3D modeling, Utility investigations, Utility relocations, No restrictions. This document is available to the public RFID, Return on investment, ROI through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22312. http://www.ntis.gov 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 195 N/A Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES .................................................................. 1 RESEARCH FINDINGS .......................................................................................................... 1 Benefits of Reliable Utility Inventories at State Transportation Departments ....................... 1 Barriers and Solutions for Collecting and Managing Utility Location Data .......................... 2 Cost to Collect and Maintain 3D Utility Data and Mark Utilities with RFID Technology ....................................................................................................................... 3 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES .................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW—USE OF 3D TECHNOLOGY.............................. 9 USE OF 3D TECHNOLOGY DURING PROJECT DELIVERY ....................................... 9 Basic Concepts and Terminology ........................................................................................... 9 Building Information Modeling ............................................................................................ 10 3D Engineered Models and Civil Integrated Management ................................................... 13 Data Exchange Standards ..................................................................................................... 14 3D Software Platforms .......................................................................................................... 16 MANAGEMENT OF UTILITY DATA FOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ......... 17 Typical 2D Utility Data Collection Equipment .................................................................... 18 One-Call Systems .................................................................................................................. 21 Conventional Utility Investigation Practices ........................................................................ 22 3D Utility Investigations ....................................................................................................... 28 3D Utility Investigations in Europe ...................................................................................... 34 Use of LIDAR for Developing Inventories of Utility Facilities ........................................... 36 Relevant Standards ................................................................................................................ 38 RECENT RESEARCH INITIATIVES ................................................................................ 39 SHRP2 ................................................................................................................................... 39 Cooperative Research Program ............................................................................................. 46 State-Level Research............................................................................................................. 47 Mapping the Underworld ...................................................................................................... 49 Utility Data Management Initiatives