Subsurface Utility Engineering and Mapping

When a project requires the use of subsurface utility engineering, look no further than the experts from Capitol Development Design, Inc. CDDI has many years of experience with utility mapping and has all the expertise & equipment needed for your project. Part of what we supply as part of our subsurface utility engineering includes:
  • Ground-penetrating radar (GPR)
  • Radio-frequency electromagnetic methods (EM methods)
  • Vacuum excavation
  • 3D radar tomography (RT)
  • Time-domain EM
  • Magnetics

We provide thorough utility mapping to ensure you can plan and apply your budget appropriately, make accommodating schedules for any utility encountered, and have the utmost safety during construction for your crew, equipment, and property.

Subsurface Utility Engineering

Why Choose CDDI?

The Benefits of Subsurface Utility Engineering with CDDI

Subsurface utility engineering has gained popularity in the last few years and has grown from a project consideration into a project necessity.

With CDDI providing your utility mapping, you will be aware of any utility concerns you may encounter during your construction, and you can plan ahead to stay prepared with minimal delays.

Utilizing subsurface utility engineering means acquiring data of where utilities are positioned underneath your work area. It is a crucial step as part of your project preparation so you can have experts on hand to provide advice, create secondary plans if you encounter any of the utilities, and stay on schedule with as minimal disruptions as possible.

Without subsurface utility engineering, you risk:

  • Lengthy schedule delays when encountering unexpected utilities
  • Cost increases due to rerouting and extending the construction schedule
  • Safety hazards that may affect your crew, equipment, and property
  • Damage to the utilities if unseen during construction
  • Multiple change order requests to accommodate the utilities’ locations

The Quality Levels of Subsurface Utility Engineering

There are four main levels of subsurface utility engineering, each one focused on a particular level of risk:

Quality Level D
Base information collection that comes from existing sources, including utility documents and oral histories. Please note that most existing documents are not 100% thorough or accurate for complete utility mapping. This level is primarily used for beginning project planning and route assessments as a precursor to other quality levels.
Quality Level C
Utility mapping based on surveying visible utilities and comparing that data to utility documents to map the underground locations. This is the most common practice of subsurface utility engineering and is best used in rural areas.
Quality Level B
The designation of utilities using geophysical methods to determine the approximate horizontal location of subsurface utilities. This method is best used to fill in the gaps from inaccurate utility records and has been found to save the most money on projects by allowing for appropriate planning.
Quality Level A
The use of locating via vacuum excavating and this involves all subsurface utility engineering services. It pinpoints exact locations and details size, purpose, condition, material, and other characteristics of the underground utilities. This is considered the most accurate subsurface utility engineering service.

You Can Count On CDDI For Your Subsurface Utility Engineering & Locating

No matter what quality level you need for your project, Capitol Development Design, Inc. is able to guide you to the most appropriate quality level and execute the subsurface utility engineering methods required.

Stay safe, save costs, and remain on schedule with subsurface utility engineering from the experienced professionals at Capitol Development Design, Inc.