Underground Utilities for Construction Practitioners and Homeowners

Delays are a major cause for concern in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. This paper identifies the main causes of delay in infrastructure projects in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and compares these with projects around the country and other Gulf countries. Data was obtained from 49 infrastructure projects undertaken by the owner and were analyzed quantitatively to understand the causes and severity of delay. 10 risk factors were identified and were grouped into four categories. Average delay in infrastructure projects in Mecca was found to be 39% of the estimated projects schedules. The most severe cause of delay was found to be the land acquisition factor. This highlights the critical land ownership and acquisition issues that are prevailing in the city. Additionally, other factors that contribute to delay include contractors’ lack of expertise, haphazard underground utilities (line services), and re-designing. It is concluded that the majority of project delays were caused from the owner’s side as compared to contractors, consultants, and other project’s stakeholders. This finding matched with the research findings of the Gulf Countries Construction (GCC) industry’s literature. This study fills an important practice and research gap for improving the efficiency in delivering infrastructure projects in the holy city of Mecca and Gulf countries at large.

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PROJECT-SPECIFIC TYPE A VERIFICATION FOR THE HIGH FLUX BEAM REACTOR UNDERGROUND UTILITIES REMOVAL PHASE 3 TRENCH 5, BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY UPTON, NEW YORK

10.2172/1003788 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

P C Weaver

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

National Laboratory ◽

Type A ◽

Brookhaven National Laboratory ◽

High Flux ◽

Phase 3 ◽

Underground Utilities

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Inferring the most probable maps of underground utilities using Bayesian mapping model

Journal of Applied Geophysics ◽

10.1016/j.jappgeo.2018.01.006 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 150 ◽

pp. 52-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Muhammad Bilal ◽

Wasiq Khan ◽

Jennifer Muggleton ◽

Emiliano Rustighi ◽

Hugo Jenks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mapping Model ◽

Underground Utilities ◽

Bayesian Mapping

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Utility relocation management in highway projects

Built Environment Project and Asset Management ◽

10.1108/bepam-09-2017-0075 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 171-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aneetha Vilventhan ◽

Satyanarayana N. Kalidindi

Keyword(s):

Case Studies ◽

Nominal Group Technique ◽

Nominal Group ◽

Policy Changes ◽

Highway Projects ◽

Content Type ◽

Coordination Strategies ◽

Underground Utilities ◽

Multiple Case ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose Utility relocation issues are unfortunately frequent and recurring problems in several countries’ highway projects. Very few studies have addressed the utility relocation issues in highway projects. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, this paper explores how the utility relocation issues are managed in highway projects. Second, this paper systematically identifies the prioritized technical and coordination strategies to be adopted to avoid delays in utility relocation. Design/methodology/approach Multiple case-based research methodology was used to explore how the utility relocation issues are managed in highway projects. Empirical evidences from 11 road and bridge projects in India were used to develop the descriptive storyline for each of the project. The strategies used to manage the utility relocation issues were identified from three sources namely literature review, case studies and nominal group technique (NGT). The strategies were then evaluated quantitatively using NGT. Findings The analysis of the case studies showed that the delays in utility relocation were in the range of 5-52 months. It was found that the duration of relocation of utilities is impacted more significantly by the complexity of underground utilities rather than the size of the projects. Strategies that are used to manage utility relocation were identified across two groups namely; technical and coordination strategies. Practical implications Recommendations are provided for the practical use and policy changes. Originality/value The prioritized technical and coordination strategies can be used systematically to avoid delays in utility relocation.

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REFLECTIVITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC (EM) WAVE IN SHALLOW GROUND PENETRATING RADAR (GPR) SURVEY

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/jt.v78.9500 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 78 (7-3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nur Azwin Ismail ◽

Nordiana Mohd Muztaza ◽

Rosli Saad

Keyword(s):

Dielectric Properties ◽

Ground Penetrating Radar ◽

Geophysical Method ◽

Wave Reflections ◽

Material Parameters ◽

Geophysical Surveys ◽

Underground Utilities ◽

Dielectric Contrast ◽

Different Depths ◽

Ground Penetrating

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a geophysical method that is widely used in geophysical surveys, civil engineering applications, archaeological studies and locating underground utilities or hidden objects. It works by sending electromagnetic (EM) wave into the ground by transmitter and recording the returning signals by receiver. The returning signals bring information about the materials and changes in material parameters at different depths. The changes in dielectric properties () of two adjacent media result in EM wave reflections. In this study, several types of materials with different dielectric properties () are used in order to identify the reflectivity of the EM wave. Results prove that the larger the dielectric contrast, the higher the reflection coefficient thus the stronger the reflection.

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Towards an Underground Utilities 3D Data Model for Land Administration

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11171957 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (17) ◽

pp. 1957 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jingya Yan ◽

Siow Jaw ◽

Kean Soon ◽

Andreas Wieser ◽

Gerhard Schrotter

Keyword(s):

Spatial Data ◽

Data Model ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Spatial Information ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Data Governance ◽

Land Administration ◽

3D Data ◽

Underground Utilities ◽

2D Data

With the pressure of the increasing density of urban areas, some public infrastructures are moving to the underground to free up space above, such as utility lines, rail lines and roads. In the big data era, the three-dimensional (3D) data can be beneficial to understand the complex urban area. Comparing to spatial data and information of the above ground, we lack the precise and detailed information about underground infrastructures, such as the spatial information of underground infrastructure, the ownership of underground objects and the interdependence of infrastructures in the above and below ground. How can we map reliable 3D underground utility networks and use them in the land administration? First, to explain the importance of this work and find a possible solution, this paper observes the current issues of the existing underground utility database in Singapore. A framework for utility data governance is proposed to manage the work process from the underground utility data capture to data usage. This is the backbone to support the coordination of different roles in the utility data governance and usage. Then, an initial design of the 3D underground utility data model is introduced to describe the 3D geometric and spatial information about underground utility data and connect it to the cadastral parcel for land administration. In the case study, the newly collected data from mobile Ground Penetrating Radar is integrated with the existing utility data for 3D modelling. It is expected to explore the integration of new collected 3D data, the existing 2D data and cadastral information for land administration of underground utilities.

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