The Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) process provides valuable utility facilityinformation that can be leveraged to full extent for light rail projects. A properunderstanding of the SUE process helps mitigate problems of utility relocation costs, utilityfacility safety, and project schedule impacts. In practice, many issues combine to the missedopportunities for dealing with utilities on light rail projects. They are (a) stigmatism of SUEas potholing of utilities; (b) inexperienced junior engineers assigned to deal with utilityissues; and (c) missed avoidance, mitigation, or value-engineered solutions to utility conflicts.This report outlines the proper SUE process and how to properly leverage the utility datacollected via this process. Critical leveraging solutions include: collection of good utility databy following ASCE 38-02 standard guidelines; use of conflict matrices to manage conflicts;integration of required utility work into light rail construction staging; allowance of everyopportunity to bid on utility work under contract; and following through on utility as-builtinformation through construction.
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