Dulles Transit Partners hired a SUE firm to assess utility composite plans compiled using as-built data for the Dulles Metrorail Extension Project in the Tysons Corner area of Fairfax County, VA.
Records used 36 included one-call marks, as-built drawings, facility maps, and design plans.
The SUE investigation employed electromagnetic equipment to confirm the records, discovering many misreported or unknown utilities. Consequently, the owner decided to expand the SUE investigation to the entire project area.
Findings from the SUE investigation helped avoiding significant construction related impacts associated with unmarked/mis-marked utilities, and the project was completed without a serious incident.
Fairfax County started using SUE in 1980 in an effort to reduce construction expenses caused by unexpected utility hits, redesign costs, and contractor claims.
Utilizing SUE during the design of projects has dramatically reduced the extent of the problems.
Keywords: EM (Electromagnetic) induction; Incomplete (utilities not in records); Inaccurate (wrong location/depth of shown utilities)