Ear to the Ground - Fall 2015 - (Page 22)
FEATURE
B Y L AW R E N C E A R C A N D, P. E N G , P R E S I D E N T, T 2 U T I L I T Y E N G I N E E R S I N C .
A N D S T E V E M U R P H Y, C . E .T., P RO G R A M M A N A G E R C O R R I D O R C O N T RO L , R E G I O N A L M U N I C I PA L I T Y O F Y O R K
Utility Coordination
Comes to the
Forefront in Canada
U
tility relocations typically present
one of the largest potential risks
to delivering major capital infrastructure projects on time and/or on
budget within urbanized areas. Until
2015 there has been little in terms of a
standardized process in place regarding
the coordination of the utility impacts
and the management of the effects of
the utility relocations on a project. The
Transportation Association of Canada
to the rescue!
The Transportation Association
of Canada's (TAC) Public Utilities
Management Sub-committee is about
to publish a new document titled,
"Guideline for the Coordination of Utility
Relocations," which is a road map for
the coordination of these utility relocations. The purpose of this guideline is to
assist various Right-of-Way (ROW) owners and utility agencies in the development of new or enhancement of their
current utility coordination processes.
The guideline gives utilities a consistent
process they can follow when working
with any ROW owner across Canada. It
allows ROW owners to learn from the
best practices and procedures of different parties and to implement a process that will be readily accepted and
adopted by utility agencies.
The guideline has been in development since 2013 by the volunteers at TAC,
which has representation from across
Canada in both the municipal and utility
sectors. The guideline has been through
22
numerous internal revisions, a public
consultation process and is currently
under final approval within TAC. It is
expected to be published in spring 2016.
The guideline has two major components: a detailed flow chart that
highlights the various activities that
should take place at different stages
of a project, and a written guideline
which delves into additional levels of
detail regarding what and when tasks
should be completed.
There are some key fundamental
principles that resonate throughout
the guideline that enhance the overall utility coordination, communication
and cooperation. Following are some of
the principles:
DEFINE ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
A strong team is vital to a successful
project. To build a team it is important
that all parties know their roles on the
project and know their tasks. It is also
important for the team members to know
the responsibilities of other team members and how the team interacts.
HAVE A FORMALIZED
COORDINATION PROCESS
It is important that all parties understand the process that will be followed
for the project. The new guideline provides an excellent framework for road
authorities, in consultation with utility
agencies, to develop or update a utility
relocation process using the best practices that have been compiled from
Canadian and International experts.
ASSIGN A UTILITY
COORDINATOR TO
YOUR PROJECT
The role of Utility Coordinator must
be formalized and made the norm on
projects. With this formalization of the
role specialists are being developed that
will have a solid background and understanding of utility impacts, as well as
the processes involved in coordination.
COMPLETE SUBSURFACE
UTILITY ENGINEERING
(SUE) MAPPING AS PER
AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
(ASCE) 38-02
The foundation of any utility coordination effort is the ability to have accurate, reliable drawings that show the
true location of the aerial and underground utilities within the project area.
The ASCE 38-02 is a tried and effective
standard to follow for creating accurate
maps and its use is the benchmark for
standard of care.
CREATE RELIABLE
AS-BUILT RECORDS
An important and often overlooked aspect of the utility coordination process is the creation of
accurate as-built records. The Canadian
EAR TO THE GROUND
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ear to the Ground - Fall 2015
President’s Message
What Is a Stickered Locate?
Green Industry Damages Greatly Reduced
How TSSA Handles Late Locates
The ORCGA 10th Annual Golf Tournament
Hydro One Programs and Initiatives
Bell Canada Leads Safety Effort
Utility Coordination Comes to the Forefront in Canada
2015 ORCGA Locate Rodeo
Index of Advertisers
Ear to the Ground - Fall 2015
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