INTRODUCTION

For many years developers have been pitching the advantages of underground utilities versus aerial. What started as a differentiator to improve sales has developed into an expectation among residential consumers. In fact, some municipalities have passed local laws that require all power and communication utilities to be underground within residential developments. There are sound reasons for this trend beyond the obvious aesthetic improvement. Underground utilities within residential developments are generally direct buried, improving their cost competitiveness over aerial. They are safe from high winds and ice and, therefore, much less susceptible to weather-related outages. They are less susceptible to vandalism or sabotage. Conversely, underground utilities are more likely than aerial to be accidentally damaged during construction. Also, when damage or failure occurs, it is more time consuming to locate the problem and more expensive to repair.

For the site's civil engineer, communication and coordination are the key to successful dry utility design. The site engineers are often the link between the building engineers, the utility companies, and local municipalities. These utilities have requirements for clearance, bend radius, and burial depth that are very different from gravity or pressure utilities, but they also offer unique opportunities. Dry utilities can be offset over, under, and around conflicts; they have much more flexibility with burial depth and are generally much easier to locate once placed underground. Understanding the design requirements of these utilities allows the site engineer to effectively plan the integration of these systems...