United States Department of Transportation
i
Cost Savings on Highway Projects Utilizing Subsurface Utility Engineering
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2000-01-01
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By Lew, J. J.
[PDF-13.07 MB]
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Abstract:The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has been promoting the use of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) since 1987 as a means to save costs on highway construction projects. In 1996, the FHWA commissioned Purdue University to study the cost savings from four states' dots that routinely utilize utility quality levels while producing contract drawings. A total of seventy-one projects (71) from Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio were studied. The total construction costs of these projects were in excess of one billion dollars. These projects involved a mix of Interstate, Arterial, and Collector Roads in urban, suburban, and rural settings. DOT project managers, utility owners, constructors, and designers were interviewed. Two broad category of savings emerged: quantifiable savings and qualitative savings. A total of $4.62 in savings for every $1.00 spent on SUE was quantified. Qualitative savings were non-measurable, but it is clear that those savings are also significant and may be many times more valuable than the quantifiable savings. Only three projects returned less in savings than expenditures. This leads to the conclusion that SUE is a viable technologic practice that reduces project costs related to the risks associated with existing subsurface utilities and should be used in a systemic manner.
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