Paul's Corner - His History of SUE
Post-43 – Utility Coordination (Part 1) [This is the first LinkedIn Post on the History of Utility Coordination as provided by SUE firms for State DOTs and other project owners] I always thought that Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) and Utility Coordination (UC) were two separate services but Jim Anspach tells me that isn’t necessarily so. […]
Post-44 – Utility Coordination (Part 2) [This is the second LinkedIn Post on the History of Utility Coordination as provided by SUE firms for State DOTs and other owners of highway projects] Jim Anspach’s history of UC and SUE continues: “Shortly after VDOT’s Chief Utilities Engineer, J.C. Carr, joined So-Deep in 1985, the various […]
Post-45 – Utility Coordination (Part 3) [This is the third LinkedIn Post on the early History of Utility Coordination, as provided by SUE firms for State DOTs and other owners of highway projects. Jim Anspach finishes up his history in this post] I asked Jim a question: Is Utility Coordination an integral part of SUE, […]
Post-46 – Utility Coordination (Part 4) In the previous three LinkedIn Posts, Jim Anspach provided a history of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) firms coordinating utilities for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs). This service came to be called Utility Coordination (UC). The next few LinkedIn Posts will include some thoughts from practitioners that were involved in […]
Post-47 – Utility Coordination (Part 5) In the previous three LinkedIn Posts, Jim Anspach provided an excellent introduction to the SUE Utility Coordination service. The next few LinkedIn Posts will include some thoughts from practitioners that were involved in this service in the late 1990’s and early 2000s. Last week we heard from Jonathan Tan […]
Post-48 – Utility Coordination (Part 6) For the past five weeks we have been looking at the Utility Coordination aspects of Subsurface Utility Engineering. Today we will continue doing that and will hear from Mike Woods, T2 Utility Engineers’ vice-president for the northern states. Mike has been involved in both Utility Coordination and SUE since […]
Post-49 – Utility Coordination (Part 7) For the past six weeks we have been looking at the Utility Coordination aspects of Subsurface Utility Engineering. Today we will continue doing that and will hear more from Al Field (CEO of Al Fields & Associates). Al has been involved in Utility Coordination and Subsurface Utility Engineering for […]
Post-50 – Training (Part 1) This week we are going to get back to the early History of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE). There are some important things that occurred in the 1990s that we haven’t talked about yet. Training is one of those things. Many of the firms providing SUE services, maybe all, began providing […]
Post-51 – Training (Part 2) It’s 1994. SUE is 12 years old. FHWA has been promoting SUE for 3 years. The just published Highway/Utility Guide says this about SUE: “Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) is a relatively new discipline that provides accurate information on the location of underground utility facilities. Typically, it is used during the […]
Post-52 – Training (Part 3) Early in 1994, shortly after the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Engineering’s Utilities, Railroads, and Special Projects Branch had distributed the “Highway/Utility Guide,” it came to my attention that the FHWA’s National Highway Institute (NHI) was planning to develop a two-day training course based upon it and had entered […]
4Sight Blog Posts
Post-53 – Looking Back (1981-1984) This week’s picture was provided by Jim Anspach and is of SUE work in 1984 on the first State DOT project (see more below). The quality of the picture is not very good, but I wanted to use it anyway because it is probably the only picture in existence of […]
This is our last in the series of looking at TAC-PUMS publications. It may be the last, but it is also the most anticipated. Completed in late 2020, we are anticipating publication any day now by TAC. The goal is to have it as a free download from the TAC website. It is written in […]
Completed in 2020, this report is not yet even published by TAC but it does contain some great information. It was completed by a task force within the TAC PUMS committee – led by Jean-Francois Demers (MTQ), and with help from Pierre Gagnon (MTQ), Barry Poon (Calgary) and Jevito Marchese (Mississauga). The purpose of the […]
Published in 2016, this guideline has been used by several Municipalities and Government agencies to help produce or update their own Utility Coordination Guidelines and that is exactly what it was meant to do!!! The guideline is written from the perspective of a roadway owner completing a Design-Bid-Build project. It is focused on DBB, however […]
This guide is intended to help road authorities establish and administer guidelines for accommodating Utilities with the Freeway Right-of-Way. There guide is applicable for Canada although it is a very good reference to compare with other similar guidelines such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) – A Guide for Accommodating […]
This was the first publication from the Transportation Association of Canada’s – Public Utilities Management Subcommittee (PUMS). The major components were a review of current practices across Canada and around the world, and a Survey of Ministries of Transportation and Municipalities to get a sense for how they deal with Utilities. Although the number of […]
One critical aspect of managing Utility Risk on projects is to have a set processes or standards to follow. The best way to start and develop these is to look at existing standards and best practices that have been developed by other users and practitioners from reputable industry focused groups like the Utility Engineering and […]
Review of SUE for Municipalities (Dec 9, 2020) This publication of the ASCE Utility Engineering and Survey Institute is a must read for any municipality, government agency or consultant looking to procure SUE services. The publication was written by two legends in the SUE world, Jim Anspach and Paul Scott. Key items in the publication […]
WHO IS PAUL?
Paul Scott retired from his role at the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2003 after a successful 35 year career. While at FHWA Paul was instrumental in the growth of SUE on highway projects across the country.
Lawrence had the pleasure of working alongside Paul during his Post FHWA years in Consulting. It was during this time that he garnered my immense respect and admiration for him as a professional and a friend.
Paul has been there from the beginning and is a true historian on SUE. Through this blog he will recount in detail the history of SUE through, as seen through his eyes, over the last 40 years. Enjoy!