The Steps to Successful Underground Utility Installation

Most commercial building projects require you to either construct underground utility lines or work around any existing lines. Although unseen, utility lines are vitally important to the functionality of any commercial building, as they can include water mains, electricity, natural gas, and sanitary sewers.

There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to working with utility lines. If your construction project requires underground utility installation, it’s important to understand the basic process and why enlisting the help of an experienced contractor will be to your advantage. At Greenway of Nashville, our exterior professionals are here to walk you through the process to ensure you get high-quality results you can depend on.

Pre-Construction & Site Prep

With underground utility work, you not only have to consider the lines you need for your own project but any existing infrastructure in the area you’re building, such as storm and water drains, power lines, traffic lights, phone and cable lines, and more.

For this reason, installing utility lines requires exact planning and detailed designs that should be handled by a professional. Here’s what you need to know before starting your underground utility installation:

Call Before You Dig

Before you begin digging, the first thing you should do is make a free call to dig-safe, or dial 811. This is the federally-designated number to call before any major digging project.

Once you notify the operator of where you intend to dig, they will come out to your site and mark any existing buried utility lines. This simple call can help you avoid injury, damage to your property, utility outages, and/or costly fines and repair expenses.

Proper Planning Saves Time and Money

Ensuring the necessary steps are taken before you begin digging will save you time and money. Before any project, our underground utilities experts will go over the initial plans and the estimated costs, so no detail is left out. Carelessness during the planning stage can result in unnecessary expenses and can even delay your construction timeline.

Trenching

After you have a solid plan in place and the site has been prepped, the first phase of construction can begin: trenching. This involves excavating the area to create a trench where you would like to position your underground utilities. Keep in mind that multiple services are often installed in the same trench, such as gas and electricity or telephone and cable.

Conduits, or pipes, may need to be placed in order to protect underground cables and lines. After the conduits are installed, the trench will be backfilled.

Depending on the ground conditions, trenching can be challenging. For example, if the soil contains a lot of rocks, excavation will likely require specialized, heavy equipment like a hoe ram. Excavation equipment is dangerous and costly to insure. For this reason, you need a team you can trust to put safety first.

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Cabling

If conduits were installed in the trench, the new utility lines will then need to be pulled through the conduits. There are several approaches to cabling that are all best handled by a professional. After the lines are fed through, they can be turned on and made serviceable.

Restoration

Once your underground utility lines are properly installed, the final stage is to restore the area. One of the benefits of underground utilities is that they do their job subtly, erasing the need for overhead wires that can be an eyesore. After your site is restored, your underground utilities should be up and running and you can continue your construction project.

Schedule an Onsite Visit

Break Ground With Greenway of Nashville

For construction jobs that require underground utility installation, we can’t stress enough the importance of working with an experienced contractor that you can trust to get the job done right, safely, and on time.

At Greenway of Nashville, we work with only the most skilled tradesmen in the Nashville area to ensure we meet our clients’ goals every time. For over ten years, we have continued to be the trusted choice for commercial and residential projects, alike. Break ground with an underground utilities contractor you can count on.

If you have questions about underground utility installation for your commercial construction project, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (615) 238-4574 today.