Before the recent holiday season, the City of El Paso closed off a major street for a little under a week for pre-construction activities. The city’s Streetcar Project called for the utility company to relocate utility services. First, the utility company had to make sure they knew where those utilities were located.
This tedious process is expedited through the use of hydro vacuum and excavation equipment. How does this work?
- The surface layer is removed with help from a jackhammer.
- Soil, gravel and fill are pushed free and made loose by focused water sprays.
- The spray, gravel, soil and fill are immediately excavated with vacuum power, leaving little disruption to surrounding areas.
- Exposed pipes are mapped with highly accurate GPS systems.
- Since the gravel, soil and spray were vacuumed into a sealed container, it is available to readily backfill the pothole.
- The hole is refilled and patched.
The entire process is an efficient, economical way to prep an area for construction. With little to no damage of surrounding areas, minimal ground disruption and accurate mapping there is no need to go back and repair the area. For high-traffic or congested areas, minimal disruption translates to happier clients, commuters and others who use the area.
For major projects, the quicker and more accurate the prep work the less likely the project will falter at later stages. It may be a tedious step but potholing correctly the first time around is a very important step in the process.
If you still find the idea of drilling into perfectly good surfaces simply to get a better idea of underground utility locations a frustrating step in the construction process then you should consider hydroexcavation potholing techniques.
For more information about efficient geo-location and smooth potholing for your upcoming construction project, please contact us.