The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority awarded a 5-year Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) contract (RR-13-4154) to HBK Engineering for Phase II utility locating and relocation services throughout the Tollway system. HBK and Ardmore Roderick entered into a Mentor-Protégé agreement to provide training and guidance in SUE best practices.

Ardmore Roderick worked alongside HBK to locate existing utilities, document horizontal and vertical locations, and plot for all underground facilities in potential areas of conflict. Our team obtained Quality Level (QL) A-D SUE and performed rigorous QC/QA of the data. This documentation was then packaged and submitted to design engineers for their use to develop final plans for proposed roadway improvements. Ardmore Roderick provided daily coordination and oversight of utility locator scheduling, management of SUE excavation contractors, and coordination and field supervision of traffic control, survey and general labor subcontractors. Ardmore Roderick also coordinated with various client and agency representatives (Illinois Department of Transportation, Cook County Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, local municipalities, ComEd, NICOR, and other affected utilities) to secure all necessary permits and approvals. Throughout the life of the project, which included more than 850 QL-A locates, Ardmore Roderick and HBK continually refined their SUE processes and collaborated to develop a uniform Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual for use in all contract work activities. Prior to completion of the contract, the valuable hands-on experience gained through this work enabled Ardmore Roderick to achieve prequalification through the Illinois Department of Transportation for Subsurface Utility Engineering, allowing us to broaden the scope of services we can provide.