McKim & Creed provided SUE and utility coordination services for a portion of I-69, a 1,650-mile highway through mid-America that stretches from Mexico to Canada. Deemed a High Priority Corridor by the US Congress, I-69 is being developed through a series of upgrade and relief projects that bring existing roadways up to interstate standards.
In Texas, portions of six highways have been designated to become part of the I-69 corridor. McKim & Creed provided SUE services for one of those highway sections, US 281 in Hildago County, Texas. Services include QL-A to QL-D services, as well as overall utility coordination, for US 281 in Edinburg, Texas.
The first step in the process was to create a Texas 811 ticket, which identified nine different utility owners within the project area. These owners were invited to a kickoff meeting in which McKim & Creed provided information about the proposed TxDOT project, answered questions and addressed concerns.
McKim & Creed designated approximately 130,000 linear feet of underground utilities through QL-B. Another 85,000 linear feet were surveyed and recorded through QL-C and D. Forty QL-A test holes were completed for the project as well.
The SUE data and the information received from each of the respective utility owners has been compiled to create a Utility Conflict Matrix. The Utility Conflict Matrix is a living document that allows our team to manage the overall coordination process. McKim & Creed also worked with the utility owners to produce the Utility Agreement Assembly packages that are required for each utility that has to relocate as a result of the proposed project.
Additionally, McKim & Creed led the utility coordination for completing utility agreements and permits to help the utilities relocate out of conflict into the newly acquired ROW.