Utility infrastructure is frequently misunderstood across project stakeholders, leading to catastrophic design-phase oversights and millions in avoidable utility relocation costs.
During the 28th Utility Investigation School (UIS) in Indianapolis—hosted in partnership with GroundBreakers, LLC—Carla Weston (Civil Engineer & Owner) and CJ Goodspeed (SUE Manager) of Civil Design and Construction detailed the operational reality of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE). Aligning with BAMI-I’s objective to use post-UIS interviews to address both the specific curriculum and broader industry challenges, Weston and Goodspeed explained how advanced training transforms utility management from a reactive, chaotic field fix into a proactive design asset. This shift streamlines field-to-office data transfer, aligns surveyors with engineers, and protects the entire project lifecycle.
Key Takeaways From This Interview
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The Communication Gap: Civil engineers, surveyors, and project owners often operate in silos regarding SUE requirements. Cross-training entire project teams on utility standards eliminates operational friction and standardizes data expectations.
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Proactive Design vs. Million-Dollar Field Errors: Catching massive utility conflicts—such as complex duct banks or major power lines—during the design phase prevents costly job site shutdowns and catastrophic schedule overruns.
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National Benchmarking: Networking at industry-specific training events allows infrastructure professionals to evaluate how SUE standards and rapidly evolving field technologies are applied across different states and regulatory environments.
About BAMI-I & The Utility Investigation School (UIS)
The Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing science-based education and certification for underground infrastructure stewardship.
First introduced in 2016, the Utility Investigation School was brought to BAMI-I by Course Director Tom Iseley and is driven by the curriculum originally developed by Jim Anspach. Today, the UIS program provides comprehensive training designed to help engineers, DOTs, and municipal leads master ASCE utility standards and mitigate lifecycle risks. The curriculum continues to evolve, with Utility Investigation (UI) Committee Chair Alberto Florez currently developing UI 2.0 materials to keep the industry at the cutting edge.
