TL;DR:
An existing utility line in the wrong place can stop a job once crews arrive. Northern Lights helps Boone County contractors and commercial property owners review private utilities against the proposed work through locating, RTK GPS data collection, mapping and conflict analysis, so possible conflicts are flagged while there is still time to plan around them.
An existing utility line in the wrong place can hold up a job. If you find out after crews and equipment arrive, you may have to stop work while the owner and project team decide what to do. Finding a possible conflict earlier gives you more time to get answers.
Northern Lights helps Boone County contractors and commercial property owners review private utilities before construction. We provide:
We bring these services together to help your team see where existing utilities may affect the proposed work and which areas need attention before digging starts.
Conflict analysis means looking at documented utility locations alongside the proposed work. The goal is to flag places where an existing line may be in the way of a planned foundation, trench, drainage route or other construction.
For example, say you're installing drainage at a commercial property. A mapped private utility route crosses the planned trench. By reviewing the utility information against the proposed route, Northern Lights helps flag that crossing for investigation.
Your team can then bring a specific location to the owner and design team to resolve questions before excavation reaches it.
Not necessarily. A crossing on a map is a possible conflict. The team may still need to confirm depth or other details in the field.
RTK GPS helps record the position of the located line, but GPS alone does not establish how deep it is.
"A crossing on a map is a possible conflict. The team may still need to confirm depth or other details in the field."
– Northern Lights Locating
Once a possible conflict is flagged, you can take it to the owner and design team. They can review the location, decide what else needs to be checked and work through the next steps.
The answer may involve:
Those decisions belong to the people responsible for the project. A utility map gives them a clearer reference for the discussion.
For the contractor, early conflict analysis can help with planning the work. You can account for an area that needs more investigation when discussing the schedule and where crews will start.
Our focus is on giving you information you can act on during planning. Addressing potential conflicts at that stage supports damage prevention and can help reduce avoidable disruption once crews are on site.
Finding issues early will not remove every unknown. It does help you work through known concerns while there is still time to plan around them.
Utility documentation gives the team a record of what was found and mapped. That helps when plans change, another contractor joins the job or someone needs to review an area that was discussed earlier.
The owner can keep that information for future work, too. If construction adds or moves utilities, the records should be updated to reflect those changes. GIS updates can carry the documented information into the owner's digital mapping system.
The map supports planning. Current locating and any needed field verification still need to happen before excavation.
Have a project coming up in Boone County? Contact Northern Lights to discuss the work area, available plans and the utility questions you need answered before construction starts.
Utility conflict analysis compares documented utility locations with the proposed work to flag places where an existing line may be in the way of a planned foundation, trench, drainage route or other construction.
No. A crossing on a map is a possible conflict. The team may still need to confirm depth or other details in the field, because GPS records a line's position but does not establish its depth.
Those decisions belong to the people responsible for the project, typically the owner and design team. Options may include changing a route, reviewing the layout or gathering more field information.
During planning, before crews and equipment arrive. Flagging possible conflicts early gives the team time to get answers and account for areas that need more investigation in the schedule.
Yes. Contacting Indiana 811 is the essential first step before excavation, and current private locating and any needed field verification should still happen before digging. Conflict analysis supports planning; it does not replace those steps.
