A brief aside before we answer the question posed in the title – what are utilities? There’s no one simple definition – it’s easier to call them by their names. Water, sewage, electricity, phone lines, natural gas – all of these, and more, fall under the category of utility. You might think of utilities as public infrastructure – under that definition, roads, the Internet, and even postal services, like mailboxes, could be considered utilities.

Underground utility installation, then, is installing utility-related infrastructure underground. Water mains (and connections to water mains), sewer lines, gas lines, and electrical wires can all be underground utilities, just to name a few. There are billions of feet of underground utilities in the U.S.

Underground utility installers dig carefully

That means if you’re going wild with a piece of digging equipment, you could easily bust open a gas line. The defining trait of a great underground utility contractor is probably conscientiousness – work is done deliberately and methodically to avoid causing damage to any other utility lines.

Utility installers are also in constant communication with each other. Have you ever noticed red spray paint on a sidewalk? That could be one utility installer telling future installers that there are electrical lines underground. Check out this PDF on utility color codes – it could change the way you see your city. 

All of this is to prevent potential damage – remember, utilities are public infrastructure, so one small digging mistake can cause problems for all of your neighbors. Fortunately, the citizens of New Mexico are pretty cautious – check the Common Ground Alliance DIRT Dashboard to take a closer look at how different states are performing. 

We’re picky about our digging methods

The goal of utility contractors is to provide your building, be it your home or your business, with secure access to utilities at the most affordable price point possible. That means we’re very choosy when it comes to how we dig. Sometimes, we’ll create trenches, while other times we’ll use boring. Exactly how and where we’ll dig depends heavily on the existing infrastructure, what would have to be moved and dug up, and what is going to save you money in the long run. 

We do it right the first time

In some ways, utility installation is like solving a puzzle – you have to figure out how to make all of the pieces fit perfectly without interfering with one another. When you need to run gas lines, power lines, water, sewage, Internet, and more, all to one building, you need to find the most efficient way of laying things out to:

  • provide secure access
  • dig as little as possible
  • keep everything up to code

Everything needs to be carefully planned, because the last thing you want is for your contractor to call saying “Oops, we did something wrong, we’re going to have to dig again”. That’s the conscientiousness we mentioned earlier – commercial utility contractors in Albuquerque are meticulous professionals.

If you’re doing commercial construction in Albuquerque, it pays to have a general contractor with a lot of underground utility installation experience. We fit the bill – call us, and together we’ll make your project a reality.