Utility Infrastructure
Iowa city moves forward with $13 million underground fiber project
Decorah, Iowa, is investing $13 million in a citywide fiber network that will deliver gigabit internet to every home and business by 2027. The locally financed project, operated by AcenTek, marks a major step in expanding rural broadband access.
Centuri wins nearly $400 million in U.S. utility infrastructure contracts
Centuri Holdings has secured nearly $400 million in U.S. utility and energy infrastructure contracts, including a major Midwest pipeline replacement tied to PHMSA’s Gas Mega Rule and a multi-year natural gas distribution upgrade in New England.
Dublin, Ohio moves South High Street utilities underground in major upgrade
Dublin, Ohio is relocating overhead power and telecom lines underground along South High Street as part of a multi-year utility burial project. Phase 2 is underway and expected to finish in spring 2026.
Boulder, Colo., moves utilities underground at Chautauqua to cut wildfire risk
Boulder is undergrounding utilities at Chautauqua, relocating power lines and fiber while upgrading water systems to cut wildfire risk and improve reliability.
Agile Utility Partners expands subsurface services with Ground Hawk acquisition
Agile Utility Partners, LLC has expanded its field service offerings with the acquisition of Ground Hawk, LLC, a subsurface utility engineering (SUE) company specializing in inspection, locating, and mapping.
AI adoption accelerates in underground infrastructure as SewerAI reports strong utility uptake
A new market analysis shows utilities are adopting AI faster to manage underground infrastructure. SewerAI reports strong retention and cost savings as demand for digital water solutions grows.
Kenya builds $120 million transmission line to carry geothermal power across western region
Kenya is investing $120 million in an 81-km (50-mile) transmission line to move geothermal power from Olkaria to western regions, strengthening the grid and cutting reliance on costly gas turbines.
Dublin, Ohio, advances South High Street utility burial project
Dublin, Ohio, is moving ahead with Phase 2 of its South High Street utility burial project, shifting overhead power and telecom lines underground. Work is scheduled to finish in spring 2026.
New UK partnership will deploy over 90,000 sewer monitors to improve system resilience
Netmore Group has entered into a partnership with Detectronic, a UK-based environmental and engineering company with a focus on helping utilities and industrial clients prevent flooding and reduce pollution.
Utility & communications construction update
Daniel Shumate, Managing Director, FMI Capital Advisors Inc. If you happened to be Rip Van Winkle and fell asleep at the beginning of 2025 and awoke in July, you would have no idea of the volatility that the public markets experienced and the global confl..
Letter to the Editor: Missing as-built records fuel underground utility strike risks
A trenchless services expert weighs in on the ongoing debate over underground utility strikes, pointing to a critical issue many in the industry overlook: incomplete as-built documentation. Could addressing this gap be the key to preventing future strikes?
Seadmok Water expands water and sewer services to Michigan, Maryland
Seadmok Water expands its water and sewer services to Grand Rapids, Michigan, bringing utility infrastructure solutions to meet rising demand in both Michigan and Maryland.
Exodigo raises $96 million to expand AI underground mapping for U.S., global projects
Underground mapping innovator Exodigo has secured $96 million in funding, doubling its valuation based on global demand from utility, transportation and infrastructure leaders. Exodigo's technology focuses on mapping buried pipes, wires and utility assets, to make designing and constructing new buildings, highways, subways, and other massive infrastructure projects safer and avoid unnecessary excavation.
Japan plans to bury 13,500 miles of power lines by 2030 to protect disaster routes
Japan’s infrastructure ministry plans to bury thousands of miles of power lines by 2030 to protect disaster routes and modernize city landscapes.
Tyler, Texas, approves $25.6 million utility overhaul for downtown core
Tyler City Council and Smith County approve $25.6 million downtown infrastructure overhaul including water, sewer, and street upgrades. Construction starts fall 2025.
Astound to build $34 million fiber-optic network in Orland Park, Ill.
Astound Broadband has begun a $34 million project to extend 285 miles of underground fiber-optic cable across Orland Park and nearby suburbs, the company said June 24.
SCE to bury 63 miles of new power lines in fire-damaged Altadena, Calif.
Southern California Edison will install 63 miles of underground electrical lines in Altadena, starting in 2025. The project targets fire-damaged areas and supports future clean energy needs.
Cansel adds radiodetection MRX range for subsurface utility location
Cansel, a North American distributor of Radiodetection technologies, has added the Radio Frequency (RF) Marker Ball (MRX) range to its portfolio of subsurface locating solutions. Designed to integrate RF marker detection and utility locating into a single device, the MRX Series is engineered to increase field efficiency and enhance safety across utility workflows.
Centuri awarded over $575 million in infrastructure contracts
Centuri Holdings, a North American utility infrastructure services company, has secured more than $575 million in infrastructure deals. The value largely encompasses a multi-year contract renewal with a natural gas utility customer in the Midwest, as well as additional scopes for the rebuild and construction of utility-scale transmission lines. Monday's announcement complements the previously announced $350 million in new awards on May 27, 2025.
Underground power line pilot cuts storm outages to zero in Michigan counties
Consumers Energy reports early success from its 9-mile underground power line pilot, with data showing zero storm-related outages in pilot areas so far in 2025—outperforming surrounding overhead systems.
Leica unveils DS4000 system for deeper underground utility detection
Leica Geosystems has launched the DS4000, a utility detection system capable of identifying underground assets up to 60% deeper than traditional methods, with improved clarity for both shallow and deep utilities.
Coastal Pipeline expands excavation, grading services in Monterey County, Calif.
Coastal Pipeline Inc. is expanding its excavation and grading services across Monterey County to meet rising infrastructure demands, offering trenching, utility work, and stormwater system support for both public and private projects.
Dominion Energy cuts storm outages in Virginia with 2,500 miles of buried lines
Dominion Energy has buried more than 2,500 miles of outage-prone power lines in Virginia, cutting average storm-related outage times from 11 hours to just 2 minutes in affected areas.
Subsite launches M10 beacon for underground utility installation
Contractors can more easily and reliably run short shots of fiber lines and other underground utilities using the new M10 HDD guidance beacon from Subsite. The M10 beacon is designed for use with compact Ditch Witch horizontal directional drills (HDDs) like the JT5 and small drills from other manufacturers.
SCE wildfire plan calls for 260 miles of new underground lines across Southern California
Southern California Edison’s $6.2 billion wildfire mitigation plan includes 260 miles of underground power lines to reduce ignition risk, alongside expanded covered conductor use and AI-driven grid monitoring.
Tyler Water Utilities to relocate 5,000 feet of sewer, water lines ahead of highway project
In collaboration with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Tyler Water Utilities will relocate approximately 1,800 linear feet of water line and 3,200 linear feet of sewer line to the edge of the existing right-of-way to clear the path for road crews to begin work along Old Henderson Highway.
Zeldin’s EPA moves to shield utilities, shift PFAS costs to polluters
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced new steps to tackle PFAS contamination, including testing, discharge limits, and a liability framework to hold polluters accountable.
ProStar, JAVAD partner to improve precision mapping for utility infrastructure
ProStar®, developer of the PointMan® Precision Mapping Solution, has entered into a partnership to integrate JAVAD GNSS receivers to the utility and critical infrastructure industry. The collaboration will allow customers to map the precise location of underground infrastructure even in the harshest environments, ProStar stated.
Las Vegas, Nev., dark fiber project underway as LSC expands network for AI, data centers
Light Source Communications (LSC) has started construction on a 60-mile dark fiber network in Las Vegas, marking its third major project in less than a year.
NTSB publishes preliminary report on fatal gas pipeline explosion in Lexington, Mo.
The U.S. National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) has published a preliminary report concerning a fatal gas pipeline explosion that occurred last month in Lexington, Missouri. The explosion occurred after a subcontractor installing a fiber optic line drilled into an unmarked section of a capped underground gas distribution main located near residences.
- Three Houston workers killed by hydrogen sulfide leak during sewer repair
- Trump's tariffs drive $33 million cost increase for Cincinnati sewer project
- TxDOT advances massive drainage tunnel beneath I-35 in Austin
- Funding approved for $1.3 billion, 60-mile water reuse system in southern Utah
- Is the Boring Company tunneling blind in Nashville? Experts warn rock tests fall short