Utilities in Highway Right-of-Way: Data Needs and Modeling

Each year, thousands of new utilities are installed within the rights-of-way (ROWs) of highway facilities nationwide. With the proliferation of utilities within their ROWs, it is becoming increasingly difficult for transportation agencies not only to allow more utilities but also to deliver and manage their own transportation systems in a timely and efficient manner. A geographically referenced prototype model that ties the locations of utility facilities to a state highway network and that associates the positional data with details of utility facility ownership, service or commodity type, infrastructure size, material, and other pertinent characteristics is described. The inventory model can accommodate a variety of utility-related processes within a transportation agency, including utility permits, joint use agreements, and deliverables from subsurface utility engineering contracts. Common sources of utility facility data at a transportation agency are reviewed, and a geographic information system model that represents the locations of utility facilities within the highway ROW is described.