In 2005, UDig NY instituted an Extent of Excavation (EOE) policy. This policy regulates how much or how far any given work site can be entered on a location request (also known as a ticket). Although this policy has been in practice for a few years, we would like to take this opportunity to offer a quick review and explain a few points.
Extent of Excavation – An excavation notice shall consist of a contiguous work site within a block or within 500-ft, whichever is greater. This includes the side of a road, in a field, in the median of the highway, or anywhere the work is continuous. The dig site can also extend around the corner of a block for a distance not to exceed 500-ft. If the work is being done at a property (house, business, vacant lot), you must enter a location request for each individual property, even if the properties are side by side.
For example, if you are installing service lines to addresses 35, 37, 38, and 51, individual location requests will need to be created for houses 35, 37, 38 and 51. Each address will receive a separate ticket number since the excavator will be “picking up shop” and moving from address to address.
However, if you install a main line that will “feed” those houses, the work can go on one location request. This difference is due to the work (i.e. ditching, trenching) continuously moving along the roadside in front of multiple properties. Keep in mind, though, these tickets will be held to the “block to block or 500-ft whichever is greater” standard.
- Job specific exceptions and inclusions:
- Trees If you have a single address at which you are planting several trees, you do not need a separate ticket for each tree. The address serves as the “work site.” Therefore, if you are planting 10 trees at house #23 Smith Street, all of the work can go on one ticket. If you are installing 8 trees on a street at different locations (e.g., 5 trees on the north side and 3 trees on the south side), you will need a separate ticket for each location. Again, this is known as “picking up shop.” The location requests will also need to be divided by using the EOE rules. If you DO NOT have any addresses, you must enter one ticket for each tree. The customer service representative will assist you with any questions as you enter the information for each ticket
- Soil Borings Soil borings can be entered cross road to cross road (or reference marker to reference marker), as divided by each side of the road. Therefore, if you are working on the north AND south sides of Elm Street between Pine and Oak Streets, you will have to enter one location request for the north side of Elm Street and another for the south side (between Pine and Oak). However, if you are doing several soil borings on one property, all the borings can be entered on one location request.
- Utility Poles Utility pole excavations (pole placements, installs, anchors, etc.) can be placed on ONE location request, including up to three poles per ticket. In other words, as long as the poles are contiguous, up to three poles can be placed on the same ticket; regardless of house numbers, pole numbers or which side of the street the poles run (i.e. pole 12506-2 (east side), 12508-1 (west side), 12510-2 (east side)). However, the original EOE policy of “block to block or 500-ft whichever is greater” for each ticket still applies. If two poles are on the west side of an intersection and the next one is on the east side of the intersection, you would need two separate tickets (one ticket for the 2 west side poles; one ticket for the 1 east side pole). The diagram below will show an examples:
Poles 1, 1a, and 2, can all go on one ticket since they are consecutively numbered and are all in the same block. Poles A, 1, and 2, could also go on one ticket. If the caller were working on poles 1, 2, and 3; however, they would need to call in two separate tickets since EoE goes from block to block (poles 1 and 2 would go on one ticket, and pole 3 would be on a second ticket). The same would apply if they were calling in for poles 2, 3, and 4. - Signs Signs can be entered as three signs per ticket. They do not have to be consecutive; however, they do have to be broken up per side of the road. They should follow the original EOE policy of “block to block or 500-ft whichever is greater” for each excavation requested. Please remember, in most cases no more than three signs will be allowed per location. The exception for the 3 sign posts per ticket procedure would be when you are working on any state routes and/or interstates. If you are working on either of these types of roads, you may put as many signs as you want on one ticket, but the ticket must be reference marker to reference marker or cross road to cross road. So, if you are placing 15 signs between reference marker 1512.3 and reference marker 1513.3 on NY RT 176, it would be acceptable to put all of this information on one ticket. However, if you are installing 5 signs on Jones Ave. in the village, you would need 2 separate tickets (3 on one ticket; 2 on the last ticket).
The Extent of Excavation policy is designed to assist all those who are involved with the one call process. It helps establish a format; one that determines how much location can be allowed on one ticket. It also allows excavations on separate properties or ones that continue for miles down the road to become more finite, resulting in faster clearances and less wait time for excavators. If you have any questions about this or any other policy, contact your local Field Representative.
*The utility pole policy was reviewed and amended per the UDig NY Executive Committee effective May 14, 2007. The changes were made with damage prevention in mind. Please note that no more than three consecutive poles will be allowed per location.
*The signs and test boring policies were reviewed and amended per the UDig NY Executive Committee effective May 4, 2011.
