Do utility companies chat with each other about when they are digging a road up? If so, do they talk about combining efforts or how to string it out as long as possible?

Roadworks between my house and gf’s house has had roadworks from 6 (maybe 7) different companies for last year, they seem to be doing various things – power lines, fibre, phone and whatever else.

Each time the road has been dug up, it gets resurfaced for about 10 days and another set of roadworks then appear and they dig the exact same hole. This would be OK if it was once section but it is a rolling piece of work.

Last lot has almost completed and another company has appeared and started digging the same locations but further back.

This was meant to be done by Easter.

So, do the companies tried to utilise the construction to benefit them all (cost savings on construction works if only needing dug once?) or do they just plan to drag everything on indefinitely?

Curious but also uncontrollable annoyed by it! Suspect annoyance is due to delays in getting where I want to be.

Years ago I worked for an it company who had a contract to build this exact system. I wasn’t really involved but recall it was fraught with difficulty, no idea if it was ever delivered but even if it was it’d now be replaced by something else which probably doesn’t work well.

They all have to ask for permission to do the works, ideally the council should be providing that resource to help them coordinate.

“Gas leak you say madam? Which road is that?”

…

“OK madam, following the latest UK directive forbidding incoveniencing impatient motorists more than necessary we have logged that with the council’s recording system and now have to wait for two other utility companies to need to dig up the road at that point.”

….

“What’s that? Sorry I don’t know how long it will be. Rest assured we’ll be round to fix it and your safety is our priority.”

Do utility companies chat with each other about when they are digging a road up

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No they don’t and they don’t GAS either, they are supposed to integrate with the Council but since the staff cuts and budget cuts there is no one there either that GAS.

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The new roads and street works act (NRSWA) is intended to regulate this, and the permits scheme (Permits) to enforce it further.

The Council is unfortunately trying to  make this happen but what can they do when one utility decides six months after the other.  ‘Puter systems are designed to help, but rubbish in rubbish out etc

Even one set of roadworks may involve multiple contractors for different services, ending up either road closed for months to do a couple weeks worth of work, or dig hole, seal up, week later another hole by next contractor, and repeat.

Of course if our services were nationalised… there’d be sod all done as they’re all on strike.

That’s one of the things the Scottish Road Works Register/Symology is supposed to help with. I believe it’s down to the road work co-ordinators of each local authority to co-ordinate this though when utility companies are bookng road space to carry out work.

We put a new entrance application in some 4 month’s ago, just had the letter through. DDC clearly aren’t the best. Upgrading services is a different matter though, gas and electric will not normally work at the same time in open trenches due to the obvious worse case scenarios.

The new roads and street works act (NRSWA) is intended to regulate this, and the permits scheme (Permits) to enforce it further.

There was a similar system in place back in 80s when I was working in public utilities – SUSI if I remember correctly. Ultimately it wasn’t very effective. The big problem is it’s unlikely water, sewerage, gas, electricity, etc. will all need fixing in the same road at the same time.

Mostly a question of manpower, everyone thinks their bit of road is the only one being worked on. It’s hard enough to get a gang with the right skills together to work on a project at a certain time, let alone different companies with their own scheduling complications to deal with. Yeah you could have more staff hanging around to get the job done together, but start factoring in new method statements and H&S, and the delays will start building in other ways, unintended consequences and that. It could be done, but the costs would add up to more than we are all willing to pay. So you’ll just need to set off a bit earlier.

The last set near me were there that long they actually installed a potakabin & erected a roof over the trench. Six months to the day. I mean, what the hell were they doing down there that needed an open trench for six bloody months ??