Modern Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) technologies offer an expanding suite of geophysical techniques to detect and locate buried utilities. This project focused on identifying promising technologies that merit expanded application and mainstream deployment by State departments of transportation (DOTs). Since the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Project R01: Encouraging Innovation in Locating and Characterizing Underground Utilities was published in 2009 (Sterling et al. 2009), new approaches in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and acoustic technology have become more widely available, while other electromagnetic and seismic methods have been identified as worth further investigation. Building on SHRP 2, the project team researched, identified, and tested various NDE technologies to compile a concrete recommendation plan for each method investigated.

Recommended citation: Federal Highway Administration, Availability, Feasibility, and Reliability of Available Nondestructive Evaluation Technologies for Detecting and Locating Buried Utilities (Washington, DC: 2022) https://doi.org/10.21949/1521921.