Rising utility strikes expose gaps in underground asset mapping

The report identifies increasing utility damage alongside expanding construction and fiber deployment. Missouri has strengthened requirements for locating future assets by requiring detectable location devices on new utility lines.

Utility strikes can turn excavation into electrical fires, gas explosions and costly property damage. For public works and infrastructure asset managers, reliable underground location information and effective pre-dig coordination are essential safeguards when maintaining roads and buried networks.

Underground utility damage is increasing as construction expands, according to Common Ground Alliance data cited by InvestigateTV. The report records more than 83,000 reports of damage to gas and electrical lines nationwide in 2024; one-quarter involved failure to call the 811 utility-location service. Fiber installation is adding excavation activity around an already complex network of buried assets, while late, missing or inaccurate location information creates additional risks. Missouri strengthened its digging laws last year, requiring new utility lines to include detectable location devices such as tracer wire or locator tape. The alliance also calls for electronic geolocation mapping. For public works departments and teams managing roads, utilities and infrastructure maintenance, the operational implication is that excavation safety depends on both reliable asset-location information and coordination before digging. Detectable installations support future locating, but the report also identifies failures in requesting, marking and using location information that mapping alone cannot resolve.

Evidence supplied by InvestigateTV / KXII.