The following is authored by Tim Bayes, MPP, PMP, who serves as Kleinfelder’s East Division Federal Market Lead and U.S. Air Force Program Lead. Bringing more than 26 years of experience leading infrastructure, engineering, construction, and mission support programs in complex federal environments, Tim is a retired U.S. Air Force Command Chief who oversaw organizations of more than 4,200 personnel, 31 aircraft, and a $311 million budget before joining Kleinfelder. He now leads federal business development and program delivery efforts, helping clients address infrastructure, environmental, facilities, resilience, and mission readiness challenges.
Subsurface conditions are often among the greatest unknowns on a federal project site. Utilities may not be accurately documented, access may be restricted, and environmental or cultural resources may limit where and how fieldwork can be performed.
At an active military installation or federal facility, these challenges can have consequences beyond the immediate project. A utility strike, unplanned outage, or delayed investigation could affect occupied buildings, secure operations, critical infrastructure, or the facility’s mission.
Before fieldwork begins, project teams should understand what information is already available, what constraints may influence the investigation, and what decisions the results need to support.
Here are five questions that can help federal project teams plan a safer and more effective subsurface investigation.
1. What utilities may be beneath the surface?
Existing utility records may be incomplete, outdated, or unavailable. Years of repairs, expansions, and undocumented modifications can create significant challenges determining what is underground.
This is particularly important at older federal facilities, where utilities may have been installed or modified during multiple construction programs. Some systems may also serve mission-critical operations that cannot have an unplanned interruption.
2. Are there access or operational restrictions?
Federal sites often have requirements that affect where, when, and how field investigations can be conducted. Secure facilities, active airfields, roadways, rail corridors, training areas, and occupied buildings may limit access or require additional coordination.
Personnel credentials, security escorts, equipment inspections, work-hour restrictions, and operational schedules may also influence the investigation plan.
Identifying these requirements early allows the project team to coordinate access, select appropriate investigation methods, and schedule field activities around facility operations. It also reduces the likelihood of crews and equipment arriving on site without the necessary approvals or access.
3. What environmental or cultural constraints must be considered?
Wetlands, protected habitats, threatened or endangered species, historic properties, archaeological resources, and previously impacted areas can all influence a subsurface investigation.
These conditions may affect access routes, equipment selection, seasonal timing, permitting, and restoration requirements. Evaluating these factors during planning helps the team select methods that support the project’s technical needs while minimizing environmental impacts, compliance concerns, and avoidable delays.
4. What information already exists?
Before mobilizing field crews, the project team should review available utility maps, record drawings, GIS information, previous surveys, geotechnical reports, environmental studies, facility records, and prior investigation data.
This desktop review can reveal information gaps, conflicting records, and areas requiring additional verification. It can also help the team avoid duplicating previous work and focus resources on the conditions presenting the greatest risk.
5. What decisions must the investigation support?
The investigation scope should be driven by the project’s objectives. Is the team evaluating potential alignments, advancing design, planning a facility improvement, preparing for construction, or managing a specific technical risk?
The goal is not simply to gather more data. It is to provide actionable information that helps the federal client and project team make informed decisions. An investigation that does not answer the project’s key questions may create additional data without reducing uncertainty.
Our utility investigation, surveying, geotechnical, environmental, engineering, and design capabilities help federal clients evaluate subsurface risk throughout the project lifecycle.
Kleinfelder Can Help
A successful subsurface investigation is not measured by the amount of data collected, but by its ability to support sound project decisions. If you’re preparing for a federal project, we’d welcome the opportunity to discuss investigation approaches that can help reduce uncertainty and keep planning efforts moving forward.