Underground Utility Contractor in Council Bluffs, IA

Council Bluffs is the largest city in Pottawattamie County, with an estimated 62,665 residents (2024 Census estimate) on about 43 square miles of land.

Crossing a railway or a highway

A new water main, sewer or conduit sometimes has to cross a railway or a state highway. Those crossings belong to owners with their own engineering rules, and an open cut across them is rarely allowed. The crossing is usually made beneath them, with a permit that sets out exactly how.

What a crossing permit commonly addresses:

Method

Directional drilling or another trenchless method, with entry and exit points outside the owner's limits.

Casing

Whether the carrier pipe must sit inside a larger casing pipe, and of what material and thickness.

Depth

Minimum cover below the rails or the pavement and the ditches beside them.

Protection

Flaggers or traffic control, notice before work starts and any other conditions the owner sets for contractors.

Records

As-built drawings of the crossing once it is complete.

Applications can take time, so it helps to start them early. Shorter crossings beneath a drive or a city street follow simpler rules set by the city.

We also handle water service, lateral, storm and conduit work for homeowners and businesses in Council Bluffs.

Notice before excavation

Under Iowa Code chapter 480, a locate request goes to Iowa One Call before digging. Notice must be given 48 hours before digging, counted from 6:00 a.m. on the next business day with weekends and holidays excluded, and the ticket lasts 25 calendar days (section 480.4). Railways often require their own notice as well.

Around Council Bluffs

Carter Lake, Crescent, McClelland, Treynor, Underwood and Glenwood are among the Iowa communities near Council Bluffs. We take on work in each of them too.

For a crossing, include the plans and the name of the railway or road owner. We reply with questions and a recommended approach.