Site Prep

Ensure That Your Site Is Prepped Correctly With AccuTech!

Site preparation is the groundwork that ensures construction can be completed safely, efficiently, and with minimal disruption. It’s the first step before aerial or underground fiber installation begins. Here’s what it typically involves:

1. Planning & Coordination

Utility Locating: “Call before you dig” services and ground-penetrating radar are used to mark existing utilities (water, gas, electric, sewer) to avoid conflicts.
Permitting & Approvals: Securing the necessary permissions from municipalities, DOT, utility companies, or private property owners.
Traffic Control Plans: Developing safety measures if work occurs along busy streets or intersections.

2. Site Preparation Activities

Clearing & Access: Removing obstacles such as brush, debris, or pavement to create safe work zones.
Staging Areas: Setting up designated areas for equipment, splicing trailers, and material storage.
Erosion & Environmental Protection: Installing silt fencing, mats, or barriers in environmentally sensitive areas.
Pole Preparation (for aerial work): Verifying pole strength, replacing aged poles, and ensuring safe attachment heights.
Surface Cuts (for underground work): Saw-cutting pavement, sidewalks, or driveways in preparation for trenching or boring.

3. Safety Measures

Marking & Barricades: Using cones, signage, and barriers to protect the public and crews.
Confined Space Checks: If working near manholes or vaults, ensuring proper ventilation and safety protocols.
Utility Clearance: Coordination with local utility companies for safe digging and drilling.

4. Final Prep Before Construction

Confirm equipment and materials (conduit, fiber reels, splice cases) are staged.
Verify all permits, locates, and traffic plans are in place.
Conduct pre-construction walkthroughs with the crew to review hazards and scope.

Schedule Consultation

Our teams are professionals at installing fiber-optic cables below ground level to create a reliable, secure, and long-lasting network.

Here’s a clear breakdown of what it involves:

1. Planning & Design

Site surveys: Engineers map out existing underground utilities (gas, water, electricity, sewer) to avoid conflicts.
Permitting: The company secures permits from local municipalities and transportation departments.
Route design: Paths are planned to minimize disruption, future-proof the network, and optimize cost.

2. Construction Methods

Trenching: Digging narrow trenches (often 6–12 inches wide) where conduits or ducts are placed before being backfilled.
Directional boring (HDD – Horizontal Directional Drilling): A trenchless method used to run fiber under roads, rivers, or developed areas with minimal surface disruption.
Microtrenching: Cutting small, shallow slots (1–2 inches wide) in pavement to lay conduit. Quicker and less disruptive than full trenching.
Conduit & Handholes: Plastic conduits (protective tubes) are installed to house the fiber. Handholes (access vaults) are placed at intervals for splicing and maintenance.

3. Fiber Placement

Cable pulling or blowing: Fiber cables are pulled manually or blown with compressed air through the conduits.
Splicing & termination: Fiber strands are fused together (splicing) at junctions, then connected to distribution points.

4. Restoration

Pavement, landscaping, and surfaces are restored to their original condition.
Safety and compliance checks ensure everything meets regulatory and quality standards.

5. Advantages of Underground Construction

Protection: Cables are shielded from weather, accidents, and vandalism.
Longevity: Underground fiber networks can last decades with minimal maintenance.
Aesthetics: No overhead wires or poles cluttering streetscapes.
Capacity: Conduits can hold extra ducts, making future upgrades easier.