By Bob Katzen

The House gave near-final approval to and sent to the Senate a proposal that would require a professional land surveyor working on a preliminary design for a new facility or renovation where excavation is necessary to pre-mark the proposed excavation. The bill is sponsored by former Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) who recently resigned her seat to take a job as Northeast policy director Boston-based Nexamp, a solar energy company.

“The bill ensures that underground utilities are marked during the planning process for projects rather than only at the time of construction,” said Dykema (D-Holliston) when the bill was given initial approval by the House in January. “This will help ensure that projects are designed from the outset to minimize potential disruption to utilities during construction. I filed the bill in partnership with the Massachusetts Council of Engineering companies. Given the significant extent of natural gas infrastructure in my district, I filed the bill to help protect the public from emergencies that result from construction crews mistakenly damaging underground utilities.”