Lowe Engineers was tasked to be a part of the team responsible for the Safe Haven Rehabilitation project located on the north side of US Highway 190 in Mandeville, Louisiana. The scope included performing a topographic survey along all roadways within the Safe Haven facility, which is approximately 158 acres. The topography was to include all substantial improvements, utilities (above-ground and underground), major trees, and cross sections at 50’ intervals. The design team also required Lowe to continue topographic efforts to the adjoining outfall ditches to better understand the watershed in the area of the survey.

Lowe’s subsurface utility engineering (SUE) team mobilized to the site to locate underground utilities. Each day’s data was sent to the office for processing, importing, and ultimately plotting in an AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing. Some of the unique characteristics of this project were the drainage structures and its culverts which were built and installed in the 1950s. Measuring the inverts was a challenge as the drainage structures were failing and falling apart. Our team persevered and overcame this hurdle by coordinating with the site utility manager, who shared his original utility plans with Lowe. With this newly acquired information, Lowe was able to complete the project.