Managing Utility Congestion Within Rights-of-Way

Existing needs were identified when working with public utilities in rights-of-way (ROW). The needs include working in congested corridors, what to do with abandoned infrastructure, not receiving accurate mapping data from utility providers, not receiving requested information, how to address 5G and other new infrastructure, and not having construction requirements or expectations of utility service providers. Minnesota statutes and administrative rules are discussed in terms of agency and utility owner responsibilities in relation to utilities within public ROW. State statutes and rules provide guidance for cities and counties to implement local ordinances. This project synthesizes existing best management practices used by cities and counties to manage utilities within public ROW. Best management practices were identified through an online survey and discussions with members of the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). Additional conversations or interviews were conducted with select survey respondents who identified best practices or provided informative documents from their agencies.