Computer program maps construction projects on Internet

We've all seen it: a newly paved street being dug up by the gas or water company.

Allegheny County is adopting technology designed to prevent that, and to improve planning and coordination among governments, utilities and road departments.

The county is buying a computer application that plots construction and maintenance projects on Internet maps and issues electronic warnings when the work might create conflicts.

The gas company could view upcoming road projects on the map and do its digging before the fresh pavement is put down. Or two agencies with work scheduled in the same location could decide to share the costs.

The county is paying $29,500 to Massachusetts-based Envista Corp., developer of the system.

"Envista will enable the county, PennDOT, municipalities and utility companies to easily exchange information and coordinate construction and maintenance projects via the Internet," said County Executive Dan Onorato. "This will reduce street cuts, save on paving costs and lessen impacts on neighborhoods and commuters during the paving and construction season."

One key is persuading other municipalities, authorities and utilities to buy the service, said Kevin Evanto, Mr. Onorato's spokesman. One major utility has purchased the technology, and discussions are under way with others, he said.

"You'll probably see this snowball," Mr. Evanto said. "We're happy to bring it to the region."

Without the technology, governments and utilities have worked from written lists of planned projects and circulated them to various agencies and companies for input, a process that wastes time and money and does not always result in optimal coordination, Mr. Onorato said.

With Envista, data about projects is uploaded and the system produces maps with color-coded icons.

Users can obtain details about projects, including construction dates and contact information, by clicking on the icons.

The system automatically warns of projects that might be in conflict with each other and also generates what the company calls "opportunities" -- notices that could help a utility get its work done ahead of, or during, road construction.

"Every time a city builds a new road and the gas company comes in and cuts it, the value of that investment degrades significantly," said Belinda Jones, Envista's public relations agent. "The better that people plan, the less disruption [there is] on commuters, taxpayers and neighborhoods."

Eventually, the public will have access to some of the information, Mr. Evanto said. People could pull up maps of their neighborhoods to keep abreast of upcoming road or utility work.

The county expects to save more than $50,000 at first, and even more as the system extends the life of roadways. It also expects to derive environmental benefits, including reduced emissions and oil consumption.

In March, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania announced that it would use Envista to manage its 20-year pipeline replacement program.

The software also is used in Baltimore, Colorado Springs, Sacramento and Providence, R.I.