From Uncertainty to Precision: How Exodigo Helped KDOT Save $10M on the 18th Street Expressway Project

Project Overview

In September 2024, Exodigo partnered with HNTB and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to support utility clearance ahead of major bridge replacement work near the 18th Street Expressway corridor in Kansas City. KDOT procured Exodigo to validate utility data after a traditional locator’s results had been relied upon for 100% project design, and procurement for this project was pending. Exodigo’s most urgent objective was to confirm the position of a buried brick-lined 78-inch sewer line believed to be located 30 feet deep beneath active railway infrastructure. The sewer’s depth and alignment uncertainty, clay soil, and surrounding rock and debris made it nearly impossible to access or trace using traditional utility locating methods. 

Key Findings & Benefits

Exodigo delivered a Composite Utility Map, with all lines identified in compliance with American Society of Civil Engineers Subsurface Utility Engineering 38-22 standard in CAD and PDF formats, measured in the Kansas State Plane Coordinate System. Exodigo additionally supported KDOT with interface and design conflict identification.  

Exodigo precisely located the sewer line of interest, nine feet away from its recorded location in as-builts, and identified the same being in direct conflict with 100% design. KDOT estimated saving $10M in work orders as a result of Exodigo identifying this conflict prior to procurement.