That's a different take on the old Q&A of:
Q:?ÿ What does a surveyor do when he's disoriented (never "lost") in the woods?
A:?ÿ Drive a stake.?ÿ A big yellow machine will come along within a few minutes to remove it for you....?ÿ Then follow it back to civilization.
We were working on a Saturday.?ÿ The very last thing we did was to dig for a section corner bar in a paved County road.?ÿ Left a hole about eight inches deep and five inches in diameter.?ÿ Returned at about 8:30 on Monday morning and found fresh cold patch filling our hole.
The depth of frost penetration and soil-type issues are documented in:
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/PUBS_LIB/GeodeticBMs.pdf
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@notsomuch Yea, a stake and flagging is just something for the dozer to aim for.
Is that Hillside Cemetery??ÿ Can't find John unless his monument has not been photographed (92% are) or his last name is Slover.
Here's a picture of my TBM.?ÿ Berdola "Birdy" Bone was born in 1880 and died in 1881.?ÿ Her mother was 42 when Birdy was born and it appears this was her only child.
That is Hillside.?ÿ The name I gave is probably wrong other than the first name.?ÿ I'm horrible with names, but I can drive you directly to the CP as it's just right inside the gate.?ÿ Next time I'm down there I'll make a point to get the last name.?ÿ
I remember it because of the AF&AM emblem on the base. 😉
I have reached out to the two utility providers operating in my county about installing survey reference marker plates. Their primary concerns were workers climbing poles to either have clothing catch, or climbing spikes to glance off whatever was installed.
Personally, I wouldn??t hesitate setting a TBM (ChrisNik makes some nice ones), but if you are hesitant, I am sure the contractor wouldn??t have a problem with you establishing a TBM near the pole, rather then on it.
I once needed something like a railroad spike; saw one sticking out of a powerpole so I pulled it out and used it.
Always heard the store of a crew that carried a destroyed Benchmark in the truck. When ever they needed control they would dump it off on the ground to tie into.?ÿ LOL
@gary_g?ÿ
So they always have a good elevation to start with,,,,,brilliant!!!!
@gary_g I had a friend who painted a spot on the bumper of his truck so a TBM would be with him wherever he went.?ÿ He marked "Elev. 100.00" in marker below it on the bumper.
Andy
We have a bridge project where the only survey controls given are two spikes in utility pole either side of the proposed construction. The spikes double as horizontal and vertical control and cannot be occupied because of their positions.
A leveling circuit to the spikes show their elevations are good. However the coordinates show an error of approximately half of one foot. Obviously we cannot proceed until the error is resolved of explained by the designer.
Anyway I think it is unusually bad practice to use a point that is not able to be occupied as a control for a million dollar construction project. That, and the fact there are only two control points for the entire thing is baffling.?ÿ
That is just plain ol' stupidity.?ÿ Plan ahead for the next guy.?ÿ Perhaps they can be shot with a total station, but not with your GPS.?ÿ We have tried to use section corner references that say they are horizontal but fall about four inches short of the distances when using a steel tape.?ÿ A specific set of references was to the near side of the four traffic control poles at the intersection.?ÿ Everything fit perfectly if you added the same distance to each measurement.
Many have put the backside of a prism against an object to make a measurement without realizing the back of the prism is not the same as the true target spot.
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Yes, the back of the prism is not the true target spot. We use a machined metal adapter that screws on to the prism giving a zero offset.
In checking the observations to the spikes we used the zero offset prism and direct laser reflection with the same results. The results have been sent to the designer and the company that will be constructing the bridge.
Here are some photographs of the prism and adapter.
Is the bridge tying into any other existing fixed structure??ÿ Just thinking here, wondering if a half foot horizontal on a bridge, relative to the existing site makes much difference.
Obviously, one you establish your control, everything is gnat's ass to each other for construction
Anyway I think it is unusually bad practice to use a point that is not able to be occupied as a control for a million dollar construction project. That, and the fact there are only two control points for the entire thing is baffling.
I've been working on an $80 million SDOT bridge project for about 18 months now.
Plans showed six H+V control points. Four were cased monuments at the intersections of busy (4-6 lane) urban arterial streets, one of which was gone, and the remaining three were not intervisible. The fifth was around a retaining wall up against a freeway offramp and not visible from the site or from any other "control point."
The sixth point was about two feet off of the mainlanes of I-5, in the shoulder, and again not visible from any other point...
We had a hell of a time running in a workable control network from those points, and all the while getting screeched at by the client and SDOT, who have no clue what constitutes a good network in the first place.
This is normal around here. Establishing a good control network is an afterthought for heavy civil work, and honestly there aren't many surveyors who really know how to do it right.
@jph?ÿ
No, there is nothing fixed to tie in. I can move the bridge (feel the power) half a foot, but I am notifying the designer that I will be doing so.?ÿ
Today we held one position fixed and made an alignment with the other. Then we set the front face of the abutment footing and it looks okay with the shore.
Barring any changes from the designer, that is the method we will be using.?ÿ
@rover83?ÿ
SDOT? The SIP should contain complete datum info. One would think it would be easy, as the efforts of SPU and their employees have created perhaps the best reference network in the country. But, I am not sure that SPU and SDOT talk much.?ÿ
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And don't forget to get a permit to occupy the I5 point!
