Last fall, under the Healey administration, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed the BRIGHT Act, authorizing approximately $3.65 billion in capital investment to modernize the Commonwealth’s public colleges and universities. The legislation represents one of the largest investments in Massachusetts public higher education facilities in decades, marking a transformative moment for institutions across the state. Of that funding, roughly $2.5 billion is dedicated to on-campus infrastructure improvements, a commitment expected to generate nearly 20,000 construction-related jobs.

This unprecedented level of investment presents a significant opportunity to enhance the safety, functionality, and long-term resilience of academic institutions statewide. But with billions at play, it raises the stakes for how projects are planned, coordinated, and executed.

Many public college and university facilities across Massachusetts were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s and are now reaching or exceeding their intended service life. Aging mechanical systems, deteriorating utilities, and outdated building layouts have created operational inefficiencies and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, traditional capital funding sources have not kept pace with rising construction and material costs or ongoing labor shortages, resulting in a growing backlog of deferred maintenance and modernization needs. Over decades, incremental upgrades and ad hoc repairs have further complicated campus infrastructure. In many cases, underground utilities and subsurface conditions are poorly documented, increasing the risk of costly surprises during construction.

The BRIGHT Act’s infrastructure funding will support the construction and renovation of laboratories, classrooms, training facilities, and student housing across public higher education campuses. The legislation also enables the state to assist institutions with costs related to selling land or buildings to facilitate new housing development. As campuses prepare for a surge in construction activity, site work, and excavation, understanding subsurface conditions becomes not a secondary consideration, but a critical determinant of project success.

College and university campuses are dense, highly interconnected environments supported by tightly integrated utility networks that power academic, residential, and research operations. Even minor disruptions to electricity, water, gas, or data systems can significantly impact student life, campus safety, and institutional continuity, and, in many cases, the consequences extend beyond campus boundaries. Specifically for colleges and universities located in dense, high-traffic areas, utility strikes rarely affect only the institution; disruptions can ripple outward, impacting nearby hospitals, residents, and local businesses.

Despite the critical nature of these systems, many academic institutions still rely on fragmented or outdated utility records that do not accurately reflect existing underground conditions. This lack of reliable documentation complicates construction planning and increases project risk. Unknown or inaccurately mapped utilities heighten the likelihood of strikes, schedule delays, costly redesigns, and budget overruns.

Before breaking ground, Massachusetts law requires property owners and contractors to call 811, which connects them to a local one-call center. 811 operators notify utility companies, which then mark the approximate locations of buried pipes and cables. These markings, typically indicated with paint or flags, are intended to help prevent damage during excavation. However, they are not engineered surveys and are not always accurate. According to a 2024 survey, nearly 66 percent of utility line strikes by utility contractors occurred because the actual lines were located at least two feet away from where they were marked, even when 811 had been contacted prior to digging.

Subsurface Utility Engineering/Mapping (SUE/SUM) provides a data-driven approach to understanding underground infrastructure. It goes beyond a standard 811 call by delivering a deeper, more accurate assessment of underground conditions through a combination of advanced technologies and existing utility records. By engaging SUM professionals before design or construction begins, project owners can identify buried utilities, potential conflicts, and site hazards early—and use those insights to inform planning and design decisions.

This approach is widely recognized as an industry best practice. For example, MassDOT’s E-21-005 directive references comprehensive subsurface utility investigation during the preliminary design phase for projects anticipated to involve utility relocations. While the directive applies specifically to projects under MassDOT review, the underlying principle extends to any capital improvement effort involving buried infrastructure.

Within the context of the BRIGHT Act initiative, SUM becomes even more critical. Massachusetts’ public college and university campuses are dense, historic, and layered environments where underground infrastructure has evolved over decades, increasing the likelihood of undocumented or conflicting utilities beneath the surface. To navigate these unique conditions, specialized technologies can be deployed:

Remote sensing and mobile mapping: These technologies allow for data collection without interrupting pedestrian or vehicular traffic. This includes pushcart GPR systems, mobile mapping GPR, electromagnetic induction (EMI) locators, and related tools that capture high-resolution subsurface data efficiently.

3D imaging and LiDAR: Advanced 3D scanners and LiDAR systems capture a 360-degree view of the above-ground environment, creating critical context that enhances the accuracy and usability of underground utility mapping.

Aerial and drone imagery: Integrating aerial imagery with utility mapping provides added perspective, making complex subsurface data easier to visualize, interpret, and apply to planning and future projects.

This proactive, technology-driven approach does more than prevent utility strikes. It strengthens design efficiency, improves cost predictability, supports schedule reliability, and enhances safety for students, faculty, contractors, and surrounding communities.

As billions of dollars are deployed through the BRIGHT Act, institutions have a unique opportunity to modernize not only their facilities, but also how they plan and manage infrastructure, extending the value of SUE/SUM beyond when construction wraps. Rather than generating siloed insights tied to isolated project sites, colleges and universities can compile campus-wide subsurface data into a powerful, lasting resource: a digital utility atlas.

A digital utility atlas serves as a centralized, digitized, and continuously updated record of a campus’s underground infrastructure. By creating an accurate and accessible system of record, institutions equip facilities teams with the information needed to confidently operate, maintain, and protect critical underground assets.

During active capital projects, a digital utility atlas enhances coordination, efficiency, and safety. Detailed utility data improves management of energy, water, and stormwater systems, supporting both operational continuity and sustainability goals. Digitized records strengthen communication among internal departments, designers, contractors, and external vendors. And, in emergency situations, immediate access to reliable utility information enables faster, safer, and more informed decision-making.

Over time, the value of a digital utility atlas compounds, becoming a single source of truth shared across facilities teams, planners, engineers, and external partners. It preserves institutional knowledge as staff and contractors change and helps identify system inefficiencies, strain, and vulnerabilities—an increasingly important capability as aging infrastructure and stormwater-induced flooding pose growing challenges for campuses nationwide.

While the BRIGHT Act creates new opportunity in Massachusetts, the value of campus-wide subsurface mapping is already proven in higher education settings nationwide. In fact, DGT has completed hundreds of higher education mapping projects across New England and beyond, helping institutions modernize utility records, reduce construction risk, and build long-term digital infrastructure systems.

One example is Pepperdine University, a West Coast institution where DGT partnered with campus leadership to locate and map buried utilities and infrastructure across its expanding campus. The university relocated its main campus in 1972 from near downtown Los Angeles to 138 acres of Southern California ranch land. Since then, it has grown into a sprawling 830-acre campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with decades of layered infrastructure development beneath the surface.

Prior to DGT’s engagement, the university maintained records for portions of the campus but lacked a comprehensive, unified understanding of underground conditions. Through advanced 3D utility locating and mapping, DGT helped establish the foundation for a campus-wide digital utility atlas. The result supports ongoing construction projects while creating lasting value for facilities management, capital planning, and future development.

The BRIGHT Act represents a rare and historic opportunity to modernize Massachusetts public higher education infrastructure at an unprecedented scale. However, the long-term success of this investment depends on proactive planning and risk management before construction begins.

Understanding what lies beneath the surface is essential to protecting budgets, schedules, safety, and long-term campus operations. By prioritizing SUM and campus-wide digital utility atlas development, institutions can ensure projects are feasible, well-coordinated, and resilient.

With extensive experience in higher education mapping projects, DGT brings deep institutional knowledge to every campus engagement. Reach out to learn more about the value of a SUM and how DGT can support smarter, safer campus modernization.