A utility tunnel , utility corridor , or utilidor is a passage built underground or above ground to carry utility lines such as electricity, steam , water supply pipes, and sewer pipes. Communications utilities like fiber optics , cable television , and telephone cables are also sometimes carried. One may also be referred to as a services tunnel , services trench , services vault , or cable vault. Smaller cable containment is often referred to as a cable duct or underground conduit . Direct-buried cable is a major alternative to ducts or tunnels.
17-449: Utility tunnels are common in very cold climates where direct burial below the frost line is not feasible (such as in Alaska , where the frost line is often more than 18 ft (5.5 m) below the surface, which is frozen year round ). They are also built in places where the water table is too high to bury water and sewer mains, and where utility poles would be too unsightly or pose
34-562: A municipality , county , regional , or federal jurisdiction may handle include crimes (ranging from misdemeanors to felonies ), structure fires , conflagrations , medical emergencies , mass-casualty incidents , disasters , terrorism , and other concerns. Public safety organizations are organizations that conduct public safety. They generally consist of emergency services and first responders such as law enforcement , fire services , emergency medical services , security forces , and military forces. They are often operated by
51-447: A danger (like in earthquake prone Tokyo ). Tunnels are also built to avoid the disruption caused by recurring construction, repair and upgrading of cables and pipes in direct burial trenches. Utility tunnels are also often common on large industrial, institutional, or commercial sites, where multiple large-scale services infrastructure (gas, water, power, heat, steam, compressed air, telecommunications cable, etc.) are distributed around
68-458: A government, though some private public safety organizations exist where possible. Organized crime and international terrorism are hardly deterred by geographical, linguistic, or financial barriers. The latter has largely contributed to public security becoming an important political and economic issue, nationally as well as internationally. Politics, public organizations and businesses closely collaborate to guarantee public security and maintain
85-684: A part of Disney's "backstage" (behind-the-scenes) area. They allow Disney employees ("cast members") to perform park support operations, such as trash removal, out of the sight of guests. Utilidors are above-ground enclosed utility conduits that are used in larger communities in the northern polar region where permafrost does not allow the normal practice of burying water and sewer pipes underground. They can in particular be found in Inuvik , Northwest Territories and Iqaluit , Nunavut. Not all older homes are connected, and these must rely on trucks to deliver water and remove sewage. Most homes in rural Alaska (off
102-547: A stable environment for economic prosperity. Although public security significantly contributes to the attractiveness of a location, the productivity of its people, and hence the overall success of an economy, the sector frequently suffers from low budgets, limited resources, and inadequate information systems. Large events, pandemics , severe accidents , environmental disasters , and terrorist attacks pose additional threats to public security and order. The police, federal police and border authorities nonetheless need to warrant
119-412: Is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger , injury , or property damage . It is often conducted by a state government to ensure the protection of citizens, persons in their territory, organizations, and institutions against threats to their well-being, survival, and prosperity. The public safety issues that
136-650: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology , many of the buildings are connected via large underground passages to allow easy movement of people and equipment. Some municipalities, such as Prague in the Czech Republic , have installed extensive underground utility tunnels, to allow installation and maintenance of utility lines and equipment without disrupting the historic streets above. Utility tunnels may attract urban explorers , who enjoy investigating hidden complex networks of spaces. Some of
153-401: The depth to which the groundwater in soil is expected to freeze. The frost depth depends on the climatic conditions of an area, the heat transfer properties of the soil and adjacent materials, and on nearby heat sources. For example, snow cover and asphalt insulate the ground and homes can heat the ground (see also heat island ). The line varies by latitude, it is deeper closer to
170-578: The features of utility networks in single purpose buried trenches vs. the features of common ducts or tunnels: Many examples of utility tunnels are found in Japan , where government officials have sought ways to reduce the catastrophic effects of earthquakes in their tectonically active country. Their use, however, is not limited to that country, and there are many examples of such utility tunnels. These include: Frost line The frost line —also known as frost depth or freezing depth —is most commonly
187-558: The frost line to prevent them from freezing. Alternatively, pipes may be insulated or heated using heat tape or similar products to allow for shallower depths. Due to additional cost, this method is typically only used where deeper trenching is not an option due to utility conflicts, shallow bedrock, or other conditions that make deeper excavation infeasible. There are many ways to predict frost depth, including factors related to air temperature, soil temperature, and soil properties. Public safety Public security or public safety
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#1732790367295204-466: The largest and most famous utility tunnels are at Disney theme parks . They were first built for Walt Disney World 's Magic Kingdom in Florida . Smaller utilidor systems are built under the central section of Epcot 's Future World, primarily beneath Spaceship Earth and Innoventions , and formerly at Pleasure Island . Disneyland also has a small utilidor through Tomorrowland . The utilidors are
221-477: The poles. The maximum frost depth observed in the contiguous United States ranges from 0 to 8 feet (2.4 m). Below that depth, the temperature varies, but is always above 0 °C (32 °F). Alternatively, in Arctic and Antarctic locations the freezing depth is so deep that it becomes year-round permafrost , and the term " thaw depth " is used instead. Finally, in tropical regions, frost line may refer to
238-632: The reduction of maintenance manholes , one-time relocation, and less excavation and repair, compared to separate cable ducts for each service. When they are well mapped, they also allow rapid access to all utilities without having to dig access trenches or resort to confused and often inaccurate utility maps. One of the greatest advantages is public safety . Underground power lines , whether in common or separate channels, prevent downed utility cables from blocking roads , thus speeding emergency access after natural disasters such as earthquakes , hurricanes , and tsunamis . The following table compares
255-460: The road system) are not equipped with plumbing and require fresh water and waste to be transported by personal vehicle such as snowmobile or four-wheeler ATV . Villages with utilidors are considered more advanced. Utilidors may also be used to carry fuel lines, such as natural gas. They are not normally used to carry wiring for electric, telephone, and television service, which are usually suspended from poles. The advantages of utility tunnels are
272-829: The site to multiple buildings, without impeding vehicular or pedestrian traffic above ground. Due to the nature of these services, they may require regular inspection, repair, maintenance, or replacement, and therefore accessible utility tunnels are preferred instead of direct burying of the services in the ground. Utility tunnels range in size from just large enough to accommodate the utility being carried, to very large tunnels that can also accommodate human and even vehicular traffic. Utility tunnels are often installed in large industrial plants, as well as large institutions, such as universities, hospitals, research labs, and other facilities managed in common. Shared facilities, such as district heating , use superheated steam pipes routed through utility tunnels. On some university campuses, such as
289-442: The vertical geographic elevation below which frost does not occur. Frost front refers to the varying position of the frost line during seasonal periods of freezing and thawing. Building codes take frost depth into account because of frost heaving , which can damage buildings by moving their foundations. For this reason, foundations are generally built below the frost depth. Water and sewage pipes are typically buried below
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