Comment by paddy_m

Also, fun fact about Boston (MA?) construction laws. Per block, a crew is only allowed two steel plates...

In the past year, the gas line and water main on my street has been replaced. Which has resulted in 6 excavations of the street at excruciatingly slow and loud pace with the vac truck. They excavate once to transfer each finger connection (to the houses) and attach the feeder to a temporary pipe, refilling their progress each day. Once a segment (about a city block or two) been transferred to the temporary line, they excavate again to remove the old line, refilling each day. Finally they lay the new line and connect the finger lines to it.

If you can only cover two steel plates worth of trench overnight, there isn't a chance for the gas team to coordinate with the water team.

With better laws this would have taken a 1/3rd of the excavation, possibly a 1/6th of the excavation. Since excavation and refilling were most of the work in any day, this should also have led to the same cost decrease.

I don't know the exact law or regulation, but I have heard about it from multiple sources, and do intend to being it up with city council.