Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is a pipeline installation method that utilizes a drill rig to install product pipe with virtually no excavations being necessary.  The drill rig sets up and launches from the surface and pushes drill pipe into the ground to establish the pathway for the product pipe to be installed.  The location of the drill pipe is monitored through the use of a locating device at the front of the drill head.  Once the operator knows where the drill head is, he then controls what direction the drill head goes in by alternately thrusting and rotating the drill pipe in predetermined directions.  Once this pilot bore is done and a path had been established for the installation of the pipeline, the hole is then enlarged through a process called reaming.  This process may be done as many times as is necessary to create a hole large enough to pull in the final product pipeline.  

Capabilities

    Horizontal directional drilling has been used to install all kinds of underground utilities from the more conventional telecommunication, electric and natural gas distribution conduits to the quickly evolving water and sewer markets.  Not only is HDD the ideal solution for crossings that pose significant challenges to open cut methodologies such as road, rail road and river crossings, but in many cases HDD can be an economical solution to ordinarily costly projects that may require deep cuts, extensive restoration, excessive traffic control or simply environmentally sensitive areas.  HDD can be use for everything from short curb to house services to longer large diameter transmission main installations.  Many of the projects we routinely undertake are as follows:

Water and Sewer Services

Short installations of small diameter water and sewer service lines are performed with relatively little disruption to the property other than where connections are made to hook up the service.

Short Crossings

Installations of water and sewer lines across streets, creeks and other tricky areas may be the perfect compliment to an open cut installation of a water or sewer main.

Mainline Installations

Use HDD to install main line sections of pipe.  Our crews have successfully installed water and sewer mains for lengths of up to 2300 lf in a single shot and up to a 42" in diameter pipeline.  We leverage HDD to not only install HDPE and Steel Casing pipe, but also Fusable PVC, restrained joint PVC and restrained joint Ductile Iron with regular success.  Horizontal Directional Drilling can also be used to facilitate installation of on-grade gravity sewers.

Contact us for more information on horizontal directional drilling and how it may be used for your project

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