As more and more emphasis is put on preserving resources and having less impact on the ground, horizontal directional drilling is seeing a surge, and the benefits to your project might be something you want to consider. Horizontal directional drilling has many uses, and when done right, it is a valuable asset to have available on your construction project.
The ability to run the power lines for a building or a complex underground is not new, but doing it without digging large trenches and tearing up the vegetation is relatively new. Horizontal drilling allows the contractor to place a conduit under the ground without digging a trench at all. The result is more stable soil and protected power lines.
Horizontal drilling has a much smaller effect on the environment than traditional trenching. In areas that are environmentally sensitive, the bore can start some distance away, run under the area, and emerge on the other side, causing little to no impact on the area.
Erosion concerns are reduced as well because the topsoil and vegetation are not disturbed when the conduit is put in place. In parts of the country where hurricanes, tornados, and adverse weather are common, the lines are less likely to incur damage and you may even see a reduction in power outages as a result of the lines being underground.
If you are working in an area that has a lot of traffic flowing through it and need to run infrastructure under the road surface, directional drilling a great option. The drilling company will need a small pit on either side of the road to start and end the bore, but they will not need to stop traffic or disrupt anything happening in the road.
The operator will start the bore on one side and push through to the pit on the opposite side of the road. Once the bore is created, pipes, conduit, or other lines are run through the bore. If the line needs to extend beyond the road, the operator may elect to put the end pit further away and run one long bore.
The length of the bore is only limited by the equipment the drilling company is using. Most companies can do 500-foot runs, but there are some that will go as much as a thousand feet at one time. If you can run several hundred feet of conduit or pipe under existing buildings, parking areas, or roads.
The reduction in cost for manpower, equipment, and time makes it worth considering long horizontal bores. The price of the bore does not necessarily go up because of the length. The cost per foot is typically set at the start of the job, but some companies will actually reduce the cost if they can run 500 feet at once instead of running five 100-foot bores.
In areas that already have a lot of underground infrastructures, the route for your lines will require careful planning and you may need a site plan of the area or have a locating service come out to tell you where things are underground. The drilling company will know the best way to get the information and determine the best route for you.
Mccall Brothers Inc.
has been in business since 1938 and has the equipment and experience to make run the lines and plumbing you need while protecting the infrastructure and environment in the area. If you need horizontal directional drilling in the Charlotte, NC, area, give us a call. We welcome the opportunity to show you how our services can help you and the success of your project.
