Drilling & boring
Directional drilling for utilities
Developers, municipalities and utility companies use directional drilling to install several systems through the same corridors with the fewest open cuts. Here is how a multi-utility bore program is run.
One corridor, several systems
A new subdivision, a commercial site or a street reconstruction puts water, sewer, gas, power, street lighting and telecom into the same strip of ground. Trenching all of it means weeks of open cuts, conflicts between crews, and a road that is rebuilt in pieces. A drilling contractor working from a coordinated plan bores each system to its own depth and offset, crossing the others where it must, and leaves the surface for the paving contractor. Municipal programs use the same approach for water-main renewals and sewer separation in built-up streets.
Sequencing
The order matters. Gravity sewer, which has the least flexibility in depth and grade, is usually set first by open cut or auger bore. Water mains and force mains follow by HDD at their design depth. Gas distribution is bored at its utility's standard cover. Power and telecom conduits, the shallowest and most flexible, go last. Each bore is tracked and as-built so the next crew knows exactly where it is. A contractor who has run all of these on one site keeps the conflicts on paper instead of in the ground.
Permits and owners
Each system has an owner with its own standards: the water and sewer utility, the gas company, the electric utility and the telecom carrier. The drilling contractor builds to each one's specification and the developer or municipality holds the right-of-way permits. State DOT crossings, railroad agreements and waterway permits are added where the corridor crosses them. The paperwork is routine for an established contractor and is included or itemized in the quote.
What municipalities bore
Water-main replacement under streets where the old main stays in service until the new one is tied in, sewer force mains and pressure sewer, reclaimed-water mains, storm-drain crossings, fiber for city networks and traffic signals, and conduit for street lighting. The common thread is a street that stays open.
Contractors by area
Utility drilling contractors are listed here by state and city. In the Southeast the listed contractor is Davis Underground Solutions, which runs multi-utility bores for developers, utilities and municipalities across the region. Elsewhere, the national line routes your project to a drilling contractor working your area. Estimates are free.
Estimates are free. Call now: (855) 804-1434 — or pick your state below to reach the contractor covering your area.
Find a utility drilling contractor by state
Other drilling and boring services
Directional Drilling
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) for new underground utilities: steered bores under roads, driveways, parking lots, creeks and landscaping with no open trench.
Horizontal Boring
Horizontal boring for conduit, casing and carrier pipe where digging across a surface is not an option.
Auger Boring
Steel-cased auger bores for road, rail and railroad crossings that need a straight, on-grade casing.
Pipe Boring
Boring and pulling in HDPE or steel product pipe from a few inches up to large-diameter casings.
Fiber Optic Drilling
Directional drilling for fiber and communications duct: long bores, multiple ducts in one pull, tight easements.
Electrical Conduit Drilling
Bores for primary and secondary power conduit, lighting circuits and site electrical feeds.
Sewer Line Drilling
Directional drilling and boring for new gravity-adjusted force mains, laterals and sewer crossings.
Water Main Drilling
HDD installation of new water mains and service lines, including creek and road crossings.
Gas Line Drilling
Bores for new natural gas mains and services, coordinated with the utility and its operator-qualification rules.
Questions about utility drilling
Can water, sewer, gas and power all be installed by directional drilling on one site?+
Yes, each at its own depth and offset on a coordinated plan. Gravity sewer with critical grade is often set by open cut or auger bore first; the pressure and conduit systems are bored around it.
How are conflicts between utilities avoided?+
A single bore plan for the corridor, locates and potholes before each bore, tracking of every pilot hole, and as-builts handed to the next crew. The contractor coordinating all of the bores is the one who keeps them apart.
Who owns the permits on a multi-utility project?+
The developer or municipality holds the right-of-way permits; each utility's standards govern its own system. The drilling contractor prepares the paperwork and builds to the specifications.
Is directional drilling used for municipal water-main replacement?+
Widely. The new main is bored beside or below the old one while the old main stays in service, services are transferred, and the old main is abandoned in place. The street stays open except at the pits and tie-ins.
How is a multi-utility drilling program priced?+
By system and by crossing, with mobilization, permits, traffic control and restoration itemized. Bundling several systems with one contractor usually lowers the total because setup and pits are shared.