OUR AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Directional boring, commonly called horizontal directional drilling or HDD, is a steerable trenchless method of installing underground pipes, conduits and cables in a shallow arc along a prescribed bore path by using a surface-launched drilling rig, with minimal impact on the surrounding area. Directional boring is used when trenching or excavating is not practical. It is suitable for a variety of soil conditions and jobs including road, landscape and river crossings. Installation lengths up to 2000 m have been completed, and diameters up to 1200 mm have been installed in shorter runs. Pipes can be made of materials such as PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, Ductile iron, and steel if the pipes can be pulled through the drilled hole. Directional boring is not practical if there are voids in the rock or incomplete layers of rock. The best material is solid rock or sedimentary material. Soils with cobble stone are not recommended. There are different types of heads used in the pilot-hole process, and they depend on the geological material.
Directional boring is used for installing infrastructure such as telecommunications and power cable conduits, water lines, sewer lines, gas lines, oil lines, product pipelines, and environmental remediation casings. It is used for crossing waterways, roadways, shore approaches, congested areas, environmentally sensitive areas, and areas where other methods are costlier or not possible. It is used instead of other techniques to provide less traffic disruption, lower cost, deeper and/or longer installation, no access pit, shorter completion times, directional capabilities, and environmental safety.
The technique has extensive use in urban areas for developing subsurface utilities as it helps in avoiding extensive open cut trenches. The use requires that the operator have complete information about existing utilities so that he can plan the alignment to avoid damaging those utilities. Since uncontrolled drilling can lead to damage, different agencies/government authorities owning the urban right-of-way or the utilities have rules for safe work execution. For standardization of the techniques, different trenchless technology promoting organizations have developed guidelines for this technique.
Winter Work We can work year round through the use of our winter ground thawing equipment, such as frost blankets and propane frost heaters. Frost can be like digging through concrete depending upon the soil conditions, as it is very likely that it can penetrate down to depths of over six feet. The proper tools are needed for excavation in frost & we have all the right tools to get the job done, year round.
Direct bury plowing D&D uses a technique called plowing to place direct buried or ducted cable lines in any environment and in all soil conditions. The process of cable/duct plowing uses a vibrating blade to split the ground, and cut a narrow slit that can frequently be packed as the plow moves along the insertion path. As the ground is being cut, the cable or duct is placed at the desired depth by feeding it down a chute, which is located on the back of the blade.
The cable/duct plowing process can be completed in a fairly short time, with easy cleanup and minimal disturbance to the original surface area. This method is cheaper than either trenching or drilling and is most effective in open areas.
Trenching is a method of excavating that creates an open slit in the surface of the ground, typically to be used for drainage or for burying pipes or cable. Width and depth of the trench will vary, depending on what needs to be buried.
Trenchers range in size from small walk-behind models, to attachments that fit on a tractor, to large heavily tracked engineering vehicles. A chain trencher cuts with a digging chain that is driven around a metal frame. It resembles a giant chainsaw that cuts through dirt. This type of trencher is capable of cutting through very hard ground.
Once the trench has been created, the desired cable or pipe is placed in the opening and then the trench is back-filled with dirt.
This burial method is most efficient and cost effective for projects that require multiple pipes, or in areas that are mostly open, such as along roads, through fields, or in new construction zones.
Back Hoeing is an excavation process that works on the same principals as trenching. However, a backhoe is capable of opening up a much bigger trench —typically as wide as needed. Backhoes are typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader, and are commonly used to dig trenches for large projects such as sewer systems.
Both trenching and backhoeing disrupt the surface along the entire route. This requires extensive restoral and may require filling and tamping two or more times to restore the surface to its original contour.
Boring (Pneumagopher) Underground pneumatic piercing tools are often referred to as hogs, air hogs, or pneuma gophers. The tool is used to bore a hole underground between two points without disturbing the surface ground. This open air chamber is referred to as the borehole and is used to either run ducting for product or the raw product itself between the two points. This style of construction is best used for small distances and between 2 points in a straight line and is used when there is not room for a directional drill rig.
Service drop burial We are equipped to do service drop burial safely and effectively. Our technicians perform thousands of drop burials per season.
Aerial construction Aerial construction of coaxial and fiber cables.
Internal wiring and splicing D&D is a full service telecommunications construction company and handles internal mainline wiring of commercial establishments and also has in-house splicers for coaxial cable television plant.
Equipment 
- Ditch Witch JT10 Directional Drills
- Ditch Witch JT 25 Directional Drills
- Ditch Witch JT 9 Directional Drills
- Ditch Witch JT 5 Directional Drills
- Multiple Ditch Witch VAC Systems
- Caterpillar Loader Backhoes
- Bobcat Compact Excavators
- Dich Witch Plow/Backhoes
- Compressors / Hole Hogs / Pneumagophers
- Service Drop Plows (410s, 350s, 255s, 100s)
- Aerial Bucket Trucks