Trenchless Services

With over 65 years of trenchless history, Huxted Trenchless capitalizes the strengths of our trenchless team to create a single trusted horizontal directional drilling and microtunneling construction partner.

Huxted Trenchless Services

MICROTUNNELING

Huxted specializes in the trenchless installation of pipe including jack and bores, guided auger bores, pilot tube microtunnels, and microtunnels.

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Horizontal Directional Drilling

Huxted Trenchless, formerly operated as ECI Drilling International, specializes in horizontal directional drilling for product pipe installation and offshore wind farm cable installation.

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Long Drives

With years of Microtunneling history, Contractors have now developed means and methods that allow long drives (tunnels) to be constructed. Drive lengths in excess of 3000 feet have been completed, including those with curves. Most of these are in pipes larger than 36 inches in diameter. These longer drives allow for crossing larger bodies of water, environmental sensitive areas or simply to minimize road or urban disruption.

Curved Drives

Curves, whether vertical, horizontal or compound have been completed today. Using sophisticated guidance systems, such as gyros, prisms, and other survey equipment, the location of the microtunneling machine is always known, as such, the machine can be surveyed and guided on a designed curve. Curves allow for installation of pipe lines around, under or over sensitive areas and obstacles (such as bridge pilings, manholes, other utilities, building foundations, etc.).

Intakes & Outfalls With Underwater Recovery

Since the microtunneling machine provides hydrostatic counterbalance while under operation or not, the microtunneling method is typically used in the construction of many intakes and outfalls. Most intakes and outfalls are located underwater, as such, conventional “open face” machines would flood or expensive cofferdams would have be built in environmentally sensitive areas to retrieve conventional machines.

Marine / River Crossings

Since the microtunneling machine provides hydrostatic counterbalance while under operation or not, the microtunneling method is typically used in the construction of pipelines under rivers, creeks, streams, bays, etc. as the soil underneath these marine environments are usually wet and fully saturate due to the hydrostatic contact of the marine body that is being crossed.

Cost Effective / Environmental Crossings

Most environmentally sensitive areas are typically wet lands. Since the microtunneling machine provides hydrostatic counterbalance while under operation or not, the microtunneling method is typically used in the construction of pipelines under environmentally sensitive areas. As the soil underneath these marine environments are usually wet and fully saturate due to the hydrostatic contact of the marine body that is being crossed. In addition, the microutnneling machine is an earth pressure balance machine, thus protecting the hydrostatic conditions and preventing settlement and/or heave of the surface.

Minimal Disruption

The microtunnel operation can install thousands of feet of pipe working out of one, relatively small location, as compared to the open cut operation, that requires large areas of disturbance, including complete lane closures, traffic detours, noise and dust issues. Therefore the microtunneling method is more friendly to the community, the public and the environment.

Railroad / Highway Crossings

Since the microtunneling machine provides hydrostatic counterbalance while under operation or not and earth pressure balance control, the microtunneling method can be used in the construction of pipelines under Railroads, Highways, Interstates, etc. without the interruption of traffic or railways.

Precision

Microtunneling was originally designed for the installation of sanitary sewers, as such, the pipeline can be installed to a tight tolerance. This is helpful with microtunneling projects that require very sensitive grades or have underground obstacles to avoid.

Our Trenchless Services at Work:

Microtunneling in Soft Soils, Louisiana

A 72-inch diameter, 700-foot long microtunnel installation was successfully completed in early 2022, providing private, pressurized, utility conveyance under a combination Union Pacific Railroad and Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail yard. A total of 14 active railroad tracks, a rail yard, and a Louisiana Department of Transportation Highway were crossed with the tunnel installation. Ground conditions at the site consisted of 65 feet of very soft to soft clays, unerlain by a pressurized sand aquifer. Microtunnel construction was successfullly completed despite challenging subsurface conditions including soft, plastic clays difficult to process and steer the microtunnel machine through and driven wooden piles encountered periodically during tunneling.

Location: Avondale, Louisiana
Date: Early 2022
Owner: Fuji Oil Line

Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project – Raw Water Infrastructure Intake

Huxted Trenchless installed 300 LF of 54 inch welded steel pipe via microtunnel for a new water intake structure. The project was performed in mixed ground of partially weathered rock and clay and included an underwater retrieval of the MTBM within Lake Tillery.

Location: Norwood, NC
Date: 2022
Owner: Union County, NC

Stiles Vortex Outfall

For this microtunneling project, Huxted installed 250 ft of 84 inch RCP with an underwater machine recovery in the Mississippi river for a new waste water outfall. Ground conditions included sand and silt. The machine was launched from a 24 ft diameter shaft 60 feet deep.

Location: Memphis, TN
Date: Early Spring 2017
Owner: City of Memphis

84” UTILITY CONDUIT INSTALLATION

This microtunneling project involved a 580 foot Installation of 101.5 inch OD Reinforced Concrete Pipe in a 700 foot radius curve at a depth of over 50 feet by Microtunneling. Soil consisted of sandy silt with gravel. A VMT Guidance and Jack Control System were used to provide guidance and control of the curved alignment. Surveyed results were within ½ inch of design grade and line. Due to the location of this microtunneling project, security constraints required the tunnel to be constructed inside two separate buildings. One building housed the separation plant and the other housed the launching shaft and pipe storage.

Location: Washington, DC
Date: Winter of 2014/2015
Owner: U.S. D.O.D.

CATAWBA RIVER STEELE CREEK FORCE MAIN

Huxted Trenchless was contracted to complete the Catawba River Steele Creek Force Main project.

The project consisted of a 1,305 foot trenchless crossing via horizontal directional drill under the Catawba River for the installation of 30” DR11 HDPE pipe that will serve as a sewer force main. The project helped to connect the growing populations of York County and the town of Fort Mill with the Rock Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The crew overcame numerous challenges including difficult ground conditions consisting of cobbles, boulders, and solid rock with strengths of up to 30,000 PSI to complete the project in just 37 days.

Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina
Date: 2022
Owner: York County, SC

Piedmont Natural Gas Line 427

Project Description:
a. Drilling footage: Five (5) Crossings totaling up to 9,328 ft.

b. Formation: Sands, Silts, Clays and Weathered Rock

c. Product Pipe: 16-inch Steel pipe.

Location: Rocky Mountain, North Carolina
Owner: Piedmont Natural Gas

EPIC Pipeline Spread # 4 Carrizo Springs

Project Description:
a. Drilling footage: 2 Drills —2800 ft
b. Formation: Shale/ Sandstone
c. Product Pipe: 24-inch X-70, .500 wall Steel Pipe

Location: Carrizo Springs TX. Dimmit County to Maverick County TX

Owner: EPIC

Final Completion Date: 4-15-2019

HEEC 115KV XLPE Submarine Cable Project

Project Description:
a. Drilling footage: Two (2) Crossings 4300ft (One on Conley Terminal and one on Deer Island)
b. Formation: Jettable Materials & 15,000 PSI Rock Shore Approach
c. Product Pipe: 24” HDPE

Location: Boston, MA

Owner: Eversource Energy Service

Final Completion Date: 3-2-2019

Line D Van Zandt to Opelika TX

Project Description:
a. Drilling footage: Four (4) Crossings 8,514 ft
b. Formation: Jettable silts,sands and clays
c. Product Pipe: 20 inch steel

Location: Van Zandt to Opelika TX

Owner: Atmos Energy

Final Completion Date: 06-2018

Safety is Our #1 Priority

We are committed to achieving an accident free workplace during evry phase of our microtunneling construction. Proactive involvement, personal responsibility, personal accountability, and continuous individual improvement are expected of all employees, subcontractors, vendors and clients. Safety is of utmost importance in the planning of all microtunneling services, and every one of our employees embrace his/her role in successfully implementing our Safety Program.

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