Drilling & boring
Horizontal boring contractors in Athens
"Horizontal boring" covers every way of putting a line under an obstacle without digging across it. In Athens that usually means a directional bore; sometimes it means a cased auger bore.
Serving Athens · Clarke County
Davis Underground Solutions, Inc.
Directional drilling and boring across Georgia; locates, bore plan and utility coordination handled. More about Davis Underground Solutions →
Two kinds of horizontal bore
When a property owner in Athens asks for a horizontal bore, they want a line under a driveway, a road or a parking lot with the surface left alone. There are two tools for that. A directional drill steers a curved path, so it can start and finish at a shallow pit, dip under the obstacle and come back up; it is the choice for conduit, water, gas and any other pressure line. An auger boring machine jacks a straight steel casing from a deeper launch pit on a fixed grade; it is the choice when the permit calls for a casing or the line is a gravity sewer. Davis Underground Solutions, Inc. runs both and picks the one the crossing needs.
Typical horizontal bores in Clarke County
- Electrical or communications conduit under a commercial drive or a parking lot, from the transformer pad to the building.
- A new water or gas service from the street to a house, under the driveway and the front yard.
- Irrigation and lighting sleeves under a road or an athletic field.
- Road crossings on a fiber or power route, bored shot by shot along the right-of-way.
- Sleeves placed ahead of paving so a future line never requires an open cut.
Working in Georgia ground
In Athens the first few feet are usually red clay, which bores well and holds a hole. Under it, across the Piedmont, comes saprolite and then rock: granite and gneiss that can rise to within reach of a shallow bore. Toward the Fall Line and the coast the clay gives way to sands and a high water table. The crew's job is to read the ground before the pilot hole starts, choose the bit and the drilling fluid for it, and track the head so the bore stays at the depth on the plan. That is what separates a contractor who drills Georgia every week from one who is passing through.
What happens on the day
Georgia 811 marks the public utilities, the crew locates and potholes anything in the path, two small pits go in, the pilot bore is drilled and tracked, the hole is reamed and the product is pulled back. The pits are backfilled and the surface restored. On most residential and light commercial jobs in Clarke County that is a single working day. Davis Underground Solutions shows the rigs and recent bores. Estimates are free. Call now: (678) 264-3333.
Estimates are free. Call now: (678) 264-3333.
Other drilling and boring services in Athens
Directional Drilling Athens
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) for new underground utilities: steered bores under roads, driveways, parking lots, creeks and landscaping with no open trench.
Auger Boring Athens
Steel-cased auger bores for road, rail and railroad crossings that need a straight, on-grade casing.
Pipe Boring Athens
Boring and pulling in HDPE or steel product pipe from a few inches up to large-diameter casings.
Fiber Optic Drilling Athens
Directional drilling for fiber and communications duct: long bores, multiple ducts in one pull, tight easements.
Electrical Conduit Drilling Athens
Bores for primary and secondary power conduit, lighting circuits and site electrical feeds.
Utility Drilling Athens
Multi-utility installs for developers and utilities: power, gas, water, sewer and telecom on one site plan.
Sewer Line Drilling Athens
Directional drilling and boring for new gravity-adjusted force mains, laterals and sewer crossings.
Water Main Drilling Athens
HDD installation of new water mains and service lines, including creek and road crossings.
Gas Line Drilling Athens
Bores for new natural gas mains and services, coordinated with the utility and its operator-qualification rules.
Questions about horizontal boring in Athens
How deep is a horizontal bore under a driveway in Athens?+
Usually three to four feet below the slab for a private driveway, enough to clear any base and future repairs. Public roads require more cover, set by the county or GDOT permit.
Can one bore carry several conduits?+
Yes. A bundle of ducts is pulled back together through a single reamed hole; it is the normal way fiber and power are installed side by side.
What is the difference between boring and directional drilling?+
Directional drilling is steered and curved; auger boring is straight and cased. Both are horizontal bores, and the crossing decides which one is used.
Do you need access on both sides?+
Yes, a small pit at each end. The rig sits at one; the receiving pit at the other can be in a yard, a planting strip or a cut in the pavement that is patched afterward.
How do I get a free estimate?+
Call (678) 264-3333 now, or put the run in the form on this page. Estimates are free, and a site walk in Clarke County follows within days.