Home / Methods
Choosing the method is half the job. The wrong call costs a driveway, a lane closure or a struck line. Here is how we decide, and what each method is actually good for.
Steerable bore under roads, driveways, canals and rail. Guided head, tracked profile, conduit pulled back in a single shot. Nothing above the path gets opened.
Best for: Long crossings, live pavement, mature landscaping, water bodies.
Pneumatic piercing tool for short crossings under sidewalks, curbs and yards. Fast, low footprint, ideal for service drops on a live street.
Best for: Short runs under a sidewalk, driveway or single yard.
Where the corridor is open and the soil allows, trenching and cable plowing move footage fast with full control of bedding, warning tape and compaction.
Best for: Open right of way, greenfield corridors, long straight runs.
Soft digs and potholing to expose existing lines before we drill. Air or water spoil removal, no blade near a live conduit. This is how strikes stop happening.
Best for: Congested corridors, unclear locates, critical facilities.
Innerduct and microduct systems, hand holes and vaults, cable placement and pulling, splice enclosure support, OTDR testing coordination and as built records.
Best for: Every fiber build, from backbone to the service drop.
Traffic control plans, lane closures, backfill and compaction, concrete and asphalt patch, sod and irrigation repair, final walk with the inspector.
Best for: Every job. The corridor goes back the way we found it.
| Method | Surface impact | Typical run | Where it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directional drilling | None along the path | 200 to 1,200 ft | Live pavement, canals, mature landscaping |
| Missile boring | Entry and exit pits only | 20 to 100 ft | Sidewalks, driveways, single yards |
| Trenching / plowing | Full corridor opened | Unlimited | Open right of way, greenfield |
| Vacuum excavation | Small potholes | Spot verification | Congested or unclear utility corridors |
Ranges are typical planning references, not commitments. Final method, depth and length come from the design, the soil, the permit and the utility owner's specification.
Cross section
A residential corridor holds five separate utility systems in a few feet of soil. Our job is to add one more without touching any of them. Hover a color to isolate it.
Depths shown are illustrative. Actual cover is set by the utility owner's specification, the permitting agency and local code, and is confirmed by 811 locates and vacuum excavation before drilling.
Next step
Scope, location and schedule are enough to start. Bid requests, subcontractor packages and job applications all land with a real person in Orlando.