Directional Drilling Lets Utility Companies Deal With Obstacles

When it comes to running pipes or cables it isn't always feasible to dig a trench all the places where the pipes or cables need to run. There are many reasons for this. Directional drilling is the way to make sure that the pipes and cables get from where their starting point to their final destination:

What Is Directional Drilling?

Often called horizontal directional drilling, directional drilling lets pipes and cables be installed at an angle or in a different direction from the original hole. HDD is also used in the oil drilling industry. In that case, it is used to get to oil that may have an obstacle in between the oil and the well. That can include things like large geological features that would be too difficult to drill through. 

Why Use Directional Drilling?

For utility companies, there are several reasons to use directional drilling. One of the biggest reasons is that it requires less work on the part of the utility company. Instead of having to dig long trenches, they can just start with one hole or small trench and start drilling in the direction that they need. Once the hole has been drilled out, the company can then install their pipes or cables. 

Directional drilling can also help to get around things like roads or other undiggable things. Digging a trench through a road isn't always the best way to get a pipe or cable from point A to point B. It the pipe has to intersect the road, digging a trench across the road can close the road for a long time. If the road is very busy, closing it for any length of time isn't possible.

Directional drilling will let the utility company start at one side of the road, dig the original hole, and then run their drill down and under the road. They will then be able to get back up to the other side to continue running their cable or pipe. The road won't need to be closed, nor will its integrity be compromised.

Directional drilling makes it possible for utilities to get all the necessary cables and pipes to where they need to be. It is often the most feasible way to get everything where it needs to be, even without an obstacle to deal with. That's because less digging means less repair work that utility company has to do.