The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is replacing a functionally obsolete bridge over Fox Mill Run on southbound Route 17 Business (Main Street) in Gloucester County. As part of the project, HB Contracting hired Atlantic Underground Inc to relocate 16-inch ductile iron (DI) and replace it with DIPS DR-11 HDPE pipe.

Due to the water flow and environmentally sensitive wetlands area under and near the bridge, Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) was the best solution for this project. Directionally drilled crossings help preserve rivers, wetlands and reclamation areas and AUI was able to relocate and replace the 540-foot sewer force main by drilling 24-feet under the area to move and reconnect with the pre-existing underground main. This precision left the environment and sensitive wetlands above virtually undisturbed. The environmental benefits of using HDD technology have solidified its permanent position in the pipeline & utility industry.

In less than 2-weeks, AUI was able to finish their part of the project. All went as specified and according to plan. Fusion and drilling logs were provided, hydrostatic testing was performed before and after, and precision drilling was done on a tight schedule to meet the time restrictions in place for shop closures on Main Street.

Our diligent and reliable team at AUI has perfected the specialized HDD techniques used to install underground pipes, telecommunications, conduits, fiber optics, sewer lines, water lines, gas lines, and other pipelines without disturbing habitat or disrupting traffic patterns. We get the job done when no one else can.

Atlantic Underground Inc. performed trenchless services to help minimize impact on pedestrian foot traffic and avoid street closures and other disruptions on the VCU campus during the initial phase of VCU’s $158.6 million new School of Medicine project.

Using Horizontal Directional Drilling, considered by many to be a “green alternative for construction,” AUI installed approximately 100 linear feet of 6 inch HDPE pipe for a new sewer main using guidance electronics to navigate under a busy sidewalk in downtown Richmond and through an internal maze of existing utilities. This difficult bore required accuracy and constant tracking.

Drilling to a depth of 12 feet and emerging through a predrilled 12-inch hole in a basement wall required precision, experience and skill. There is nothing more accurate than the tracking methods used by our crew. We knew the exact location of the drill head at all times and with this precise tracking method, we successfully performed and installed the new sewer main on time and on budget.