Gas
The Thrills! The Chills! Ten Underground Infrastructure Stories From 2015
by Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Art Director As 2015 quickly moves into history, let’s take a look back at the thrilling days of yesteryear and some of the underground infrastructure stories that peppered the pages of UC in 2015. There were awards given and records broken and lumps of rock and the loss o..
TTC Auger Boring School
Inaugural TTC Auger Boring School Impresses Attendees The Trenchless Technology Center’s 2015 Auger Boring School received favorable reviews from participants in the week-long training program completed in mid-October. Sponsors included American Augers, Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, Barbco,..
Ditch Witch founder dies
The utility construction industry lost a giant with the Dec. 11 death of Ed Malzahn, chairman of the Charles Machine Works Inc. (CMW). Malzahn’s invention of a compact trenching machine paved the way for changes in the way essential utility services are delivered to customers. Malzahn, 94, died i..
2015: Could Have Been Worse, Could Have Been Better
by Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief As we wrap up 2015, one can’t help but reflect on a year that was, that could have been and that wasn’t. It was a year of international and national terror, though amazingly those horrific acts have seemed to have little lasting impacts upon the markets and thu..
Contractor Workforce Standardized Training
Training Contractor Workforce Top Priority At the first-of-its-kind Distribution Contractors Association/American Gas Association (DCA/AGA) Utility Contractor Workshop in Chicago, presenters and attendees were single-minded in their focus on one goal: to ensure the growing contractor workforce has ..
Senate Hears About Inadequacy Of Gas Transmission Proposal
Don Santa showed increasing frustration with the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) continued failure to move forward with important pipeline safety regulations. At Senate hearings on Sept. 29, the INGAA chief said that gas transmission pipelines are hesitant to make e..
B&T Drainage Wins Vermeer Ultimate Crew Contest
B&T Drainage of Marshall, IL, proved themselves as the ultimate drilling crew at the 2015 International Construction and Utility and Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) in Louisville, KY, beating out three other crew competitors and winning the use of a Vermeer D24x40 S3 Navigator HDD for the span of one y..
Melfred Borzall FastBack
Melfred Borzall’s one-of-a-kind patent-pending FastBackTM system is changing the way contractors handle HDD boring. FastBackTM is Borzall’s new system for direct pullbacks without removing the drill head or installing a backreamer. This unique system includes the FastReamTM housing – used in place ..
Choose the right tool for the job
Total-solution HammerHead®/RS Lining Systems collaboration keeps pace with rapidly evolving noninvasive techniques Today’s pipe repair specialists can take a lesson from Maslow’s “law of the hammer,” revising it slightly to make a similar point: “To the contractor with a sledge, every bid includes ..
LMK Technologies Continues to Lead the Way in Trenchless Rehabilitation
LMK Technologies Continues to Lead the Way in Trenchless Rehabilitation of Main to Lateral Connections with the Addition of Man Entry Lapel Liner Located in Ottawa, Illinois, LMK Technologies has been a leader in trenchless Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) lining since 1993. LMK is recognized by many mun..
Vactor’s New DigRight™ Technology Benefits Vacuum Excavation of Utilities
According to hydroexcavation best practices, there are set pressure limits based on the depth of the excavation. For example, when excavating 18 inches below the surface, the water pressure limit is 1,500 psi. The maximum water pressure allowed in any situation with a straight jet nozzle is 2,500 ps..
New productivity tools help HDD contractors work smarter, not harder.
The world’s aging infrastructure, expanding population and growing energy demands create an environment that will keep horizontal directional drilling contractors in high demand. At the same time, HDD contractors face new challenges, as project owners demand more information and detailed documentati..
Trenchless Pipe Replacement
HammerHead Trenchless Equipment HammerHead pneumatic pipe-bursting systems are being used by underground contractors around the world as an effective method to replace failing, outdated or under sized sewer, water and gas lines. Pipe bursting follows the path of the existing utilities, reducing uti..
A Small HDD Mud Recycler Built for Big Success
Some of the best new product ideas come from customer conversations. Equipment manufacturers often talk with underground construction contractors about their ever-changing equipment needs on horizontal directional drilling (HDD) job sites. When utility contractors talk about their biggest HDD pain p..
Directional Drilling: Reamers & Hole Openers
Century Products Century Products introduces a new line of Fly Cutters engineered for maximum performance and reliability. Incorporating a robust square tube design to ensure longevity with superior strength, this new design features the ability to pull or push ream due to strategically placed cut..
TTC Seeks Applicants For Eminent Scholar Chair In Civil Engineering
Louisiana Tech University is now accepting applications and nominations to fill an Eminent Scholar Chair Professorship endowed by the T. L. James family and the Louisiana Board of Regents through an initial investment of $1 million. The James Chair will provide leadership in expanding the research ..
ASCE to Recognize Dr. Tom Iseley as Distinguished Member
In October, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will recognize David Thomas (Tom) Iseley, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE for his contributions to the trenchless technology industry at ASCE’s 2015 Distinguished Member Induction Ceremony held during their Annual Convention, Oct. 11-14, in New Yo..
Equipment Spotlight: Drilling Fluids/Polymers
Drilling fluids/polymers by CETCO Drilling Products, M-I SWACO, Baroid Industrial Drilling Products and Wyo-Ben.
Equipment Spotlight: Downhole Directional Drilling Tools
Downhole directional drilling tools by Hunting Trenchless, HammerHead Trenchless Equipment, Sharewell HDD, Railhead Underground Products, INROCK, Ditch Witch, Vermeer, American Augers, Radius HDD Tools, Melfred Borzall, StraightlineHDD and Horizontal Technology.
Power Dynamics Completes HDD Rig For Harding Directional Drilling
Power Dynamics LLC (PDI) announces completion of a custom designed and manufactured maxi-rig for Harding Directional Drilling of Bryan, TX.
Updated AEM Safety Manuals Outline Directional Drilling Best Practices
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has produced a new Directional Drilling safety manual and updated its Directional Drilling Tracking Equipment safety manual to reflect the latest industry best practices for drilling safely.
Equipment Spotlight: Downhole Directional Drilling Tools
Downhole directional drilling tools by Armadrillco, HammerHead Trenchless Equipment, Railhead Underground Products, INROCK, Ditch Witch, Vermeer, American Augers, Radius HDD Direct, Melfred Borzall, Sharewell HDD Services, Horizontal Technology, Ballantine, Hunting Trenchless and Straightline.
U.S. Drilling Products - Directional Underground Boring Bit
Manufactured in the United States from the toughest wear-resistant tungsten carbide, U.S. Drilling Products’ new Directional Underground Boring Bit is gaining attention for its rock-busting capabilities.
2013 Large Directional Drilling Rig Census
<em>Underground Construction</em>’s 2013 census of large horizontal directional drilling contractors is an effective tool when selecting the right size of drill rig to fit specific project needs in managing a successful HDD operation.
Underground Construction's 2013 Drilling Fluids Guide
A listing of both bentonite and polymer drilling fluids, divided by type and company.
2012 Large Directional Drilling Rig Census
Underground Construction’s 2012 census of large horizontal directional drilling contractors is an effective tool when selecting the right size of drill rig to fit specific project needs in managing a successful HDD operation.
15th Annual Horizontal Directional Drilling Survey
Despite pockets of negativity, the majority of horizontal directional drilling contractors continue to enjoy a robust business atmosphere for 2013, and most expect that environment to continue for the foreseeable future.
Downhole Directional Drilling Tools: Equipment Spotlight
Downhole directional drilling tools from Hunting Trenchless, American Augers, Radius HDD Tools, Melfred Borzall, Horizontal Technology, INROCK, Ballantine, Vermeer, Railhead Underground Products, Sharewell HDD Services, HammerHead Trenchless Equipment, Straightline, Condux Intl. and Ditch Witch.
14th Annual Horizontal Directional Drilling Survey: Telecom, Energy Drive Market, But Is It Sustainable?
Depending upon where you are located and what niche drives your business, the horizontal directional drilling market for 2012 is a mix of strong, mediocre and stagnant. But where business is good, it is very, very good.
Laney Directional Drilling Record Crossing
Laney Directional Drilling Co., a leading provider of horizontal directional drilling services to the energy, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors, announced that it has successfully completed the horizontal directional drill (HDD) installation of nearly 11,000 feet of 6-inch steel gas pipeline in one pull under Lake Houston.
- OSHA cites Florida contractors for trench safety violations at sewer and excavation sites
- Cadiz to reuse steel from terminated Keystone XL pipeline for California groundwater project
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Biden-Harris administration invests $849 million in aging water infrastructure, drought resilience
- The EPA announces $6.2 billion in funding for Iowa and Kansas water infrastructure