Operator at the controls of a directional drill with drill rods racked behind

●Capability 1.0

Horizontal directional drilling

Trenchless crossings under highways, rail, driveways, and waterways. The conduit goes in, the surface stays intact, and traffic keeps moving.

Overview

The right tool when the route crosses something you can't dig through.

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) installs conduit along a steered underground path, entering and exiting at the surface with no open trench in between.

It's the right method when a route crosses a state highway, a rail line, a creek, a finished driveway, or a stretch of mature landscaping. The surface stays intact, restoration is limited to the entry and exit pits, and the public barely knows you were there.

Sosebee self-performs the full bore with our own rigs and operators, from locates and potholing through pilot, ream, and pullback. Our directional drilling work is backed by Directional Drilling (HDD) certification through National Field Certifications.

Scope

What we bore.

The crossings and conduit work our directional drilling crews handle every day.

01Road & highway crossingsBores under state and local roads with traffic kept open overhead.

02Rail crossingsCrossings under rail lines without disturbing the track bed.

03Creek & waterway boresConduit placed under streams and drainage without open-cutting the channel.

04Driveway & sidewalk crossingsShort bores that keep finished concrete, asphalt, and landscaping intact.

05Long-run conduitContinuous conduit placed bore to bore along the route.

06Multi-duct installsMultiple ducts pulled back together in a single bore.

Reamers and drill tooling loaded in a truck bed — Reamers ready for pullback

Excavator staged along a road shoulder — Equipment staged roadside

See it run

Three passes, one clean crossing.

Pick a stage to watch the bore travel under the highway, with live depth and stationing.

Station0+00

Depth0.0 ft

Progress0%

STAGE 1Pilot boreA steerable bit drills the pilot hole while a locator tracks it from the surface.

STAGE 2ReamThe hole is opened to the size the conduit needs.

STAGE 3PullbackConduit is pulled back through the finished bore to the rig.

Illustration. Depths and stationing are representative, not from a specific job.

How it works

From locate to restore.

Every Sosebee bore follows the same sequence, from the first locate to the last shovel of backfill.

01Plan & locateWe walk the route, review the plans, and confirm 811 locates before any equipment moves.

02Pothole conflictsExisting utilities in the bore path are exposed and verified so the drill path clears them.

03Pilot boreA steerable drill head bores the pilot hole while a locator tracks depth and position from the surface.

04ReamThe pilot hole is opened to the size the product needs.

05PullbackConduit is attached at the exit pit and pulled back through the finished bore.

06RestorePits are backfilled and the site is left as we found it, or better.

FAQ

Common questions.

What is horizontal directional drilling?

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a trenchless method of installing underground conduit and pipe. A drill rig bores a steerable pilot hole along a planned path, the hole is enlarged with a reamer, and the product is pulled back through it, leaving the surface undisturbed between the entry and exit points.

When is directional drilling better than open trenching?

When the route crosses roads, rail, waterways, driveways, or other surfaces that are expensive or disruptive to cut and restore. HDD keeps traffic moving and limits restoration to the entry and exit pits.

How do you avoid hitting existing utilities?

Every bore starts with confirmed 811 locates. Conflicts in the path are potholed and verified, and the drill head is tracked from the surface throughout the pilot bore.

Are your directional drilling crews certified?

Yes. Our directional drilling work is backed by Directional Drilling (HDD) certification through National Field Certifications.

Where does Sosebee work?

We are headquartered in Hayesville, North Carolina, and mobilize crews nationwide.

More from Sosebee.

One crew for the bore, the conduit, and the restoration.

Contact

Have a crossing to make?

(828) 557-9576

Call the office directly. You'll reach the people who run the work.

Headquarters: 130 Dairy Way
Hayesville, NC 28904
Service area: Nationwide
Established: 2018
Certification: HDD certified ↗