Directional boring is one of the popular methods of installing underground utilities and is infamously known as horizontal directional drilling. It is considered a minimal-impact method of drilling because it is trenchless and allows the constructors to install pipes, cables, and even arcs of their choice by creating only two open pits.

The drilling takes place horizontally without damaging the surface of the ground. Directional boring has many other advantages, making it a great alternative to traditional digging methods.Here are some of the main advantages identified by Boring American that make this process of digging stand out:

1. More Efficient Method of Installment

Directional boring is more efficient than traditional means of boring mainly because it is a trenchless process. The time it takes to complete the process has been significantly reduced for multiple reasons.

Firstly, while performing directional boring, contractors use an automated surface-launched drilling rig and cut directly through the soil instead of cutting trenches, which takes up much less time. Underground utilities can be constructed more efficiently under any landscape, river, and even constructed areas such as railways.

Another aspect that makes the process of directional boring more efficient is that less licensing is required to perform this form of digging. As there aren’t many open cuts, the level of disruptions is greatly reduced, which is why extra permits do not need to be acquired. The number of organizational approvals is also reduced. 

Lastly, changing weather conditions can also create a lot of trouble for the workers, but through the Horizontal Boring American method, this problem is avoided. The overall ecological balance is easily protected, and the area remains unaffected.

2. Lower Overall Cost

Digging is generally a very expensive process because a large sum of money is required to first cut the surface, perform the drilling, and then cover and repair it again. Avoiding the extra steps involved in trenching helps save a large amount of money, so directional boring can be extremely beneficial for reducing the cost of digging.

In directional boring, the man hours, as well as the production time, are reduced. The labor doesn’t need to get hired for an extensive amount of time, so the hiring cost decreases.

For directional boring, existing utilities can be used. Simultaneously, the quantity of new material required is also low since trenches aren’t dug up and do not need to be covered up at the end of the process.

Lastly, the process after the digging is also less expensive because detailed landscaping isn’t required. Since open cuts aren’t made, the process of performing the digging and finishing it off is generally much cheaper. 

3. This process is Generally Safer

Digging of any sort can be extremely dangerous for the workers this is why extensive safety measures need to be set in place. Certain rules for directional boring also need to be followed, but these are much less complex than those required for conventional digging.

Traditional methods of digging, especially those involving trenches, contain many risks for workers, and the chances for accidents to occur are much greater. Falling into an open trench is a risk that workers face on a daily, and many have also suffered due to this.

Alongside this, to build trenches, a large part of the landscape is destroyed, and this requires complicated construction processes, which are extremely dangerous. Large-scale digging is very dangerous, but the possibility of a boulder falling on a worker is equally risky.

These dangers are minimized in directional boring because of the absence of trenches. Safety measures must be followed, but most of these horrendous accidents cannot occur in the process.

4. Less Disruption of the Ground

As mentioned earlier, directional boring is a trenchless process, so there is no need to cut open the surface. This prevents the unnecessary cutting of the landscape and the roadway.Directional boring causes minimal disruption, and less soil is displaced. This results in the process being completed more efficiently and much cleaner.

The reduced disruption causes much less commotion and allows the traffic in the area to flow smoothly.The people do not have to face any excessive trouble in the shape of a long construction project which is extremely noisy and horrible to live around.

5. Environmentally Friendly

Directional boring does not involve many open cuts, so it is more environmentally friendly. As the process doesn’t involve building trenches, the ground isn’t affected as much.

The rocky area is preserved, and the negative impacts of digging on the ecosystem are also reduced. Directional boring also decreases the overall pollution that results due to digging.Sound pollution and groundwater pollution usually take place in digging is reduced because the ground isn’t excessively cut open. No extra excursions are made to make disruptions the landscape.

Conclusion

All in all, directional boring easily takes precedence over other forms of digging because of the convenience it creates and the safety it provides.

For the contractors, the process is cheaper, is completed in a shorter time, and is much more efficient than other boring means. Their workers have to face fewer risks and can complete the task in the given amount of time.

For the community living close by, it creates fewer hurdles surrounding the area due to its construction method. The traffic isn’t blocked, and unnecessary noise and commotion are avoided.

Most importantly, directional boring is a more sustainable way of digging because it doesn’t cause any long-term damage to the landscape or the ecosystem. Digging techniques usually destroy the natural landscape and the architecture in the area, but directional boring doesn’t cause any such damage.