# Anyone bore under a road to run a water line?



## axespino (Jan 10, 2005)

I was wondering if anyone would know how much it would cost to bore under a county road so I get water to a pasture I rent? Thanks


----------



## carryyourbooks (Feb 13, 2009)

i have a couple of people who i can recommend if you are in the houston area.


----------



## Outearly (Nov 17, 2009)

Make sure you check with the county, they'll let you do it, but sometimes have rules about how you do it, for example how deep you run under the ditches.


----------



## j-haynie (Sep 5, 2008)

Also make sure whoever does makes a one-call. call 811


----------



## Outearly (Nov 17, 2009)

Also check with the county, see if they'll let you cut the road (assuming it's gravel). Might be a lot cheaper than boring.


----------



## daryl1979 (Dec 17, 2010)

Call 811 for your locates and if its clear then is should be easy. If it is not clear you will have to pothole every utility that is in line with the bore. That could start costing you money.


----------



## panhandle_slim (Jun 1, 2012)

Also have someone to refer you to if you need it in the htown area


----------



## texasjellyfish (Jan 23, 2006)

yes ,we use a pneumatic boring missle for short bores up to 3" in dia , most larger rental companies carry them. Prices will vary


----------



## robjord (Dec 3, 2009)

We bored under N.Main in Baytown. Our builder was taking care of it,had permission from the city and the county. They were stating to bore and a Verizon truck stopped and we found 12 fiber optic bundles that no one knew were there. Verizon said it would have been over 100k if they had cut them.


----------



## twoZJs (Jul 23, 2008)

If this is a SM road, you may be 99.9 SOL. The horizontal bore requires to below the conditioned road-bed, maybe below the surface approx 12-15 inches. Locate a good spot in the side ditch, you are good to go. Not too many county roads will have comm cables running down the road centers for you to tangle in. Get the bore permission from your county commissioners office for your sector, then call the cable locator's..

This vid Beaver is about the least expensive one-man bore machine w/water (vid at 3:10) you'll see. The vid has a ph number to locate the nearest rental to you.


----------



## daryl1979 (Dec 17, 2010)

Agree with 2cj but gas is another thing there have been gas line run under farmers fields that farmers have worked for years that they hit. There are running petro gas and natural gas everywhere now


----------



## bg (May 21, 2004)

I use Hebert Irrigation and pay about $15/ft for horizontal bore and sleeve up to 4". They bored under Soldier Creek at the Houston Racquet Club for me in December so we could install some irrigation and lighting. There was a pretty good grade on both sides of the creek and they had to go 4' under the creek bed, so this was a pretty complicated bore but they got it done.


----------



## kenny (May 21, 2004)

I hired a Pasadena plumbing company to bore under the street for a new water line. The missile breach straight up through the asphalt about mid street!


----------



## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

It's called a hoe ram and they ca be rented. Call in the line locates, 90 it out (level it) about 3-4' under surface of road and let her rip. It should take about an hour or less with y'all's east Texas soils and assuming your CR is 20' wide (30 LF of bore). I'd charge you $50 LF for that minimal amount. $15 LF is stupid (mentioned earlier) cheap.


----------



## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

sotexhookset said:


> It's called a hoe ram and they ca be rented. Call in the line locates, 90 it out (level it) about 3-4' under surface of road and let her rip. It should take about an hour or less with y'all's east Texas soils and assuming your CR is 20' wide (30 LF of bore). I'd charge you $50 LF for that minimal amount. $15 LF is stupid (mentioned earlier) cheap.


More like 1500 mobilization fee with $20 a foot plus fees and permits.


----------



## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

When we did it, I talked to the Precinct Commissioner & told him what I wanted to do... I then offered to buy the culvert if the county would install it (which they did). Win-win for both of us.


----------



## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Profish00 said:


> More like 1500 mobilization fee with $20 a foot plus fees and permits.


Permit and fees cost is always picked in addition to client. I'm in SA area and wouldn't charge a mobilization cost to an independent/land owner locally. Now you can put that $1500 mob cost in if I had to send someone all the way to Houston then I'd be stupid expensive comparatively. Lol.


----------



## Aggie88 (Sep 27, 2012)

I have done it the hard way with shovels and water jets before, but really thought 2cj,s Little Beaver was pretty awesome and appeared to be quite easy.


----------



## bg (May 21, 2004)

I usually pay a mobilization fee and for any permits or materials needed in addition the per foot cost. For example, a recent bore across a 15' driveway costs me about $350 complete. $225 for the bore, $75 for mobilization (varies on how far they're driving) and $50 for materials.


----------



## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

bg said:


> I usually pay a mobilization fee and for any permits or materials needed in addition the per foot cost. For example, a recent bore across a 15' driveway costs me about $350 complete. $225 for the bore, $75 for mobilization (varies on how far they're driving) and $50 for materials.


I wouldn't sniff that for $350. If it crept on them (hittin a rock or some anomally) and they busted that driveway, they're out an easy thousand to remove and replace that panel of driveway IF they get lucky enough to have the home owner be cool and ONLY want replace that one panel. I guess I cover my *** to much nowadays on unforeseens. Tend to stay away from residential jobs anyway for that reason.


----------



## bg (May 21, 2004)

There's no rock in the soil around Houston. Toughest thing you'll have to deal with is heavy clay and it isn't going to push you up.

They're also using a directional drill machine (http://www.ditchwitch.com/trenchless/directional-drills/compact/JT922/) with the correct sonde and locator so they know exactly what the depth is, what direction it's moving and how fast it's going at all times. They'd really have to be asleep at the wheel to come through a driveway. I can see that using a hoe ram more could go wrong.

Different markets have different requirements and costs for the "same" job.


----------



## axespino (Jan 10, 2005)

I live out in the country and talked the county and they said I have to go 3' under the road plus get a permit. I just recently did some fence work on my side of the road and did the 811 call but I was not to impressed with their work. I know of a abandoned line that they did not have a clue about and then we hit a dfferent abandoned line they did not know about on the last hole.


----------



## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

They don't know about abandoned lines unless someone tells them about it.

They only mark lines the utility company's tell them to. The call is to cover your butt.


----------



## rem44mag (Mar 17, 2010)

I bored under cherry street in Tomball back in the 70s
with 40' 1" pipe a homemade nozzle and a garden hose
no permit no machine


----------



## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

axespino said:


> I live out in the country and talked the county and they said I have to go 3' under the road plus get a permit. I just recently did some fence work on my side of the road and did the 811 call but I was not to impressed with their work. I know of a abandoned line that they did not have a clue about and then we hit a dfferent abandoned line they did not know about on the last hole.





Profish00 said:


> They don't know about abandoned lines unless someone tells them about it.
> 
> They only mark lines the utility company's tell them to. The call is to cover your butt.


it's very common that they don't mark abandoned lines. as Profish stated, the service is there to cover your butt. If you make the call and they miss a gas line, fiber optic line, etc - it's their fault for not marking it...not your fault for hitting it.


----------



## McDaniel8402 (Dec 7, 2011)

The horizontal "1-man" boring machines can be a PITA to use. They work ok, but as stated, you have to get the boring machine down in a hole, roughly at the depth you want your bore to be. I bored under a 20' wide, concrete driveway for a church, mostly working alone. It worked, but a darn sure wouldn't want to do it again.


----------

