24 | Trenchless drilling units save time and money Wilson Contractors operates two Astec directional drill units. Trenchless projects including water mains, sewer mains, power ducts and telecom ducts. Southland: Wilson Contractors T T Russell Fredric REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Address: PO Box 1614, Invercargill 9840 E: karlhawkes@outlook.com www.allancontracting.co.nz • Subdivisions • Footpaths • Commercial Carparks • Residential Carparks • Patios • Concrete Driveways • BBQ Areas CONTRACTING FOR YOUR MACHINE LAID KERBING & ALL YOUR CONCRETE NEEDS ALLAN Karl Hawkes - 027 407 0745 Wilson Contractors is offering a trenchless directional drilling service that can save time and money, while eliminating the need for rehabilitation of the ground or paved surfaces. Southland regional manager Hamish Lindsay says Wilson Contractors operates two Astec directional drill units. “They are used in lieu of trenching pipe into the ground. We can drill down and under roads or buildings, or whatever the situation is. The head of the drill has a detector on it and we can locate it [electronically] on the surface, and where it’s at and what depth it’s at as it drills through.” Once the drilling head is brought to the surface at the terminal end, cable, conduit or piping can be chained to the drill head and seamlessly pulled back through the cavity. One unit is capable of drilling a distance of up to 60 metres and the other 120 metres, and to a diameter of 150mm or 300mm respectively. Using these machines, Wilson Contractors experienced operators have completed numerous trenchless projects including water mains, sewer mains, power ducts and telecom ducts. Directional drilling under roads creates significant efficiencies because not only does the road surface not require repaving, it can remove the need to have traffic management in place at extra expense. As a perfect example, for an upcoming project Wilson Contractors will be using one of the machines to drill under the busy four lane Queens Drive/Herbert Streets intersection in Invercargill. One limitation of the machine is where ground services exist along the required path, trenching can still be the best option, as there is no ability to monitor the existing services and no guarantee that the services will not be struck by the drill head. Firm soil that will not collapse once the cavity is drilled is also beneficial, but not always a necessity “We also run a hydro excavation unit for non-destructive location of services while our vacuum unit is also used for carting away the surplus drilling fluid from site.” Wilson Contractors is delighted to have gained some roading contracts this year with Southland District Council (SDC). While the company has completed a considerable amount of work related to roading projects, it is a first in Southland to undertake a roading contract directly to a local or regional authority. “We have been traditionally a drainage and site works team but it’s good to be getting into road construction in our area.” Work started late October last year and involves a 1.2 kilometre section of Otahuti-Argyle Road northwest of Invercargill. The scope includes site clearance, earthworks, road construction, vehicle access upgrades, drainage improvements, road sealing and culvert replacement and installation. Completion is planned for late January and will be followed by a similar SDC contract on 600 metres of Gorge Road east of Invercargill. Wilson Contractors is also pleased to be providing its services to construct a new 44 place car park on Bluff Hill to Invercargill City Council in collaboration with the Southland Mountain Bike Club The car park is part of existing and new mountain biking and walking tracks at the Bluff Hill Motupōhue Active Recreational Precinct, with upgrades tipped for completion late this year. The car park will provide access to the trails and will feature associated services and facilities installed by Wilson’s such as toilets, a bike wash, repair station and landscaping. “It’s good to be involved in this community-orientated project. It will create a great attraction for Bluff.”
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