In autumn 2024, Brownline surveyed two horizontal directional drilling crossings in France. These crossings of 230 m & 257 m (755 ft & 843 ft) were carried out with a mud motor assembly due to the challenging and hard soil conditions. One of the HDDs crossed a railway yard and the other crossed the river Meuse.
These two drills were carried out by our client Infra Group. The aim in both projects was the installation of electricity cables. A mud motor was used to drill into the hard soil layers. Surface level access was limited in these projects, as a railway and a river were crossed. To drill with the highest accuracy, Brownline’s Gyro Steering Tool (GST) was deployed.
Chalindrey: crossing 7 railroad tracks
In October, the HDD crossing at Chalindrey was carried out. Here, a 200 mm / 8” HDPE pipe would be installed for the purpose of power cables. This connection was needed because the Chalindrey business park is going to expand. A modification of the electricity supply was therefore necessary.
A total of 7 tracks were crossed. The job took place in soils varying from sand and clay to marl-limestone. Despite all the conditions, the Gyro Steering Tool enabled perfectly accurate drilling.
Fépin: under the Meuse
A second job took place close to the Belgian border in the Ardennes, near Fépin. In November, 257 m / 843 ft were drilled here to install an electrical connection under the Meuse river. Three-quarters of the drilled trajectory was below the river.
This underground cable connection will replace an above-ground route that crossed the river using pylons. These overhead cables have proved vulnerable in the past during heavy snowfall, so an underground cable is safer. High-precision drilling was used to cross the Meuse river diagonally so that a 160 mm / 6” HDPE pipe could be installed for the new cable.
These two HDD crossings in France demonstrate the power of the Gyro Steering Tool: always the most accurate results, without the need for surface access and under all conditions!
Looking for this kind of expertise for your next HDD project? Contact us!