"Five years later, what I remember most isn’t the crossing, it’s the people who made it happen."
This summer marks five years since the completion of a record-breaking project. In the summer of 2021, Brownline Canada assisted Michels Canada in completing a 3540 m (11,614 ft) horizontal directional drill. This exceptional project is still the longest HDD crossing ever completed in Canada.
The bore crossed the Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington, Ontario. It was a highly challenging project that involved challenging mixed soil formations, several horizontal curves and limited surface access. The job was completed as an intersect, using the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool and GPS track for guidance. Radar was then used to verify the distance between the two boreholes and complete the intersect.
We look back on this project with the Brownline staff that were on site to survey the job.
An incredible showcase for the gyro
Shaun Ogilvie: “I remember the project quite well. It was an incredible showcase for the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool. Within 6 months, we successfully completed more than 20 HDD projects in the greater Toronto area. The accuracy of the gyro shines on this project as we were in complete compliance on every crossing and the exit points were all picture worthy.”
“The Hidden Lake crossing was particularly special. This was completed in the middle of a pipeline corridor that was extremely congested with underground infrastructure. The pilot hole included 5 horizontal curves at a depth of somewhere around 50 meters deep. It was very challenging as we were drilling through the Canadian Shield, compiled of different fractured formations from clay to dolomite.”
Justin Boyce: “In an ever-changing formation, the one constant was the gyro. Every time the formation changed, the plan changed. The team adapted. Although we encountered never ending formation changes and we constantly had to adapt the steering to remain within spec, we were able to get it done well before the deadline and we required minimal adjustments to make the intersect."
Mutual respect and admiration
Justin: “Shaun and I were cross shifting on the exit side and Shaun called the two of us ‘the dream team’ in his daily notes for this job. Peter Tersteeg was on the entry side and provided us with a lot of troubleshooting and great insight. This project was more than just a job. It was exciting and it brought us all closer as a team. Five years later, what I remember most isn’t the crossing, it’s the people who made it happen.”
Peter Tersteeg: “We had a great time with the drillers as well. Whenever our paths cross again, for example last winter, we still remember that project. A lot of mutual respect and admiration came from it. After all, no matter how good the tool is, you need people to get the job done, and every person on site plays a key role.”
Justin: “This project proved that teamwork is just as important as technology.”
Shaun: “Overall it was a fantastic project to be a part of.”
