Est. 2005 · UK-wide trenchless installations07920 553 578·chris@swdd.co.uk
Trenchless Services
Pit-launched steel casing crossings, held to a tight line and level. We can install or arrange them. In our experience though, once we've looked at the job, most clients go with directional drilling instead, simply because it costs less.
Auger boring jacks a steel casing horizontally from a launch pit while a rotating auger inside clears the spoil, giving a straight, accurate bore. It is a proven way to install a rigid casing under a road or railway on a set line and level, and we can carry it out or bring in the plant for it.
We'll happily quote your crossing as an auger bore. But we'll be straight with you. In our experience, once we've talked the job through, most clients switch to directional drilling instead, purely because it usually comes in cheaper. It still needs launch and reception pits, but they are small and shallow, with no thrust wall to build. Here is the honest comparison so you can weigh it up.
Auger boring at a glance
| Method | Pit-launched, jacked steel casing |
|---|---|
| Typical diameter | ~150 to 1200mm |
| Typical length | Up to ~80m per drive |
| Best ground | Stable, cohesive |
| Line & level | Straight, tight on guided systems |
Typical figures for the method. We confirm what suits your crossing.
When each method wins
It often works out cheaper for you as well. With a directional bore you are not paying to build a thrust wall and a large launch pit, just smaller, shallower pits, so the saving reaches your budget. The bore can usually be done without anyone entering the excavations too, which keeps it simpler and safer.
We have no reason to push you toward one method or the other. The right answer is whichever installs your service safely for the lowest cost and risk. Send us the drawing and levels and you'll get a straight answer, including a directional-drilling price to set against a jacked or augered crossing.
Head to head
| Feature | Auger boring | Directional drilling |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Launch pit (with thrust wall) + reception pit | Small, shallow launch & reception pits |
| Bore path | Straight only | Steered curve, can avoid obstacles |
| Product installed | Rigid steel casing | Flexible PE/steel pipe, ducts or casing |
| Typical length | Short, up to ~80m | Long, up to ~500m per shot |
| Typical diameter | ~150 to 1200mm | Up to ~900mm |
| Best ground | Stable, cohesive | Wide range, incl. rock with tooling |
| Gravity to falls | Short drives, guided systems | Survey-controlled over distance |
| Surface footprint | Pits at each end | Compact, minimal surface works |
Figures are typical ranges and depend on ground, diameter and site. We confirm them per job.
Questions answered
Auger boring, also called thrust boring or rotary auger boring, is a pit-launched trenchless method. A steel casing is jacked horizontally from a launch pit while a rotating helical auger inside the casing cuts the face and carries the spoil back to the pit. It produces a straight bore and is used mainly for short road and rail casing crossings in stable ground.
Auger boring is pit-launched and bores a straight line between a launch and reception pit, installing a rigid steel casing. That suits short crossings that need a casing on a set line and level. Directional drilling also works from launch and reception pits, but they are usually small and shallow, with no thrust wall to build. It steers a curved path and can run far longer and deeper, installing flexible product pipe and gravity drainage to falls. On a great many crossings the directional bore does the same job with less excavation and lower cost.
Very often, yes. Plenty of crossings reach us marked "to be augered" or "thrust bored" when a steered bore would install the same service for less, from much smaller and shallower pits, and over a longer or curved alignment if needed. Send us the drawing, the levels and the ground information and we will tell you honestly whether your crossing can be directional drilled, and how the cost compares.
Where a short, straight, rigid steel casing has to be held to a tight line and level in stable, cohesive ground, and there is room for a pit at each end, auger boring is a sound, proven choice. Some rail and highways specifications call for exactly that. It is one of several trenchless methods, and the right answer is whichever installs your service safely for the lowest cost and risk.
It depends on the crossing. Auger boring needs a launch pit with a thrust wall and a reception pit, which adds excavation, support and reinstatement at each end. Directional drilling launches from the surface, so on longer, deeper or curved crossings it is frequently cheaper and quicker. On short, straight casing crossings the two are closer. We price the crossing on its merits rather than the method.
Related services
Surface-launched, steered crossings that run longer and deeper, from small, shallow pits.
View service →Driven steel casings for coarse, cobbly ground and short rigid crossings.
View service →Gravity drainage drilled to falls, often cheaper than a jacked crossing.
View service →Send us the length, diameter, levels and ground conditions. We'll tell you honestly whether it needs auger boring or can be directional drilled for less, then price it.