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Expansive innovation and design

Underground infrastructure construction

From land to water

Trenchless Methods

The key to unlocking the future of the trenchless construction industry turns every time we develop actionable designs for successful underground infrastructure construction. We earned our international reputation for design excellence through decades of experience on crossings installed by horizontal directional drilling (HDD). Recognizing the need for trenchless crossings in areas and conditions not ideally suited for HDD, we have expanded our design services to include Direct Pipe® and microtunneling.

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD)

The most heralded moment of an HDD project is when a pipe or conduit emerges from an exact, pre-determined location after an underground journey, but the potential for success starts long before with a carefully considered, thoughtfully planned design. J.D. Hair & Associates has designed thousands of HDD projects for land-to-land, land-to-water and water-to-water crossings. Mitigating risks, maximizing environmental protection and achieving our customers’ goals are key factors in all of our designs. 

An HDD rig operates near a trackhoe.
James Creek Direct Pipe

Direct Pipe®

Combining elements of HDD and microtunneling, Direct Pipe® is a one-pass method for installing prefabricated pipes under waterways, roadways, and other environmentally sensitive areas. Direct Pipe®requires lower pressure than other drilling methods, allowing us to design crossings to safely and successfully bore through soils with a higher probability of inadvertent returns. Set up in a shaft or pit on one side of a bore path, Direct Pipe® is effective for marine outfalls, water intakes, levee crossings and international borders.

Microtunneling

Microtunneling is an accurate way to trenchlessly install utilities under waterways, roadways and other obstacles in even the most challenging hard rock or soft conditions. Our designs accommodate accurate line and grade parameters, making this remotely controlled method suitable for many locations and conditions, including water intakes and marine outfalls.