Camp Williams — Nix Construction

HAND DIG THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY: WITH PICKS AND SHOVELS

**CAMP WILLIAMS HAND MINE**

"OLD SCHOOL" TUNNELING

This project certainly didn’t start out as a memorable one, but as often happens underground, things transformed in a hurry once the dirt started to move.

Initially, it was planned as a guided auger bore project, but eventually it took a much older technique to get this project to the finish line. 132 linear feet of 30” casing with a 15” carrier pipe was planned. A 30” steering bore head would lead the way. The tunnel needed to tie-in to an existing manhole at the far end of the bore, so pinpoint accuracy would be a must. Just another day at the tunneling office, right? Not this time... From the very beginning the bore rig encountered numerous rocks in the tunnel path. Big rocks, ranging from 20” to 40” in diameter. Every time one came up, it would shut down the project while they were cleared out by hand. Within 25 feet of the starting point, the crew came to a glum conclusion: The bore rig was not going to be able to clear all these rocks from the tunnel path. It was time to break out the shovels and sweat labor. In order to accommodate hand digging, a 48” steel casing would now be required, and the 15” PVC carrier pipe would eventually be placed inside the larger steel casing. Over the next 5 weeks, hundreds of rocks were removed from the tunnel using only hand tools and old-fashioned elbow grease. As you can imagine, the task was grueling, but the crew stuck with it. Keeping the tunnel on-line with this method was a challenge, but with diligent monitoring, it all tied-in perfectly at the existing manhole. The project was finished on time, and the customer was happy. It just goes to show that even with today’s technology, sometimes the old way is the only way.