Excavating a Trench? A Guide for Dealing with Rocky and Difficult Terrain

Posted on: 19 May 2020

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Sometimes, installing utilities can be a challenge that you have to deal with. But you have a lot of options when dealing with problems such as underground utilities buried in trenches. Excavating these trenches can be a problem that you have to deal with in and of itself. The following guide will help you deal with utility trenching and excavations in rocky and difficult terrains:

1. Plan the Excavations and Survey the Geological Aspects of the Terrain

The first thing that you will want to do is to plan the excavation work that needs to be done. This work needs to include surveying and preparing the terrain. A geological survey will tell you a lot about the materials that you will be excavating and the different options for the methods that you use to complete the trenching.

2. Begin Trenching in the Softer, Stable Soils to Establish Excavations Through Difficult Terrain

The best place to start digging is where the soil is softer and normal excavation equipment can be used. You will want to start in areas with softer soil but try to be sure that it is stable and will not collapse when excavating. Some of the softest soil materials may need shoring to support the trench while work is being done.

3. Shore the Softer, Unstable Soils 

The softer soils can also be a problem when doing trench excavations. When you have a lot of digging to do, soils can collapse and make it difficult to complete the project. In addition, if any blasting is done near the softer soils, this can make work even more difficult. Therefore, in some of the areas with the softest unstable materials, you may need some type of shoring to reinforce the excavations while the rest of the work is being completed.

4. Blast Rock and Compacted Materials That Cannot Be Excavated

If you have miles and miles of trenching that needs to be done, getting through the rocky materials can be a tough job. Therefore, you may need to do some blasting to get through the hardest materials and complete the project. Blasting can be used for solid rock or compacted soil materials that are too hard for normal excavation equipment to do the digging.

These are some of the different things that you will want to know about trenching excavations through rocky, difficult terrain for utility installations. If you need help digging to prepare for utility installations, contact a blasting service for help with your project.