Highway crossing
Trans-Canada Hwy 105 Crossing
Two 100mm HDPE conduits pulled under the Trans-Canada Highway through clay, gravel, cobble and sandstone — in February, on time and on budget.
- Location
- Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
- Date
- February 2024
- Services
- Horizontal directional drilling, HDPE fusing
Project overview
A pair of 100mm high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conduits had to reach the far side of the Trans-Canada Highway without an open cut across the travelled way. WM Directional Drilling planned and completed the crossing as a trenchless bore, keeping traffic moving and the road surface intact.
Challenge
The ground under the highway ran from clay through gravel and cobble into sandstone — a mixed profile that punishes equipment and demands careful steering. The work also fell in February, adding cold-weather handling to the job.
Approach
Two 100mm HDPE conduits were fused on site into continuous lengths, and a guided pilot bore was steered across the crossing before reaming and pulling the product pipe through. Cold-weather drilling procedures kept the bore and materials workable through the winter conditions.
Outcome
Both conduits were installed on time and on budget, with the highway carrying traffic throughout.