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The fiber optic market really started
to pick up steam again over the last year and a half. This resurgence of activity
has generated a lot of excitement in the trenchless construction
industry. Last mile fiber-to-the-home projects are popping
up all over the country, in big cities and rural communities. While
some of the work occurs as new construction, a majority is occurring
in established neighborhoods.
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Verizon is one of the world's leading
providers of high-growth communications services. Verizon companies
combined are the largest providers of wire line and wireless
communications in the United States, operating in one of the
most challenging and competitive markets. Verizon has
committed itself to providing its customers with advanced,
integrated network solutions that will help meet their current
and future network needs on a global basis. To accomplish
that goal, they are pushing fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) services. The
company began implementing its FTTP program in early 2002. Since
then the program continues to expand and now includes projects
in most Verizon service areas including a large-scale program
in Southern California. The
project consists of two types of installations greenfield and
overlay. Greenfield installations occur with new construction,
installing fiber optic cable from the start. Overlay installations
occur in established neighborhoods.
Henkels and McCoy, (H&M) Blue Bell, PA was contracted to
tackle the conduit installation work for the Verizon FTTP program
in Southern California. With restoration costs accounting
for a large portion of each project Henkels & McCoy crews
are utilizing trenchless technology as often as possible. For
many of the installations, H&M crews and sub contractors
are using Grundodrill
4X compact directional drills from trenchless
equipment manufacturer TT Technologies, Aurora, Ill.
Henkels & McCoy, founded in 1923 by John B. Henkels, Jr.,
started with tree trimming, landscaping. The Great Depression
nearly drove the company to ruin, but a hurricane in New England
in 1938 proved to be the turning point in the
company’s
history. While the storm was still blowing its
way through
the Northeast, Henkels & McCoy rallied,
recruiting teams
of linemen to send to the area. Just hours after the winds
subsided, Henkels & McCoy crews arrived to restore utility
services.
Today, Henkels & McCoy is one of the largest privately held
engineering, network development and construction firms serving
the communications, information technology and utility industries
in the United States. They offer one of the largest networks
of qualified individuals available in the industry through over
80 permanent offices and operation facilities strategically located
across the nation and selected international markets.
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H&M director of underground construction & telecom services
DeRoy “Butch” Silveous detailed the company’s
ties to the telecommunications industry. He said, “Over
the years, we have established ourselves as a trusted resource
for operating telephone companies. We serve this market through
the design, engineering and installation of local loop infrastructure
and equipment. At present, we work for the ten largest operating
telephone companies in the United States as well as many of the
smaller, leading independents. We are specialists in the route
design and placement of long-haul fiber optic cable, having installed
thousands of miles for long-distance, interexchange, and carriers'
carriers.
Henkels & McCoy offers total engineering,
design, layout, installation, service, and maintenance of fiber
optic cable and support devices. Our capabilities include inside
and outside plant construction for multi-mode LAN fiber systems
as well as long-haul single mode systems and optical ground
wire.
We have successfully built fiber optic
backbone supporting multiple communication services under one
sheath. Working with telecommunications
companies, we have installed thousands of miles of fiber optic
cable.”
With that level of experience in utility
construction comes a keen insight into what construction techniques
work and which ones don’t for specific applications. In
the case of the conduit installation in California, it is compact
directional drilling that receives a great deal of emphasis.
According to TT Technologies Directional Drilling Specialist
Paul Rogers, the development of smaller drills has been going
on for several years. He said, “I think some of
people in the industry saw this coming or at least hoped it
would come eventually. Those equipment manufacturers that anticipated
it really got a head start on everyone and the equipment shows
it. It is easier to use, more capable and more reliable.
With some compact drills offering
as much as 9,800 lbs. of thrust and pullback, the machines
are able to accomplish a wide range of installation tasks. Henkels and McCoy crews are using
the Grundodrill
4X to install 1 1/4-inch to 2-inch diameter polyethylene
conduit for underground fiber optic cable installations at lengths
up to 500 feet. ”
According to Silveous, the compact
directional drill is actually part of a logical progression
in terms of the equipment they have used in the past. He said, “Using compact directional
drilling applications to install conduits and cabling is a more
logical and cost effective method of installation. It is
less intrusive in terms of the environment you are working in
and is small enough to use where larger
units are not an option. It
is quicker then conventional open trench methods, faster then
using pneumatic piercing tools and requires less clean up. It
is an essential piece of equipment and
is used everyday”.
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Rogers said, “These mini-drills work
well in residential or commercial areas. They’re
lightweight. They
can be transported on a trailer pulled by a Cone-ton truck and
require minimal crews to operate. The 4X’s special
steel track with bonded rubber pads offers excellent traction
and durability while minimizing potential damage to concrete
and turf, which is important in residential settings.
Plus the units are very easy to operate. The computerized
Smart Vice system simplifies the drilling process by automating
the drills vice cycling operations. The operator has single
push button control of the function. That helps improve
efficiency and speeds up drill times. The vice is also
self-centering, reducing wear and tear.
The operator can
return to manual control with the flip of a switch. The
whole system is
very user friendly.”
For the Verizon project in Southern California, Henkels & McCoy
crews are installing 1 1/4-inch and 2-inch diameter conduit to
house fiber optic cable. According to Silveous, a typical
project includes thousands of feet of conduit installation. He
said, “The projects are let in various sizes with 20,000
feet of conduit installation being a typical project. Of
that about 16,000 feet is easement with another 4,000 feet of
street crossings. The allotted time on a project like this
is about 6 to 8 weeks so we really need to keep things moving.
Which includes placing the fiber, splicing and testing the fiber
after the conduit is installed.”
In addition to the amount of duct
that needs to be installed, H&M crews are also faced with approximately 30,000 to 40,000
square feet of concrete removal and replacement, as well as 4,500
square feet of asphalt removal and replacement per project. To
mitigate for impact of restoration, H&M crews utilize trenchless
technology as much as possible.
Rogers said, “This is a perfect arena to highlight the
capabilities of the compact directional drill. The unit
was specifically designed for this type of work. And the
Henkels & McCoy crews are really getting a lot out of their
drills. The drills are being used everyday and have successfully
installed tens of thousands of feet of conduit to date.”
According to Silveous, the trenchless
aspect cannot be overlooked. He
said, “If you can imagine a manicured, gated ‘Home
Owners Association,’ where the customer has designed a
new fiber conduit system behind the curb, under sidewalks, driveways,
through landscaped front lawns, under trees and bushes, with
home owners demanding their lawns be left immaculate; add a customer
who wanted the work done yesterday…you will soon learn
the benefits of trenchless technology.”
Jim Schill
Technical Writer
Mankato, MN
Last Mile,
2006
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