Missile Boring Under Driveways and Sidewalks
Missile boring drives a compressed-air piercing tool through the soil in a straight line, pulling small conduit or pipe under a driveway, sidewalk or walkway without cutting it. It suits short residential and light commercial crossings.
When to use Missile boring
A missile is the quick answer for a straight crossing of modest length: running generator or EV-charger conduit under a driveway, sleeving irrigation under a walk, or replacing a water service under a slab-on-grade path. Setup is a launch pit and a receiving pit, so the yard stays mostly untouched.
When not to use it
Skip the missile for long runs, anything that has to curve, or crossings near other utilities where drift could hit them, because the tool can't be steered once launched. Rocky fill, tree roots and very loose sand can deflect it. Those jobs call for HDD.
Common applications
Electrical Conduit Boring
Electrical conduit for generators, EV chargers, pool equipment and outbuildings is commonly bored under driveways and walks by missile or HDD.
Irrigation Sleeve Boring
Irrigation sleeves are short PVC crossings under hardscape so lateral lines can pass without cutting concrete.
Water Service Line Boring
A new or replacement water service can be bored from the meter to the house, avoiding a trench through the lawn and driveway.
How the job runs
Each Missile boring job follows these steps in order.
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811 ticket and marks
Member utilities mark their lines; we wait out the legal marking window before digging pits.
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Private line check
A GPR sweep checks the path for private lines the 811 marks don't cover.
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Launch and receiving pits
Two small pits are dug at each end, sized to set the tool on line and grade.
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Aim and launch
The tool is leveled and sighted toward the target pit, then air drives it through.
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Pull product
The conduit or pipe is pulled back through the pierced hole.
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Backfill
Pits are backfilled, compacted and the sod or surface put back.
What we need to quote
Send these and we can price the job without a site visit in most cases.
- Address
- Length of the crossing
- What is being crossed (driveway, sidewalk, patio)
- Product size (e.g. 1 in or 2 in conduit)
- Photos of both sides
Where we work
Questions about Missile boring
Is missile boring cheaper than cutting a driveway?
Usually, because there is no saw cutting, concrete removal or re-pour. The pits on each side are small.
Can a missile go under a house slab?
Generally not; it can't be steered or tracked well enough to guarantee clearance of footings and under-slab plumbing.
Does a bore need an 811 ticket in Florida?
Yes. Florida Statutes 556.102(6) defines excavation to include directional drilling or boring from one point to another beneath the surface, and other trenchless methods, so the 811 notice rules in 556.105 apply to every bore.
Get a bore quoted
Send the footage, product size and crossing, and we will reply with a quote or the questions we need answered.