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ROWAD Tunneling & Contracting Co.
ENعar

We cross under. The surface stays whole.

Horizontal directional drilling and AVN micro-tunneling for utility, pipeline and sewer crossings across Saudi Arabia — beneath roads, rail, wadis and live services, with no open-cut trench along the alignment.

Request a quoteCompare both methods
SURFACEENTRYEXITEXISTING SERVICESDESIGN ALIGNMENT
A crossing in section: work stays at two surface points while the alignment is carried below existing services.

What a trenchless crossing changes

The case for going under is rarely about the bore itself. It is about everything above it that never has to be opened, diverted or rebuilt.

Open-cut trenching compared with a trenchless crossing on the same alignment. Qualitative — actual scope depends on ground conditions, depth and permitting.
AspectOpen-cut trenchingTrenchless crossing
Road and lane closureClosure along the full trench length, for the full programme.Working areas confined to the entry and reception points.
Existing utilitiesDiversion or relocation is often unavoidable.Crossed beneath at design depth and left undisturbed.
Surface reinstatementFull pavement rebuild along the route.Limited to the two working footprints.
Traffic and business impactSustained disruption along the whole alignment.Localised at two compounds, clear of the carriageway.
Achievable depthGoverned by shoring, battering and safe excavation.Governed by the design alignment, not by excavation.
Crossing live infrastructureFrequently not permitted under rail, highways or canals.The standard method where open-cut is refused.
Long-term settlementRisk carried along the backfilled trench.No backfilled trench along the crossing.
Spoil and haulageTrench volume over the full length.Bore volume only.

Our services

Which method fits is decided by ground, depth, tolerance and what sits above the alignment — not by preference. We hold both, so the answer can be honest.

HDD

Horizontal Directional Drilling

A steerable rig drives an arc-profile pilot bore from the surface, reams it to size, then pulls the product pipe back through it. Nothing between entry and exit is ever opened.

Suited to

  • Pressure pipelines and carrier ducts
  • Power and telecom cable routes
  • Road, rail, wadi and canal crossings
  • Ground that holds a fluid-supported bore
RIGENTRYEXITROADSERVICESARC BORE

Method envelope

Profile
Steerable arc, surface to surface
Shafts
None — entry and exit at grade
Installation
Product pipe pulled back behind the reamer
Guidance
Continuous downhole survey along the bore
Typical products
Steel, HDPE, duct bundles

Diameter and drive length are set per project by rig class, ground and pipe design.

AVN

Micro-tunneling — AVN machine

A remote-controlled AVN slurry machine is jacked forward from a launch shaft. Pipe strings follow it in, spoil leaves hydraulically, and the face stays under pressure for the whole drive.

Suited to

  • Gravity sewers and stormwater on line and level
  • Ground below the water table
  • Mixed, cohesive and water-bearing ground
  • Crossings with no tolerance for settlement
LAUNCH SHAFTRECEPTION SHAFTROADWATER TABLEJACKED PIPEAVN

Method envelope

Profile
Straight drive, launch shaft to reception shaft
Face support
Pressurised slurry at the cutting face
Spoil removal
Hydraulic transport to surface separation
Guidance
Laser guidance with continuous steering correction
Typical products
Jacking pipe — concrete, GRP or steel

Machine diameter is selected against the pipe schedule and the ground investigation.

How a drive runs

Five stages, in order. The sequence does not change — only the ground does.

  1. 1.0

    Survey and ground investigation

    Alignment survey, boreholes and utility detection, then the method decision. Everything downstream depends on the ground data being right, so this is where the programme is really won.

  2. 2.0

    Shafts and set-up

    Launch and reception shafts, thrust wall, separation plant and site compound. On an HDD crossing this becomes entry and exit areas at grade instead.

  3. 3.0

    The drive

    The machine advances under continuous guidance, holding face pressure and keeping line and level inside the design tolerance. Progress and steering are logged the whole way.

  4. 4.0

    Reception and completion

    Machine recovery at the reception shaft, the pipe string completed, then connections and testing against the specification.

  5. 5.0

    Reinstatement and handover

    Shafts backfilled, working areas reinstated, as-built survey and records issued. The site goes back to looking like nothing happened.

Tell us what you need to cross

Send the alignment and we will come back with a method, an indicative programme and a price. If the ground investigation is not finished yet, send what you have.

Or reach the projects desk directly

Phone
phone number — to confirm
Email
email address — to confirm
Office
office address — to confirm

City, or the nearest landmark to the crossing.

In millimetres, if known.

In metres, if known.

We use these details to answer your enquiry. Nothing else.