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Built to your engineered drawings, survey, and the real site conditions, not a one-size-fits-all approach forced to fit.
Commercial and heavy-civil construction in Richmond Hill
Microtunnelling and Pipe Jacking Richmond Hill
Microtunnelling and Pipe Jacking in Richmond Hill install large-diameter pipe deep underground with no surface trench.
- Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered
- 20 Years in Business
Get a Quote in Richmond Hill
Tell us what you need and we’ll get you a quote. Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
Get a Quote
Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
20 Years in Business
Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered Completed to code & Ontario requirements Completed on site and built to the drawings Performed & installed on site across Ontario
Why Harrowgate Group
What to expect from microtunnelling and pipe jacking in Richmond Hill
Made to last
Durable materials and methods chosen for the load, traffic, and environment on site.
Quote-ready
Send specs, drawings, or photos and get a free, no-obligation site visit and estimate with no guesswork.
Code-conscious
Installation and site work completed in accordance with Ontario requirements.
Our Process
How we plan and deliver microtunnelling and pipe jacking
Microtunnelling and pipe jacking install pipelines between shafts by remotely excavating at the face while hydraulic jacks advance purpose-designed pipe. Harrowgate performs the GTA civil works, including shafts, support, dewatering, launch setup, spoil and slurry handling, jacking operations, survey control, lubrication, reception, tie-ins, and surface restoration.
- 01 Send your inquiry, a few photos or a description of the Richmond Hill site.
- 02 We come out, assess the Richmond Hill site, take measurements, and confirm the scope.
- 03 We complete the microtunnelling and pipe jacking on site, to the load and finish the job needs.
- 04 We install it, finish to grade, and clean up, one accountable crew, start to finish.
Local Context
Microtunnelling and Pipe Jacking in Richmond Hill
Scope
Understanding microtunnelling and pipe jacking
Which microtunnelling and pipe jacking method fits the condition?
Microtunnelling uses a remotely controlled, guided boring machine with continuous face support and spoil transport, making it suitable for precise gravity grades and groundwater-bearing ground. Conventional pipe jacking advances pipe behind an excavated or mechanically supported face with varying degrees of operator access and control. Slurry, earth-pressure, auger, and mixed-ground systems address different soils and spoil. Segmental lining or carrier installations can follow project design. Selection depends on diameter, length, grade, geology, groundwater, obstructions, settlement, shafts, and receiving environment.
How we execute microtunnelling and pipe jacking
Step 1, Launch and reception shafts are laid out around utilities, traffic, property, crane access, pipe delivery, spoil handling, and tie-ins. Harrowgate constructs engineered support using shoring selected for depth, groundwater, soil, and adjacent structures. Excavation and dewatering proceed in stages with instrumentation and ground-loss controls. The launch shaft receives a designed thrust block or frame that transfers maximum jacking load safely.
Step 2, The microtunnel boring machine is assembled on a surveyed launch cradle at exact line and grade. The first pipe and jacking frame are aligned, slurry feed and return lines connect to the separation plant, and guidance targets are protected. At the face, the cutterhead excavates while controlled slurry pressure supports ground and carries cuttings to separation. Operator records track advance, torque, pressure, slurry flow, density, and steering correction.
Step 3, Hydraulic jacks advance each pipe through lubricated ground. Bentonite or approved lubricant is injected through ports to reduce skin friction and control force. Jacking load is monitored against pipe and joint capacity. Longer drives can use intermediate jacking stations. Steering corrections are small and progressive to avoid joint deflection, pipe damage, and overbreak. Settlement points are read at the specified frequency.
Step 4, At reception, the machine enters a prepared sealed opening and is recovered by crane. The drive is surveyed, annular voids or lubrication ports are treated as specified, and joints are inspected or tested. Harrowgate completes carrier connections, chambers, manholes, shaft backfill or conversion, pavement and landscape restoration, and closeout records for alignment, loads, ground movement, and materials.
Step 5, Harrowgate closes the drive through surveyed alignment, pipe and joint inspection, tests, complete drive records, accepted shafts, monitoring, material management, and restored surfaces.
Have drawings for microtunnelling and pipe jacking in Richmond Hill? Send them over and we will scope it.
Finished On Site
Completed on site and built to last
Clean site work and a tidy finish, coordinated with your engineers, the other trades, and the surrounding site conditions, built to the engineered drawings and the applicable codes.
- Coordinated with the surrounding build
- Durable finishes for real-world wear
- Quote-ready support from scope to completion
FAQ
Microtunnelling and Pipe Jacking FAQ
What is the difference between microtunnelling and pipe jacking?
Microtunnelling is a remotely operated guided excavation process that controls the face and line and grade, often using slurry to transport spoil. Pipe jacking is the structural process of pushing the pipeline from a launch shaft. Most microtunnel drives use pipe jacking, but other pipe-jack methods can use different excavation systems.
What ground can a microtunnel boring machine handle?
Machine and cutterhead selection can address soft clay, sand, gravel, cobbles, mixed face, and rock within defined ranges. Groundwater pressure, boulder frequency, abrasivity, strength, contamination, and obstruction risk matter as much as soil name. A targeted geotechnical program and drive-specific equipment selection are required before launch.
How is line and grade controlled underground?
A surveyed launch network feeds a laser, target, gyroscopic, or combined guidance system that reports machine position and attitude. Operators make small steering corrections while independent survey checks verify control. Harrowgate monitors launch-frame stability, joint deflection, and trend by chainage so error is corrected early rather than near reception.
What limits the length of a pipe-jacking drive?
Drive length depends on pipe jacking capacity, ground friction, alignment, lubrication, shaft space, machine and slurry performance, joint deflection, and available intermediate jacking stations. Harrowgate models expected and maximum forces, tracks actual load per metre, and activates lubrication or intermediate stations within the engineered operating plan.
How is settlement controlled during microtunnelling?
Settlement control combines stable face pressure, excavation-volume balance, suitable steering, prompt pipe advance, lubrication, annular control, shaft support, and groundwater management. Surface and structure points are monitored at defined frequency. Harrowgate links movement readings to face pressure, slurry data, advance, and chainage so trends trigger immediate operational response.
What is included after the bore reaches the reception shaft?
Harrowgate recovers the machine, surveys the installed drive, completes specified annulus treatment, inspects or tests pipe and joints, constructs chambers and carrier connections, manages shaft conversion or backfill, and restores roads and landscapes. Closeout includes alignment, jacking force, lubrication, slurry, settlement, pipe, and material records.
How is line and grade controlled during microtunnelling?
A protected survey and guidance system tracks machine position through the drive, with frequent checks of shaft and target control. Steering corrections stay within machine and pipe limits so a gravity alignment reaches the receiving shaft at the required elevation.
What causes pipe-jacking forces to increase?
Length, ground friction, inadequate lubrication, deviation, stoppage, face instability, pipe joint issues, obstruction, swelling ground, and annular collapse can raise force. Recorded trends are compared with allowable loads and response criteria before pipe is damaged.
Still have a question about microtunnelling and pipe jacking in Richmond Hill? Ask our team directly.
More in Richmond Hill
Everything we handle in Richmond Hill
Browse 24 services in Richmond Hill
- Auger Boring and Pipe Ramming
- CIPP Pipe Lining
- Pipe Bursting
- 24/7 Emergency Response
- Aboveground Storage Tank Removal
- Accessibility Ramps
- Adjacent Structure Protection
- Air and Vapour Barriers
- Asbestos Abatement
- Asphalt Milling
- Asphalt Paving
- Asphalt Paving Contractor
- Asphalt Repair and Patching
- Balcony Restoration
- Basement Lowering and Underpinning
- Below-Grade Waterproofing
- Bollard Installation
- Book 7 Traffic Protection Plans
- Borehole Drilling and Soil Sampling
- Bridge and Structure Concrete
- Brownfield Remediation
- Brush Clearing and Chipping
- Building Restoration
- Bulk and Foundation Excavation
Microtunnelling and Pipe Jacking in nearby areas
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Commercial and heavy-civil construction delivered for developers, contractors, property managers, and municipalities.
Get a quote for microtunnelling and pipe jacking in Richmond Hill
Send drawings, a site plan, or a description of the scope. Harrowgate Group is licensed, insured, and WSIB-covered.
Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered, work managed and documented on every job
Send your project details
Tell us what you need and we’ll get you a quote. Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
Microtunnelling and Pipe Jacking Near Richmond Hill
View all service areas →Harrowgate Group provides microtunnelling and pipe jacking, delivered and installed with quote-ready support across Toronto and surrounding Ontario communities.
