Drilling Operations

The Geotechnical Program has a full time drill crew and multiple drill rigs of different makes and models. The different drill rigs allow the drill crew to operate in Colorado's diverse geology from the mountains to plains. The drill rigs also permit the drill crew access to difficult areas otherwise unreachable for scheduled project work or during emergencies. CDOT uses hollow stem augers, wire-line core, solid stem augers and continuous penetrometer to drill a majority of its projects. In addition, soil and rock samples can be collected via coring, standard penetration tests, California sampler, or Shelby Tubes. The drill crew works on foundation requests to collect geologic data, install piezometers for groundwater monitoring, inclinometers for landslide monitoring, and horizontal drains for landslide mitigation.