Best for
Short, straight cased crossings under road & rail
Service · West Texas & the Big Country
Jack and Bore Services in West Texas
Jack and bore pushes a steel casing horizontally through the ground while an auger removes the spoil inside it. It's the method of choice when a crossing needs a straight, grade-accurate cased bore — the standard for the railroad and highway crossings the Big Country is full of.
Diameter
Steel casing to spec
Surface
Launch & receiving pits
Method
Straight, grade-accurate
How jack and bore works
A launch pit goes on one side of the crossing and a receiving pit on the other. A jacking frame drives a steel casing forward while a rotating auger inside cuts the face and carries spoil back to the pit. Because the casing is jacked on a fixed line and grade, the result is straight and true — exactly what a railroad or DOT crossing demands.
Once the casing is through, the carrier pipe — water, gas, sewer, or conduit — is installed inside it. The casing protects the carrier and satisfies the agency's cased-crossing requirement.
When jack and bore beats HDD
Jack and bore wins on short, straight crossings where the spec calls for a cased bore on a precise grade — most railroad crossings and many highway crossings. HDD wins on long or curved paths and over developed areas. We run both and tell you which your crossing actually needs.
Railroad and highway crossings
The Union Pacific mainline — the former Texas & Pacific — runs the I-20 corridor through Abilene, Merkel, Tye, Baird, and beyond, and crossings under it require a cased bore to the railroad's standard. TxDOT crossings under I-20 and US-83/84/277/283 carry their own casing and permit requirements. We build to the agency spec and coordinate the permitting.
The sequence
How the bore goes in
Dig the pits
Launch and receiving pits are set on either side of the crossing.
Jack the casing
A jacking frame drives steel casing on grade while an auger clears spoil.
Install the carrier
The carrier pipe is installed inside the protective casing.
Who hires us for this
Jack & Bore clients across West Texas
- General contractors
- Municipalities & rural water districts
- Oil & gas operators
- Telecom & fiber ISPs
- Electrical contractors
- Developers
Questions buyers ask
Jack and Bore — FAQ
Do I need a casing for a railroad crossing?
Almost always. Railroads require utility crossings in a cased bore built to their engineering standard. Jack and bore delivers that straight, grade-accurate casing.
What's the difference between jack and bore and auger boring?
They're effectively the same method — a steel casing jacked through the ground with a rotating auger clearing spoil. 'Jack and bore' usually names the crossing application; 'auger boring' names the technique.
How big a casing can you jack?
Casing diameter depends on the carrier line and the crossing. Send the details and we'll size the casing and quote the bore.