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| Photo: Vermeer.com |
The Anacortes fiberoptic internet service is finally taking shape in Creekside. For the last few weeks, we have had a ringside seat to watch how an underground cable is installed. It's been remarkably less disruptive to our lives than I think many of us expected.
The star of the show has been the Vermeer D23x30 S3 Navigator® horizontal directional drill (above). It has a cockpit from which the operator controls the drilling distance and direction. He told me he can actually steer the the boring head around curves. As he worked, I watched additional extensions being added to the drill shaft. See images below. One reference indicated these drills can extend 300 to 450 feet or more. If you're interested, you can visit the Vermeer website for more information about this piece of equipment.
The cable itself is not being installed at this time. This phase is installing the junction boxes for each building and the orange flexible conduit that will contain the cable. As I understand it, the fiberoptic cable will be installed sometime later. Here is some additional reading about underground fiberoptic cable installation.
The following is a gallery of images, the good, the bad and the ugly in no particular order, of the underground installation process at Creekside. See if you can spot your own home or your neighbor's. In rain or shine, under blue skies or gray, these men worked to bring Anacortes Access internet to our homes. Click or right-click the images to see them full size.
Each building gets a junction box. Some of us get large ones, others get small ones. I have no idea why.
Left: The device on the pavement is a horizontal directional drilling locator. The locator receives data from an instrument just behind the drill head and transmits it to a display in the cockpit of the drilling rig. This information is used by the drilling rig operator to track and guide the position of the drilling head.
This article explains how this process works. A lot of science is going on here.
Right: The installation of a junction box requires a very deep hole in our island's glacial till hardpan. Anyone who has planted a rhody around here will appreciate the labor required.
Left: The silver curved chain apparatus extending from the back of the drilling rig delivers extensions to the drilling shaft as the drilling progresses underground.
Right: Some of the bundle of drilling shaft extensions can be seen in the side of the cockpit.
