A vital part of the city of Renton’s mission is to provide a vibrant, healthy, and above all safe community. As one of the many goals they are striving towards, a significant way that they plan on fulfilling that goal is by, “Promoting a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly city with streets, trails, and connections between neighborhoods and community focal points.” According to the Comprehensive Walkway Plan that the Public Works Transportation Division launched last year, Renton has 188 miles of missing sidewalks. When the roads were originally constructed, they were designed before standard practices were put in place to ensure that sidewalks were safe to use for pedestrians, cyclists, and that they were accessible for strollers, wheelchairs, and walkers.
As the city begins the next steps towards improving the existing walkways and creating new ones, they’ll take any collected feedback from the community and begin the planning and prioritizing phase. For any existing sidewalks that have been identified as needing additional work to support a more walkable environment, the city will most likely use directional drilling to make these pedestrian friendly improvements.
Directional drilling is a trenchless method of installing underground infrastructure such as pipes, cables, and other utilities. By drilling in a non vertical direction, it allows the operator to dig without damaging the resources that are already in place. Directional drilling is particularly valuable when it comes to doing work around sidewalks and roadways.
One of the many benefits of directional drilling is that it is safer for the environment and it causes minimal disruption to the surface. If a walkway is perfectly accessible, but there are repairs that need to be done underground, that work can be done without tearing up the whole sidewalk. Directional drilling is usually a quicker process as well compared to more traditional trenchless options. Since the professionals undertaking the work won’t have to spend additional time digging and then filling a large trench, the work will be completed faster. A quick turn around means less time that pedestrians in Renton have to wait for another accessible sidewalk.
Trusted Plumbing & Heating are a local, family run business in Renton, and we applaud the city’s efforts to increase the accessibility of the walkways within the community. As directional drilling experts, we provide directional drilling directly to our customers and to other plumbing companies throughout King County who are unable to offer these services themselves. If you are interested in directional drilling for your home or property in Renton, don’t hesitate to give us a call!