robpur
Getting comfortable
They appear to be drilling, but why drill a hole in the street? They spent all day one day last week drilling, and they drilled for several hours yesterday.
What Are They Doing
- Thread starter robpur
- Start date
They're going to rob a bank and those workers are drilling a tunnel to the bank
Starglow
Getting comfortable
To me it looks like they're drilling a well. 
robpur
Getting comfortable
That's what it looks like to me as well, but that doesn't make sense based on where they drilled.To me it looks like they're drilling a well.
This how they found Inner Space Caverns in Texas. They lowered a guy down on
a rope and he was AWED!
en.wikipedia.org
a rope and he was AWED!
Inner Space Cavern - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
robpur
Getting comfortable
I thought about that as well, but I watched for hours and didn't see them keeping the pipes. Perhaps they want samples from a specific depth or depths so they are only keeping small samples that I didn't see.
CanCuba
Known around here
The search for Jimmy Hoffa continues
How deep did they drill? How long was each pipe section and how many did they use? Did you get a shot of the bit?
They have three cones there right now. Did they cement the hole before they left, or did they install some kind of cover? Could they have lowered a seismic recorder or maybe a gas or radon detection device?
Sybertiger
Known around here
Vent holes for those secret gubermint tunnels that run from the east coast to the west coast.
robpur
Getting comfortable
I didn't see a consistent repetition, and I could not see how high the pipes went when they were pulled out of the ground. It appears that they sometimes pulled the pipe out and then put it back in, and sometimes when they pulled it out they would put another one on the end, and sometimes take one off. Some pipes were maybe 4 or 5 feet long and they were stored in the right-hand area of the machine, while some pipes were longer. I suppose the short pipes could have been drilling bits that they were changing out. Being that so far they have drilled for two days they are either drilling very slowly or they have gone deep.
There is a small metal plate under the cones. After the first drilling session there was a small plate with no cones, but when they finished last night they put cones on top. Either they plan to come back and drill some more, or there is some other work yet to be done.
Geological mapping of bedrock, or looking for underground aquifers. Is there a bridge near by or Infrastructure being replaced or rehabbed ?
robpur
Getting comfortable
There is a pedestrian bridge just to the right that was reseated on new concrete supports. It is so recent that it has not opened back up yet. I think the last thing to be done is to pave the approaches. The bridge fell a small amount a few years ago due to the creek that it crosses undercutting a concrete support at one end.
It looks like they may do more drilling tonight since I see people and vehicles starting to collect.
They usually try to find the bedrock before they pour the concrete hahah.. Perhaps something is sagging or they are just completing a area survey, I would be willing to bet its connected to the Bridge rehab.
EMPIRETECANDY
IPCT Vendor
That is checking the earth below at different deepth, normally for building something, subway, or new road.
fergenheimer
Getting comfortable
My guess is environmental testing well. I see them along the coast to test if salt water encroached to the freshwater aquifers. Also see them around waste sites to see if contaminates are migrating away from the source. The bridge repair behind you might be what initiated it like @c hris527 mentioned above.
The best way to find out is to go and ask them.
robpur
Getting comfortable
Salt water is close by, so perhaps.
robpur
Getting comfortable
That would be too easy
I looked for workers when getting home from work today but none were around. Currently there's a couple pickup trucks down the street but the workers are tucked inside to stay out of the rain.Lots of good suggestions. I'm a retired hydrologist and I don't want to sound like a know it all, but I've never seen anyone use
a mud rotary drill to punch a hole in a street unless they needed to monitor something in roughly that specific location.
There are lots of valid underground things to sample and monitor: soil, contaminants, saltwater intrusion (well, probably
not in Washington), but unless you can't set the rig on a stable surface, I can't think of a good reason to drill through a street
to measure or monitor any of them. (I am frequently wrong, however
- just ask my wife...)
@robpur, you might just call Holt and ask them about the drilling at that location: Drilling Done Right on the West Coast | Holt Services, Inc.
a mud rotary drill to punch a hole in a street unless they needed to monitor something in roughly that specific location.
There are lots of valid underground things to sample and monitor: soil, contaminants, saltwater intrusion (well, probably
not in Washington), but unless you can't set the rig on a stable surface, I can't think of a good reason to drill through a street
to measure or monitor any of them. (I am frequently wrong, however
- just ask my wife...)@robpur, you might just call Holt and ask them about the drilling at that location: Drilling Done Right on the West Coast | Holt Services, Inc.