Hydrovac Excavation & Potholing in St. Louis City

Records for old city utilities are often incomplete. Abandoned mains, rerouted services and unrecorded fiber show up regularly in the Central West End, Midtown, Downtown and along Grand. Potholing at each planned crossing — after Missouri 811 has marked the area — tells a crew what is really in the ground before boring, trenching or setting foundations.

City soils are often dense loess and clay over shallow limestone, and many blocks have old fill full of brick and rubble. Hydrovac breaks that material up and lifts it out cleanly, which suits tight sidewalks, alleys and right-of-way work where there's no room to stage a big excavator. Shallow rock can stop a hole short of the needed depth, and when it does we tell you right away so the plan can change before time is lost.

We also slot trench to find lines crossing a route, daylight utilities along MSD and street projects, and dig small holes for signs, poles and bollards near live services. Our trucks run from O'Fallon, so city work is a straight shot down I-70 or Highway 40. Excavated material goes into the truck's debris tank, so streets and sidewalks stay clear for traffic and pedestrians while the work goes on.