How to Tunnel Under a Side Walk/Walkway Path.

This instructables is about how to tunnel under a sidewalk/ pathway that cannot, difficult or some other reason cannot be removed. I needed to have my landscape lighting wire to go around in order to power on the lights as well as a drain to allow the water to go on the other side and later on add water pipe for my sprinklers or drip iriigation.

First on is to locate the sidewalk that needs to be tunnelled, since I already had a direct burial cable for my low voltage lighting I can just put it in the ground without the need of tubing to protect it. But since I required a drainage pipe as well I had to make the pipe go underneath the walkway which meant that require digging.

List of tools that I used.

-Pick (separate rock, break hard soil)

-Hoe

-Lever/Crowbar (Tunnel to the other side as well as to remove rocks found)

-Direct Burial cable

-Shovel (remove the soil and put somewhere else)

-Hammer (to tap onto the crowbar/Lever in order to tunnel onto the other side)

-Broom (to clean up after wards)

-Bucket (to move the soil)

Step 1: Prepare All the Things

Start to dig a trench from either side of the pathway and keep it in a straight line. Then after achieving the desired depth measure your pipe by putting in onto the path, leave about two to tree inches more on both sides of the pipe longer so as to better have control and also for future in case it needs to be found again.

From now on the tunnelling under the pathway can start. Use the lever / crowbar position it so that it will go straight to the other side and tap so that it fits into the soil. Once it has been fitted start tapping until the crowbar/lever comes to the other side. (Note that in my situation I met with different kinds of rocks and some were quite large where I needed to enlarge the trench from one side in order to remove it or try to break it by pieces).

Once the other side has been reached, it is time to start to make the hole bigger in order to be able to accommodate the bigger pipe. (Note that once the hole has been made and been enlarged, people must avoid to walk on the walkway where the tunnelling has been made as it might crack thus resulting in injury. Now if the pathway is huge embedded with re bar and one single or very large piece you will still be able to walk on with weights as it will still be able to support).

Step 2: Enlarge the Hole, Fit the Pipe and Cover Eveything

Once the other side has been reached it is time to start making the hole larger and to incline the soil to the side where water is expected to reach so as to allow the natural flow of water. When the hole was made ready to accommodate the pipe, the pipe was inserted into the hole where on one side it was slightly lowered to the other side so as to allow the water to flow better.

From here the pipe was covered just enough to be stabilised and then the wire was fed from one side to the other until the required length was achieved. Now the only thing that remains is to completely fill up the holes and then cut the excess wire. What I really like to do is to press gently on the soil that was used to fill the holes so as to better compact it and then add more until it fills the gap and finally water the soil on each side everyday until the soil gets settled.

From here on the job is done. Hope this helps. :D