City Manager’s Desk

by Thomas Sheridan

Why directional drilling was halted in Hudson

In Hudson, protecting our residents is our top priority. It comes before any construction schedule, project deadline or temporary inconvenience. We know construction projects can disrupt your daily life, create messes in your yard and sometimes leave areas unfinished for a period of time. But keeping our residents, contractors and employees safe will always come first.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we took the time to carefully review our practices, strengthen our standards and seek input from industry experts.

After the tragic incident occurred in a nearby community in June, I gave the order to immediately halt all horizontal directional drilling work in Hudson. We knew stopping the work could delay projects and leave some areas of our city temporarily unfinished, but we needed to make sure our methods and procedures were as safe as possible before work resumed. This was not a decision we took lightly. It was made with the safety of our residents and our entire community in mind.

Over the following weeks and months, we carried out a thorough review of our horizontal directional drilling practices and other trenchless utility installation standards. We looked beyond Hudson, reviewing policies and requirements across Ohio, consulting with industry experts and our gas and electric providers to determine what more we could do to protect our community. Our goal was not simply to meet minimum requirements. We wanted Hudson to lead the way when it comes to safety.

That careful review resulted in new safety requirements that are stricter than those established by the state of Ohio. Hudson’s new standards include:

• Greater separation between new and existing utilities to reduce the risk of accidental damage or disruption.
• More frequent physical verification of underground utilities. For work running parallel to existing utility lines, crews must verify locations every 50 feet instead of the state’s required 100 feet.
• More detailed construction drawings prior to work beginning so potential issues can be identified and addressed ahead of time.
• Mandatory physical exposure and visual inspection of all utility crossings to confirm the exact location of utilities before drilling proceeds.
• Resolution of any missing or questionable utility markings before construction begins. Work will not move forward until utility locations are confirmed.
• Enhanced emergency shut-off capabilities so drilling operations can be stopped immediately if any hazard or danger appears.

These new standards are not just for city projects. They apply to all trenchless installation work including all fiber installation construction and any private/public utility construction work done in the public right-of-way and utility easements.

We have also strengthened our daily inspection reporting requirements and require contractors to strictly follow a construction checklist throughout each project. Our inspection team is committed to making sure these standards are followed every day and that there is no deviation from these important safety requirements.

On Sept. 1, the Hudson City Council approved these enhanced standards. Directional drilling work can now resume in Hudson, but only under these stronger safety requirements.

In Hudson, safety comes first! Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to build a safer community for everyone.