Projects # Project Types We Take On TLDR Strilla takes on directional drilling and boring projects, aerial cable construction, fiber installation, emergency restoration and ongoing maintenance, at scales ranging from a single road crossing to a full outside plant package with multiple crews working concurrently. ## How projects are categorized here Projects are grouped by the primary work rather than by client type, because the primary work is what determines crew composition, equipment, permitting and schedule. Most real projects touch more than one category. A distribution build might involve boring, conduit, handhole placement, aerial transitions and splice support. The category simply indicates where the center of gravity sits. ## Scale, from a single crossing to a full build The smallest engagements are a single crossing: one bore under a road or driveway, with restoration and documentation. These are frequently subcontracted from a general contractor already working the corridor. The largest are full outside plant packages where the pathway, the cable and the documentation are all in one scope, with multiple crews sequenced across a route. Between those sits most of the work: route segments, aerial sections, maintenance programs and emergency response. - Single crossing: one bore, restoration and documentation - Route segment: continuous pathway with access structures and restoration - Aerial section: strand, lash and placement across a pole run - Full OSP package: pathway, cable, splice support and complete closeout - Maintenance program: scheduled support with locate and repair readiness - Emergency response: outage and storm restoration ## How do the project types differ in schedule risk? Each project type has a different item that controls the schedule, and knowing which one applies is the fastest way to plan realistically. On a bore project it is usually locates, permits and soil. On an aerial project it is make-ready, which depends on the pole owner and existing attachers rather than on the construction crew. Fiber installation depends on the condition of the conduit it goes into. Emergency work depends on access and on the accuracy of the route records. Maintenance depends on continuity: the same people learning the same network over time. A project that combines several types inherits each of these drivers, so the plan has to sequence around all of them. ## What stays constant regardless of scale Locate compliance, daily reporting, restoration to the permit standard and a closeout package are applied to a single driveway bore the same way they are applied to a multi week build. The volume of documentation scales with the project. The discipline does not, because the small job is exactly where standards tend to slip and where a missing record is least likely to be noticed until it matters. ## What information helps scope a project quickly? A route and a description of the surface along it will get a scope started faster than anything else. Exact quantities can be refined later. What cannot be guessed is where the work runs and what it crosses. - Route map, drawing set or KMZ file showing the alignment - Approximate footage and the number of crossings - Surface types along the route: pavement, sidewalk, turf, landscaping - Permit status and which authorities govern the right of way - Conduit and cable specifications if they are already set - Required documentation format for as-builts and closeout - Schedule constraints such as school zones, events or seasonal limits ## How to tell which category your project falls into If you are not sure, describe the scope in the bid request and it will be categorized on our side. Getting the label right is less important than describing what is actually being built, over what distance, in what surface conditions. ## Key takeaways - Outside plant projects are best categorized by their primary work, because the primary work sets crew, equipment, permitting and schedule. - Each project type has its own schedule driver: locates and soil for boring, make-ready for aerial, conduit condition for fiber placement. - A single driveway bore deserves the same documentation discipline as a backbone build, because small jobs are where records most often go missing. - A route, a footage estimate and a description of the surface are enough to start scoping most projects. ## Key terms **Outside plant (OSP)**: Outside plant is the physical network infrastructure outside buildings: conduit, cable, poles, strand, handholes, vaults and splice enclosures. OSP construction covers installing that infrastructure along roads and rights of way, either underground or on pole lines. **Route segment**: A route segment is a continuous section of pathway between two defined points, usually access structures such as handholes or vaults. Segments are how large builds are divided for scheduling, crew assignment, quantity tracking and as-built documentation. **Full OSP package**: A full OSP package is a single contract covering pathway construction, cable placement, splice support and closeout documentation. It gives the network owner one point of accountability instead of separate contracts for boring, aerial work and splicing. **Take-off**: A take-off is the list of quantities derived from the design drawings before construction: footage of bore and conduit, number of handholes, splice points and similar items. Installed quantities are reconciled against it at closeout to confirm what was actually built. *How the main project types compare* | Project type | Primary work | Main schedule driver | Key record | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Directional drilling | Underground pathway without open trenching | Locates, permits and soil conditions | Bore log with depth and profile | | Aerial construction | Strand, lash and overlash on pole plant | Make-ready by pole owner and attachers | Pole by pole attachment record | | Fiber installation | Blowing or pulling cable into conduit | Conduit condition and splice plan | Splice and optical test records | | Emergency restoration | Repair after cuts, storms or failures | Site access and route record accuracy | Repair record marked temporary or permanent | | Maintenance | Inspection, locates and minor repair | Continuity and response expectations | Inspection and locate response records | *Outside plant network topology* ## What this means for your project Knowing the project type early tells you which risk to manage first. If the route is aerial, the make-ready timeline is the item to chase from day one, because no crew schedule can compress it. If it is underground, locate accuracy and permit conditions deserve the attention, because they decide whether the bore proceeds on plan. Combining project types under one contractor reduces the number of handoffs, and handoffs are where schedules usually slip. A riser where an aerial run meets a bore is a single detail when one team owns both sides. With two contractors it becomes a coordination item that someone has to track. Finally, a consistent documentation standard across project types means your records arrive in the same shape whether the job was one crossing or a full build. That makes closeout review predictable and keeps your network records usable for the people who will locate and maintain the plant later. ## Related reading - [Directional drilling project scopeHow bore projects are planned, tracked and recorded from locate to restoration.](https://strillacommunications.com/projects/directional-drilling-projects) - [Aerial construction projectsStrand, lash and overlash work and why make-ready drives the schedule.](https://strillacommunications.com/projects/aerial-construction-projects) - [Full OSP packagesPathway, cable, splice support and closeout under one contract.](https://strillacommunications.com/services/outside-plant-construction/full-osp-packages) - [The full project processEvery stage of a fiber construction project from planning to closeout.](https://strillacommunications.com/resources/guides/full-project-process-overview) - [What to include in a bid requestThe route, quantity and permit details that speed up an accurate estimate.](https://strillacommunications.com/resources/checklists/bid-request-checklist) - [Our documentation standardThe reporting and closeout discipline applied to every project size.](https://strillacommunications.com/projects/documentation-standards) ## Typical scope - Underground pathway installation by directional drilling or boring - Aerial pathway installation on existing or new pole plant - Fiber placement by blowing or pulling through installed conduit - Access structure placement including handholes and vaults - Splice support and enclosure installation - Restoration of all disturbed surfaces to the permit standard - Permitting support and maintenance of traffic where required ## What you receive - Completed installation matching the agreed scope - As-built drawings or route data reflecting what was installed - Bore logs with depth and profile where boring was performed - Photographic documentation keyed to location - Reconciled footage and material against the take-off - Restoration verification photographs - Permit closure support with each authority ## Frequently Asked Questions **Do you take on small jobs like a single driveway bore?**: Yes. A single crossing is a normal engagement, often subcontracted from a general contractor already working the corridor. It receives the same locate process, depth tracking, restoration and documentation as a larger build. The paperwork is shorter, but the standard is the same, because a small bore with no record is just as hard to locate later as a long one. **Can one contractor handle both the underground and aerial parts of a route?**: Yes. Strilla handles directional drilling and aerial strand and lash under one contract. Routes often move between poles and underground at risers, road crossings and areas where the municipality requires undergrounding. Keeping both in one scope removes a handoff between contractors at exactly the points where coordination problems tend to appear, such as transition locations and slack storage. **What is a full OSP package?**: A full outside plant package puts the pathway, the cable placement, the splice support and the closeout documentation into one scope. Instead of hiring a boring contractor, an aerial contractor and a splicing contractor separately, the owner manages one contract and one point of contact. The trade off is that the contractor carries more of the coordination, which is the point of the arrangement. **How do I know which project type my job is?**: You do not need to know. Describe what is being built, the route, the approximate distance and the surface conditions, and the scope will be categorized during estimating. Most projects combine several types anyway. A distribution build might include boring, handholes, aerial sections and splicing, and the category label matters far less than an accurate description of the route. **Does project size change what documentation I receive?**: The volume changes, but the contents do not. Every project receives daily reporting during construction and a closeout package with as-built data, keyed photographs, reconciled quantities and restoration verification. Bore logs are included where boring was performed and test records where fiber was spliced or tested. A single crossing produces a short package. A route build produces a long one. **Which areas do these projects cover?**: The primary area is Volusia County, with active coverage in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake and Polk Counties. Statewide capability is available for larger programs. Project types are the same everywhere, but the permitting authority, soil conditions and right of way rules change by location, so the scope for each job reflects where it is actually built. ## Related services - [Directional DrillingTrenchless directional drilling for fiber and utility conduit across Volusia County and Central Florida, planned against verified locates and closed out with documented bore logs.](https://strillacommunications.com/services/directional-drilling) - [Aerial Cable ConstructionPole line construction, strand placement, lashing, and aerial fiber installation with make-ready coordination and NESC clearance verification.](https://strillacommunications.com/services/aerial-cable-construction) - [Outside Plant ConstructionTurnkey OSP construction that carries a fiber build from permitting and boring through aerial, splicing, restoration, and a documented closeout.](https://strillacommunications.com/services/outside-plant-construction) - [Supporting ServicesThe access points, the pole preparation and the paperwork that decide whether a finished route can actually be operated and maintained.](https://strillacommunications.com/services/supporting-services) --- Source: https://strillacommunications.com/projects/project-types