Test Pit Excavation

Seylone provides test pit excavation services across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida, Texas, and Vermont. Test pits are the most direct method for verifying subsurface conditions — whether the goal is confirming utility locations, evaluating foundation conditions, identifying adjacent structural limits, assessing soil characteristics, locating obstructions, or clearing a path for new construction. Engineers, designers, and project managers rely on test pit data for design decisions, utility coordination, and preconstruction planning.

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We perform both machine-excavated and hand-dug test pits depending on site conditions, utility sensitivity, and project requirements. Machine test pits use compact mini excavators suited to urban streetscapes, sidewalks, and confined work zones. Hand-dug test pits are used when utilities are too close together for safe mechanical excavation, when adjacent structures require protection, or when the client or utility owner requires non-mechanical exposure methods.

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Common applications include subsurface utility verification, foundation and footing exposure, adjacent building investigations, obstruction identification for proposed construction, soil condition evaluation, percolation test pit preparation, and utility clearance for new installations. Our crews expose what’s below grade so your engineers can see it, measure it, and make informed decisions.

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Seylone’s test pit crews work as a specialty subcontractor to major engineering firms and as a direct contractor to public agencies including MTA, NYCEDC, NYC DDC, and the Port Authority. We mobilize quickly, operate under our own traffic control and safety programs, and keep your project moving.