
Jacob Prezkuta, PE
Jacob operates as Drill Tech’s Colorado Division Manager. He has over 15 years of experience in tunneling and geostructural engineering that consists of soil nail walls, rock bolts, soldier pile and tieback walls, tunnel and shaft support, and micropiles. Mr. Prezkuta’s Project Management skillset is enhanced by his computer-aided drafting, subsurface investigation, and engineering design capabilities. Many of his recent projects are located within remote and logistically challenging regions of Colorado.
Jacob's Featured Projects
Carlton Tunnel Rehab | Leadville, CO
Project Manager
Drill Tech is performing ongoing rehabilitation (850 LF completed to date) on a 16' wide 12' high tunnel with a total length of 9,427 LF, establishing safe access to multiple cave-ins affecting the tunnel’s 36" concrete water conveyance pipe. As the cave-ins are safely reached, debris are removed to restore water flow in the pipe which is to be replaced with a new HDPE pipe. Tunnel rehabilitation consists of steel sets, rock bolts, shotcrete, and V-Deck lagging backfilled with concrete to create a new lining inside the existing compromised lining. Drill Tech is also performing portal work including scaling, rock bolts, and rockfall mesh.
Re-Wetting of Muggins Gulch | Larimer County, CO
Project Manager
Drill Tech constructed an 11' diameter horseshoe tunnel through a roadway embankment approximately 60' below Colorado’s historic US 36. Initial support included steel sets and shotcrete lagging as well as final liner consisting of reinforced shotcrete. Although the tunnel method was originally specified as shield, part of Drill Tech's Value Engineering changed the method to conventional excavation utilizing an AM75 roadheader and mini-excavator. Drill Tech designed and installed soil nail shoring at each end of the tunnel alignment, and rockfall protection above each portal. Drill Tech’s VE included a total of 23 canopy tubes to support the crown, providing 100% tunnel crown coverage.
San Vicente Bypass Pipeline | Lakeside, CA
Project Manager/Design Engineer
Drill Tech was the tunnel constructor of this project and operated as the Engineer of Record for the ground support systems. We performed 930' of drill/blast and roadheader mix excavation of an 8' diameter horseshoe shape tunnel that was followed by the installation of a 48" diameter reinforced concrete pipe and annular cellular grout. Ground support consisted of rock bolts, shotcrete in the granitic rock, and steel sets in the conglomerate. Drill Tech performed 850 SF of Soil Nail Portal Shoring.
Kaw Lake Intake Shaft | Enid, OK
Shaft Support Engineer of Record
Drill Tech designed the initial support and constructed a 38' diameter shaft to a total depth of 99' through clay overburden and shale bedrock. The initial support consisted of lattice girders and shotcrete through the soil, and rock dowels with shotcrete in the bedrock. Conventional excavation methods utilizing small excavators with crane support were used to sink the shaft.