"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

In article ,
Michael A. Terrell wrote:
I've never quite understood why so many US towns seem to have overhead
wiring for mains. It's very unsightly.

Some towns are built on so much rock that you need explosives to dig a
trench. You had to get a blasting permit to set a pole in Cincinnati.
All those poles were tagged. RIP. (Replace In Place.)

That is the only reason?


Isn't it enough in those places? New subdivisions are bulldozed, and
if necessary, they use explosives to break up big rocks so they can be
removed. You can't do that in existing neighborhoods without blowing
out windows and sometimes closing busy roads for days. A lot of the
above ground service areas were wired after the homes were built, and
early poles were set with a pickax or jackhammer to chip away the
rocks. The actual city of Cincinnati is built on 'seven hills', of
mostly glacier droppings from a long gone ice age. A lot of the suburbs
are of similar conditions.

The RIP process is simple: You cut the old pole near the ground and
drag it off the base. You winch it out of the hole, and set the new
pole in the existing hole. Then transfer the wires to the new pole.
This can be done without closing most roads. Have you ever worked in
utilities or even CATV construction? It doesn't look that way from
here.

If you don't like the way overhead cables look, just stop staring at
the sky.


--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.