On Tue, 28 Apr 2020 05:42:40 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 8:37:11 AM UTC-4, FromTheRafters wrote:
trader_4 brought next idea :
On Monday, April 27, 2020 at 8:21:55 PM UTC-4, FromTheRafters wrote:
trader_4 used his or her keyboard to write :
I've noticed that many wooden electric poles here have recently been
updated with a steel channel, double u shaped, about ten inches wide,
extending from some level in the ground up the side of the pole to
about 5 ft high. It's stamped out of one piece, but if you imagine
two pieces of steel channel about 5" wide laid side by side, vertically
along the pole, it's like that. They are held in place by two heavy metal
bands that go around the pole. The top has a sheet metal cover over it,
nailed in place. They had crews here last summer digging around the
poles. I also noticed that the poles have new steel screw plugs, about
3/4", maybe two feet above ground level. There is no wire or anything
running into or out of it. I can't figure out what this is
all about, but I'm wondering did they do test boring to find out which
poles have termites or something? And the mysterious channels could be
a delivery vehicle for insecticide, where they put stuff in the channel
at the top and it dispenses? Whatever it is, maybe one pole out of
six or so has it added. I thought it might be to add some kind of
crash protection, but then some are on the side facing the direction
of traffic, others are on the opposite side and it doesn't seem likely
that it would really do anything for that. Anyone see similar or
have ideas?

https://www.borderstates.com/UserFil.../OSMO00001.pdf

Yes, that's it, thank you. So it's a truss designed to add strength and
extend the life of poles that are deteriorating. This is something new
here, never saw them before.

I couldn't visualize the double U description, but the rest of what you
described sounded like a splint for mending bones straight or
immobilizing a joint. We call them 'telephone poles' around here, but I
think officially they are 'utility poles' so I looked up 'utility pole
splint' and got lucky with that photograph there. It looks something
like the metal used for guardrails being repurposed.

That's definitely what it is. Only difference these are spray painted
brown and have a little cap/hood nailed over the top. Not sure what the
idea to that is, keep rain out? But it's open at the bottom and 5 ft+
into the ground, so it would not seem to matter.

Like this
http://gfretwell.com/electrical/pole%20repair.jpg

Poles typically go bad right at the surface so it is a fairly good
band aid, at least for a while. The poles I see them patching are
creosote so that makes them at least 40 years old and the pole in that
picture was far from a virgin 36 years ago when I moved here.