What's with the jumbo-tron electric "poles?"

[PonderInc]

Just noticed that someone is installing huge, metal power transmission "poles" on Harvard near 51st (appear to be headed north towards 41st).

Actually, the word "pole" doesn't quite capture these behemoths.  These suckers are industrial/Stalinistic in proportion.  If you've ever been down 36th Street, you know what I'm talking about.

I don't have a photo of the ones being installed on Harvard, but they look like this:


SIGH...

Just what Harvard needs...more ugly poles and power lines.

What part of "bury the lines" did they misunderstand?

[TurismoDreamin]

Yea, definitely needed to go underground instead of putting up that beast.

While we are discussing, I should mention that I read somewhere that it is very expensive to place power lines underground (something like $10 per foot). Although we would benefit from things like ice storms, trees falling, and a plethora of other disasters like that, they are susceptible to things like floods. Also, they have to use special equipment to locate where the outage occurred in order to make repairs which increases the amount of time you are left in the dark and your food rots in the fridge. Another interesting point the article made was that in the state of Louisiana, they wanted to put all of the state's power lines underground as well. Unfortunately, it was estimated that the cost would be $70 billion for the state to do just that, and the state only has like 2 million people to satisfy. I'll see if I can find the article since it was written recently.

[nathanm]

What part of "bury the lines" did they misunderstand?

Lines this large are nearly impossible to reliably bury for long distances. Between capacitance induced by the soil surrounding the conduit, heat, and maintenance issues, it's just not wise.

Also, it would be a rare ice storm much worse than the one we had or the one they had in NW Arkansas last year to take down lines like this, as they are above the trees, so it takes extremely high ice load and very high winds to take them out. They also aren't prone to snapping in thunderstorm winds like smaller wooden poles are.

Edited to add: Just to clarify, I think most of our electrical infrastructure should be buried. There are too many old poles and interfering trees to have a really reliable system. I just don't think things like this should necessarily be buried.

[AdamsHall]

I suspect the poles mentioned near 51st and Harvard are to allow for the lines to cross the expressway that is under construction, but that is just a WAG.

[sgrizzle]

I believe Adamshall is correct. And these are transmission lines (long distance) not distribution (residential) and are generally not really eligible for undergrounding. The square mile I live in is 100% underground, but we still have a mile long stretch of transmission lines.

[Cats Cats Cats]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/03/why-dont-we-bury-more-power-lines

"Plans to go underground often hit a brick wall nationally, because burying existing overhead power lines costs about 10-15 times more than stringing them from poles."

"In Florida and North Carolina, statewide initiatives to bury power lines would have prompted a rate increase of 80 to 125 percent, according to a report by the Edison Electric Institute, the utility industry trade group."

Thats why

[PonderInc]

Great.  Just what we need: more "ugly" to add to our streets.

So they're great in ice storms.  How do they stand up to high winds and tornados?

[sgrizzle]

Great.  Just what we need: more "ugly" to add to our streets.

So they're great in ice storms.  How do they stand up to high winds and tornados?

Very well.

[Townsend]

How does real estate value hold up against the poles?

[patric]

And these are transmission lines (long distance) not distribution (residential) and are generally not really eligible for undergrounding. The square mile I live in is 100% underground, but we still have a mile long stretch of transmission lines.

And yet when the Corporation Commission asked AEP to calculate the cost of burrying ALL power lines in the state of Oklahoma, these type of transmission lines were included in the estimate to inflate the cost (and justify not burying the more cost effective distribution lines).  Sort of a corporate shell game.

[sgrizzle]

And yet when the Corporation Commission asked AEP to calculate the cost of burrying ALL power lines in the state of Oklahoma, these type of transmission lines were included in the estimate to inflate the cost (and justify not burying the more cost effective distribution lines).  Sort of a corporate shell game.

Not really, that quote was done to appease those like the posters above who say "dam the torpedoes, bury them all!"

Don't blame AEP for not offering a happy midpoint when it was made clear no-one was intersted in hearing about one.

[PonderInc]

How does real estate value hold up against the poles?

+1

[brianh]

I dunno, it doesn't look so bad to me, kind of futuristic.  This kind of brings its own style, maybe people thought the 1920's style of downtown Tulsa looked ugly back in the 1920's.

[PonderInc]

I just wish ugly, utilitarian stuff didn't feature so prominently in our cityscape.  For instance, you can see these from a mile away (literally)!

[Cats Cats Cats]

I just wish ugly, utilitarian stuff didn't feature so prominently in our cityscape.  For instance, you can see these from a mile away (literally)!

You just have to talk everybody out of using electricity and their air conditioners and you will have your way.  And spreading residential and business areas out over a larger area will help too.