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| New 65-foot poles are being placed along Clinton Avenue... |
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Standard pole behind officer's patrol car is dwarfed by the newcomer which will eventually replace it. |
PSEG's push to install new 65-foot telephone poles has finally reached Plainfield.
Over the past few weeks, the giant poles have begun a relentless march up Clinton Avenue and have now entered North Plainfield.
Crews have planted the new poles alongside the older, shorter ones and will eventually suspend the wires from the new taller poles and remove the old ones.
The taller poles, designed to carry PSEG's new 65 kilovolt service (an upgrade from the standard 26 kilovolt lines), have drawn considerable comment from some towns in northern New Jersey, especially Glen Rock and Ridgewood, where residents complained that the taller poles were being installed without prior notice. PSEG engineers responded that they had met with town officials months before and explained the power line enhancement program.
PSEG says that the newer configuration is needed because of heavier demand and for greater reliability. The taller poles, which have already been installed in some sixty New Jersey communities, will be protected from lightning strike by special 'shield wires' that would shunt lightning strikes and safely ground them. In addition, newer breakers are being installed that shut down power on a line as soon as a fault is detected.
Though some North Jersey homeowners complained of the smell of the new poles, PSEG engineers said they are treated with the same preservative as is used on lumber for building decks on homes and that the smell gradually dissipates.
Watching the work on Clinton Avenue, it occurs to me that having the wires moved out of the way of tree branches can only be a good thing when contemplating the damage that windstorms often do to Plainfield's older trees.
While the Robinson-Briggs administration has kept mum about whether it was informed of the PSEG program in advance, one can only wonder if we will begin to hear public comment at Council meetings once the program reaches other neighborhoods.
Over the past few weeks, the giant poles have begun a relentless march up Clinton Avenue and have now entered North Plainfield.
Crews have planted the new poles alongside the older, shorter ones and will eventually suspend the wires from the new taller poles and remove the old ones.
The taller poles, designed to carry PSEG's new 65 kilovolt service (an upgrade from the standard 26 kilovolt lines), have drawn considerable comment from some towns in northern New Jersey, especially Glen Rock and Ridgewood, where residents complained that the taller poles were being installed without prior notice. PSEG engineers responded that they had met with town officials months before and explained the power line enhancement program.
PSEG says that the newer configuration is needed because of heavier demand and for greater reliability. The taller poles, which have already been installed in some sixty New Jersey communities, will be protected from lightning strike by special 'shield wires' that would shunt lightning strikes and safely ground them. In addition, newer breakers are being installed that shut down power on a line as soon as a fault is detected.
Though some North Jersey homeowners complained of the smell of the new poles, PSEG engineers said they are treated with the same preservative as is used on lumber for building decks on homes and that the smell gradually dissipates.
Watching the work on Clinton Avenue, it occurs to me that having the wires moved out of the way of tree branches can only be a good thing when contemplating the damage that windstorms often do to Plainfield's older trees.
While the Robinson-Briggs administration has kept mum about whether it was informed of the PSEG program in advance, one can only wonder if we will begin to hear public comment at Council meetings once the program reaches other neighborhoods.
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3 comments:
The Clinton poles look like they are going to the substation at S. Second. Then maybe down S. Second to the substation on W. Second? It doesn't seem like this is a community-wide pole replacement; just the main distribution routes. Just a guess.
Anyone heard of burying the lines to help reduce power outage? Again, Plainfield - 1900's.
Enhanced power supply can also bring industry if properly marketed. The PSE&G uility poles will be back "ground noise" in due time.
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