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Previous: Crossword error | Main | Next: Airport laptop terminal
January 3, 2005 12:01 AM
Broken: Utility pole
Bob Sifniades wrote awhile back:
This utility pole, at the intersection of Routes 206 and 518 in Skillman, New Jersey, has been broken for about a month. For the first couple of weeks, it was still holding all the wires that are now carried by the new pole to the left. That was pretty scary, seeing a nearly-severed, lashed-up pole with all that gear on top, at a major intersection. But even in its current state, that old broken pole is a little worrisome.
Actually, that special wraparound hitch is quite popular in Navy marlinspike or in quilters' macramé. It will hold for a very long time. In fact, I bet the wooden pole will decay long before that expertly crafted fix comes ajar. I would have stapled it, myself. A couple (and you only need two) well-placed staples from my red Swingline would have done the trick! Nice photo.
I, ah, don't think the inset picture is just a zoom in of the original picture, I suspect that the photographer took two separate pictures, joe.
206 is quite possibly the worst road in new jersey. nearly every mile of that road is poorly designed and the state has been forced to go and fix most as many of the problems it can, for more money of course...
Hi, Bob!
Hey, didn't we see some other busted up poles around your neighborhood? Seems like there was one stretch of narrow road where several poles were victims of accidents...
To be on the safe side, I think you should move out of that area ;-)
It appears that the wires on the pole are for communication and not electrical transmission. Worst case, when the pole does fall down, several people in the area would be without telephone and/or cable TV service. That is if the pole doesn't also clobber a motorist or pedestrian in the process. I'm sure the telephone or cable TV company would be happy to remove the old pole just so long as someone is there between the hours of 8:00am to 12:00pm on Monday.
When a car vs. pole accident happens, the electric company responds quickly and repairs/replaces the pole and installs the electrical equipment. The broken pole is sawed off below the level of any secondary conductors, tied or wired up if necessary, and then it doesn't exist as far as the electric company is concerned. The Communications equipment, which isn't considered electrically dangerous, is left alone. The communications company is notified, and remove the broken pole sometime before the sun turns into a dwarf star. I have been on customer calls for the electric company regarding broken poles under these circumstances, and sometimes it has taken more than 12 months for the phone co to remove their broken poles. Sometimes these old phone poles generate a complaint every couple of months, which takes requires a visit from the electric company each time.
Woah... I live in the town that this pole is located... I wonder what the chance is that someone from town would be posting on this site...
By the way, despite the fact that that pic was taken a while ago, the pole is still held together with the rope... I always glance at it while passing...
Oh, and on the "raise taxes" issue, Skillman is part of Montgomery Township... let's just say that if the taxes were any higher, the majority of people in town would move out... or at least I sure as hell would... Taxes go to the police force, which seems to hunt bears and such instead of fixing poles...
If you go to the url posted, you can see the story of my efforts to get a broken pole removed near my house. Six and a half months to get phone wires off pole. [And I discovered my page was broken, top photos had not been uploaded.]
That's New Jersey, and that's 206 for you. I'm going over that way tonight...definitely going to take a look.
>you should move out of that area :)
yeah, get out of New Jersey, widely known as the largest completely paved area in the world.
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Previous: Crossword error | Main | Next: Airport laptop terminal
lol, not only is the pole broken, but so is the fix
Posted by: Dragon at January 3, 2005 02:00 AM