Bury the power lines? (Atlanta: maintenance, costs, move to)

[flyonpa]

Above Ground Install for just Power (Distribution system, not to your house that would be Extra on each homeowner)
$75/Foot, Cost for under ground $750/Foot + (Telco + Cable costs in same trench ~$20/foot x 2 or 3 or 4?) .

After the fact you have cost of under street Runs (Cables pushed under street, or dug/cover/patch) Homeowner cost to run i thru there lawn, replace land/lanscaping + Cost of removals of old poles & lines.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by magnetar

While the cost of converting all existing lines is sadly cost prohibitive, I do think the city could make it a requirement for new development at least in certain areas -- starting with the corridors that already have the worst "congestion" (for lack of a better term) of overhead utility lines.

It does appear that almost every new housing and shopping development has underground utilities. My wife and I do a lot of "house shopping", and I can't recall a new development with above-ground utilities.

[skbl17]

Are you willing to pay higher rates? If so, then Georgia Power/your local EMC would be glad to bury all of the power lines.

- skbl17

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

It does appear that almost every new housing and shopping development has underground utilities. My wife and I do a lot of "house shopping", and I can't recall a new development with above-ground utilities.

That may be the case in developed subdivisions, but I'm thinking of mixed use developments inside the city built on blocks that already have overhead lines.

[red92s]

Georgia Power isnt going to eat the cost. It'd just be passed on to rate-payers. Unless you bury everything, the poles and wires would still stay.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

I don't even care about the loss of power related to it, as it's few and far between.

I just hate the sheer ugliness of huge power poles and lines bordering damn near every major road in town. The worst is something like this intersection.

It is very expensive to bury those transmission lines. Unless forced to do so and/or paid by the city to do so, GA Power will not incur that costs.

[red92s]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It is very expensive to bury those transmission lines. Unless forced to do so and/or paid by the city to do so, GA Power will not incur that costs.

It's not just "the city". Georgia Power's service territory is huge.

[LTCM]

Plus no one has really discussed the biggest problem in retrofitting underground - running new lines to each house. Not only does someone have to pay for that trenching, but there is now a new service entrence point. Plus, many older houses wouldn't be able to handle a modern line, so you're talking about a new breaker box as well. Thousands for each homeowner to pay as well.

[cqholt]

If you want underground line,s I suggest moving to areas of greenfield/new development. The overhead lines are not going anywhere in the city for the foreseeable future.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by paris-on-ponce

My family tells me that the recent storms have knocked out power to their 'hood. Which has me wondering yet again, why won't Atlanta bury their power lines?

The power lines in my subdivision are buried. My subdivision is almost 30 years old.

Of course, the lines coming INTO the subdivision are not, and they are the source of most of the power outages in my neighborhood.