Submitted By: Ragidandy
Favorite Comment: Fixer Vexarr says, “While grounded in concern, I feel your criticism is insulated from the realities of the field. I’m sure the load was line balanced and work conducted in a positive manner. No reason to get short. I see no reason to be alternating from their current policies.
Or somesuch.”
-
-
Copy & paste this:
High Wire Act.
Sling-shock.
is it alive? =o
Like my hometown, where power supply infrastructure is just an afterthought.
Please tell me that’s photoshopped.
Please
So that’s why my power was out this morning…
This all happened one day as a friend of mine decided to lock his bike around the poles; of course one event lead to another that he decided it was such a wonderful spot that he must have left his lock there.
Then a car came plowing along took out the pole and a little tike on a trike and volah.
I’m not sure what it is about that picture–maybe just the angle–but something makes me think that’s not such an effective repair.
As much as this will shock everyone. This is not a Kludge. It is safe. It is standard Power Company procedure. What you are seeing is the first or second step in a process of moving power lines back from the road. First the new post is set. Then they remove as much of the old pole as possible. Eventually, those lines will be either removed and rehung with longer ones OR if there are tension loops on those lines, those loops will be let out and the lines rehung over the new pole. You see this all the time in places where weather takes out older lines frequently. Alabama power (I know, I know) is among the nations fastest and most practiced line rigging power companies. They are one of several go-to companies when the call goes out for disaster recovery. They do this every day and the swap is always completed within 48 hours. They recently rehung a two mile section in this fashion in a single day to allow for a four lane expansion.
But yeah, it does look like hell.
@Vexarr
I’m sorry, this paragraph is too long and will not be read completely.
Please improve your silliness for future references.
Thank you.
Nice neighborhood.
@Gargomon
That’s OK, Alabama power will be along to re-hang that as well… The new one will be shorter and contain 40% more shrimp.
@Vexarr
But. My house is allergic to Shell Fish.
@Gargomon
Then they will simply shell them and you may enjoy the odor of nude shrimp.
Party Pooper
How much?
@dono1
326.58 joules precisely.
@Vexarr
Wow! Would those be individual or family joules?
You have GOT to be joking…
That can’t be for real…
At least… I hope it’s not… 0_o
NOT ‘shopped? So the sky really is that color?
Do others note a shadow problem on the roadway? I see the shadow of the new pole, but not one branching off of it like the old partial pole should cast.
Here, hold this a sec.
@rick
the shadow that you are rreferringto is the line’s and not the pole as the shadow continues pass the new pole on the ground….
@theo
not sure what to think of the sky but sure that lighting and clouds have to do with it
@vexrr
I think that what you say as very probable as they are using tension to hold the old pole up.
@rick
the shadow that you are referring to is the line’s and not the pole as the shadow continues pass the new pole on the ground….
@theo
not sure what to think of the sky but sure that lighting and clouds have to do with it
@vexrr
I think that what you say as very probable as they are using tension to hold the old pole up.
@allie
Yep. They do this in Birmingham all the time. It’s a way of keeping service continuity while prepping for the pole swap. They wait until the last possible second to cut/reroute power (where possible) and perform the physical line swap. Any city where bad weather is the norm (we have a terrible tornado season) the power companies are very adept at keeping outages due to service to an absolute minimum.
@dono1
Those would be crown joules. You can tell because they hurt your butt if you sit on them.
Quite normal. Most utility companies only want to handle their own cables (e.g., the phone company won’t touch the power lines), so it can take several weeks for everything to be transfered to the new pole.
@mystic_eye_cda
It is indeed photoshopped. There is no way the physics of the configuration would allow this to stand. The force vectors of the power lines and the weight of the pole are being resisted solely by the double 2x4s or 2x6s holding the broken pole to the new pole.
It won’t work.
@Vic
That pole goes down into the ground more than 30 feet. That stump at the top of the new pole weighs less than 400lbs. The tension on the cables with or without the stump can be more than a ton. This image is not photoshopped. You will see work like this yourself if you keep an eye out for it. It happens in my city every day.
Clearly the town of broken dream!
That’s real pole dangling!
@JBD
If your dreams are of pretty power lines…you betcha!
One powerful kludge.
…gave me a bit of a jolt when I saw it. I wonder if this photo is current? Or has a more positive fix been applied? I think if I were the safety inspector, there’d be some sparks flying between me and the dim bulb who potentially put peoples’ lives on the line just to resist work.
(I am deliberately avoiding the terms “shocking” and “electrifying”. Too easy.)
Go Cat Go !!
This fix can be found on route 122 in Paxton Massachusetts. The image was taken with a cheap cell phone, so it has been enhanced for brightness and contrast, but not content. The area suffered a serious ice storm in December last year, and this was the fix for the pole that was broken by the ice. The picture was taken in the first week of September, and as of today, you can go see this handiwork for yourself across from the Dunkin Donuts. I wouldn’t stand under it if I were you though.
Cheers!
That is a true jury-rig in the nautical sense! It looks like a broken spar or something!
i don’t see a problem with holding up power lines with a big rubber band.
watts with all the puns?
Not too much, but more than enough – if you try to lick your fingers and touch to see if the wires are hot we get to call you Stumpy…
You aren’t going to try THAT trick twice, gaa-ron-TEED.
(Only 5KV to 10KV max, the lines are too close to be any higher. Looks bad, but they just strapped everything up for a day or two, honest. Old pole white, new pole tan.)
While grounded in concern, I feel your criticism is insulated from the realities of the field. I’m sure the load was line balanced and work conducted in a positive manner. No reason to get short. I see no reason to be alternating from their current policies.
Or somesuch.
loved the analogy xD
@Fashoom: just thought I’d try to lighten the mood. Some people have some pretty negative opinions about this fix.
Ive seen similar fixes done near my home, just east of Philly. It looks terrible as hell (especially when theyre lashed together with rope in an emergency) but they seem to hold up pretty well until they can be permanently fixed even weeks later.
Too. Many. Puns. Must meditate.
Ohm…Ohm…Ohm…
Puntastic
another Wonderful repair job by BGE….
Woah, Im not sure Id have the guts to drive under that.. haha
Can’t imagine how the statics should work on this kludge . Photoshop?
Where did the photo go?
I just saw my life flash before my eyes, and I’m not even there…
I don’t care if this is standard policy; it’s full on terrifying! I wonder what the locals have to say about this because I’ve never seen something like this.
@Vexarr
Oh. My. God. That is just jam packed with epic win!!!
I just like it cuz it looks like the big pole is about the dash the little pole into the traffic ^_^
I wish the site would include what cities these pics were in. That’s gotta be Memphis, TN.
ssswwingg batta batta!
Actually, if you look closely, there are cables securing the tops of the poles together, and a tension line gooing to the ground on the right. Real pic.
i immediately recognized this photo because I’m a resident of Paxton, where the photo was taken across from Dunkin Donuts. Someone said it before, but this was the fix for several telephone poles after last years ice storm. And yes, i HAVE riden my bike under it haha
The ingenuity of the city council maintainence squad surprises even ME sometimes.
Is this from a “third world” country? No, it´s from usa. Period.
>40 million people having no health insurance? WTF, we´re no commies after all. Baracks like in Bangladesh must be good for Darth Cheney & Co; B.H.O., better not go through Dallas in an open car!
Sigh!
The little NSHA comment made me ROTFLOL