It might require a double take to notice, but there’s a little more room to maneuver on some Lancaster city sidewalks thanks to PPL’s efforts to remove some unneeded utility poles.
Since January, the electric utility company, which owns most poles in the city, made a concerted effort to clean up “double wood,” an industry term for old poles that remain next to their would-be replacements. In Lancaster city, PPL said it fixed 117 instances of double wood poles. Across its 29-county territory, PPL removed more than 2,000 extra poles.
“We are happy with the progress we have made to date and look forward to accomplishing more,” said Ryan Yanek, PPL’s manager of distribution program management, who oversaw the work.
PPL’s efforts come as the issue of “double wood,” also called “ghost poles” is being scrutinized by state legislators. A bill addressing double utility poles is scheduled to be taken up on the House floor this week. The legislation, H.B. 1619, directs the Public Utility Commission to develop rules to expedite the removal of old poles.
“There are so many of them that legislation is actually required to solve this problem,” state Rep. Alec Ryncavage, the Republican from Luzerne County who introduced the bill, told LNP | LancasterOnline. “You tend in Harrisburg to find people legislating solutions to problems that don’t exist … this actually solves a real problem.”
Double wood happens because old utility poles can’t be removed until all the wires have been relocated by their owners to the replacement pole. With a typical pole holding a half a dozen power, phone or cable wires, one company’s delay in moving a wire means old poles can stand for years next to their replacements.
New broadband services that need space for wires on utility poles and PPL’s own installation of taller, sturdier poles…
Read the full article here
