photo by Boyd Loving
Reader says No rationale explanation offered as to why they just didn’t use the existing PSEG right of way
No rationale explanation offered as to why they just didn’t use the existing PSEG right of way through Glen Rock and Ridgewood.
During the hurricane in October a telephone pole on Melrose Place crashed down in a westerly direction, snapped near the base like a breadstick. It wasn’t even that close to the corner, but it fell all the way across West End Avenue, blocking that important thoroughfare for days. The lights and wires of course went with it and were strewn all over the place. If it had hit a house/car/pet/person, forget about it.
That was the old, “short” kind of pole. If it had been twice as high, it would have hit the house on the west side of West End for sure.
These poles are so crazy high, I don’t see any way for them to come crashing down and not hit a house, no matter if they are reinforced better.
And either the picture is extremely misleading or PSE&G is misleading if they are saying it is only 15 ft higher than existing poles. I have not driven by yet.
Besides being hideous, an important point is that telephone poles are not immune to hurricane-force winds. This is a poor time in climate history to install these in residential areas, for pity’s sake.
I was told about 6 years ago that moving a telephone pole (or maybe just removing it) cost $10,000.
My thoughts exactly. Why aren’t these poles in the PSE&G right of way? They are more than 15 feet higher than the old poles. I drove down Hope Street and was astonished with what they were allowed to do with no input from those most affected.
Not only are the poles enormously tall, they are enormously wide. In short, they are massive.
I think that the health risks of EMF is a bigger problem