The in basket: Dan Godecke, Barbara Jefferries and Gary Blakenship all have asked about what appears to be utility line work along Highway 3 north of Poulsbo, from Pioneer Hill Road to about three miles south of there.
Dan asked after signs went up in late April telling of upcoming nighttime lane closures from May 3 to 22.
Barbara and Gary were both intrigued by multi-colored wires being strung from pole to pole and Barbara also mentioned orange covers at that top of the poles and “two metal poles that appear to have cylindrical cameras (?) at the top.”
The out basket: Pete Townsend, utilities engineer for the state transportation here, says Puget Sound Eneergy is “reconducting,” meaning replacing the aging overhead electrical lines with new ones with greater capacity for future growth. New poles to support the new lines were installed a few years ago. Lane closures give the work crews room for their vehicles and large spools of wire.
It is night work and should be done by mid-July, he said.
The multi-colored lines aren’t wire, but guide ropes that are attached to the wires so that they can be pulled from pole to pole. They are much lighter and more pliable than the wires themselves. Color-coding helps avoid getting the wires crossed somewhere along the project distance, he said.
Lindsey Walimaki of PSE says the orange shrouds cover the old, still energized line at the poles so workmen don’t accidentally touch them. She’s not sure about the possible cameras on poles, but says they probably aren’t part of their project.
