Our crews are implementing our four-point plan in Ann Arbor by trimming trees, updating existing infrastructure, rebuilding significant portions of the grid, and accelerating our transition to a smart grid.
On West Liberty Road, crews are installing several strengthened poles to support the new pole-top equipment. Crews installed new cross arms and copper wire that is reinforced with aluminum. This makes the wires better at conducting electricity, which will reduce interruptions to your service. This upgrade also makes the wires more resistant to extreme weather and able to better withstand damage from small animals.
Once the section of the line was deenergized, the preexisting wire was suspended in air and the pole was removed and replaced with a pole that is sturdier and chemically treated to better withstand weather damage.
Crews utilized a vacuum truck which delivers pressurized water to provide a non-invasive way to dig into the ground. This is being done to ensure that crews do not contact any underground lines when installing the new pole. This is one of many planned improvements that we are making to our grid in Ann Arbor. If you would like to stay up to date with other improvements taking place in the area, refer to our electric reliability improvements map.