Reliability Program calls for 54,000 Utility Poles to be Inspected This Year

Feb. 27, 2014
Entergy contractors will conduct reliability inspections of some 54,000 utility poles spread throughout the Entergy Texas, Inc. service territory this year.

Entergy contractors will conduct reliability inspections of some 54,000 utility poles spread throughout the Entergy Texas, Inc. service territory this year. Workers are moving westward from a number of starting points including Orange, Jefferson, Hardin and Montgomery counties, Texas.

Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., a specialist in its field, was selected to perform the routine preventative maintenance work. The inspections are only part of Entergy Texas’ large, multi-faceted reliability and maintenance program. Each year, a portion of the company’s half-million poles are selected to undergo a rigorous scrutiny to ensure their condition.

Crews will inspect about 600 poles a week. The poles are visually inspected for defects, then sounded to find any internal voids or hollow cavities. This means the inspectors need access to every pole, whether on a main easily-accessible roadway or in a narrow alley behind a home or business.

Some poles may be treated with a preservative at the base of the pole to prevent deterioration. Others identified as needing maintenance will be reported to Entergy Texas for corrective action.

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