HOULTON, Maine — Houlton Water Company is erecting new utility poles to replace those that have existed along Military Street for more than 50 years.
The update on poles is a continuation of the project begun two years ago that connects power lines to NB Power Company in the neighboring Canadian province of New Brunswick. Money used to put up the poles also derives from this project. The project in total has cost $8.9 million in order to complete the supply line from New Brunswick to Houlton.
Greg Sherman, the general manager of Houlton Water Company, said the poles were long overdue to be changed.
You try to look to replace them anywhere within the time frame of 45 to 55 years,” said Sherman. “I think there is one pole near Bangor Savings Bank where the birthmark is 1956, which puts it at 64 years, so that really needs to be replaced.”
The new 55-foot poles, which are several feet taller than the existing poles, are being placed near the junction of Foxcroft Road all the way down Military Street almost to the Sugarloaf Street intersection. Poles will be placed farther back from the center of the road, as part of the permitting agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation, which means some of the poles were placed on the front lawns of some residences.
In addition, the new poles will have a 34.5kV circuit on the top of them, which will increase the reliability for the power lines. Sixty poles are set to be replaced in total for the project in total. While there are no planned major outages for wire transfer, several underground feeds need to be replaced, which may cause isolated areas such as Ricker Plaza and Madigan Estates to have a planned outage.
Currently, power is supplied from Canada via a radial 34.5kv feed starting near Houlton International Airport, which then connects to a substation near Cooks Brook road. With the new poles in place, it will provide an alternative route for that system.
“It’s a priority for us to make sure that our customers are not without power, and then that they have safe reliable power,” Sherman said. “And this is meeting our mission to do that.”
