PSO Going Underground With Some Lines

Public Service Company of Oklahoma is breaking ground to bury power lines in Sand Springs.  The News On 6's Jeffrey Smith reports many homeowners say the project is long overdue.

Power blackouts in the area have been a problem for years.  Crews began working on Monday to bury a mile's worth of lines.  And, it couldn't have come at a better time.  Many homes are still without power from weekend storms.

"I'm thrilled. This is not even a nuisance to me," said LeAnne Osborn of Sand Springs.

The town has been known to lose power at the first sight of foul weather.

"Like the ice storm. We were without power for 9 days," said LeAnne Osborn of Sand Springs.

PSO is burying dozens of lines in the area.  LeAnne Osborn says it's about time.

"In the long run, we're going to have electricity that is probably not going to be interrupted because of storms," said LeAnne Osborn of Sand Springs.

Jerry Sanders says the benefits are endless.

"You won't have these power lines, so nothing can get bothered by a storm like that," said project foreman Jerry Sanders. "The wind ain't gonna mess you up. Lightning's not going to bother you.  The ice storm, it tore everybody's service down, tore out feeder lines.  Ripped all them down.   You can't do that when its underground."

PSO has 18,000 miles of distribution. Of that, only 70 miles are buried underground. The company spends $20 million a year working to bury old lines. But, they say most lines in the Tulsa-Metro area don't need to be buried because they are located on busy roads and are easily accessible to repair crews.  And, there is the price tag.

"There's already a lot of utilities in here.  You have all the feeder lines here, so you're crossing the water lines, the sewer services, it's everywhere. Plus, to restore everyone's yards after," said project foreman Jerry Sanders.

PSO says it costs almost $600,000 to bury a mile's worth of lines.     

Osborn says it's worth any price.

"Our lights flash on and off anytime it thunderstorms. I think in the long run it'll just be a much better deal for us," said LeAnne Osborn of Sand Springs.

Burying power lines is also a very lengthy process.  PSO says the Sand Springs project might not be finished until January 2009.