PECO to Inspect Area Poles

Electric utility poles in Buckingham are among those scheduled for inspection this year, PECO announced this week.

The Buckingham poles join more than 39,000 such poles to be inspected this spring as part of a $1.1 million maintenance and reliability improvement program, the Philadelphia-based utility said.

"This is part of our overall preventative maintenance program," said PECO spokeswoman Liz Williamson.

Neither Doylestown borough nor township, nor New Britain Borough are slated for inspections. Williamson said poles in the Doylestown area were inspected in 2007.

PECO has hired an independent company, Osmose Utilities Services Inc., to conduct the program.

Inspectors will look over the poles and their electrical equipment, as well as take samples of the poles and the ground around the base to check for decay, Williamson said. Depending on what the inspection turns up, the company would then repair or replace the poles as needed, she said.

This round of inspections is already underway, Williamson said. Osmose Utilities started inspecting poles in the greater Philadelphia area last week, she said. It's not clear exactly when the crews will get to Buckingham; the schedule is "fluid," she said.

The Bucks County municipalities with poles scheduled for inspection include: Bedminster; Bensalem; Bristol Borough; Bristol Township; Buckingham; Dublin; Hilltown; Hulmeville; Lower Makefield; Middletown; Newtown Borough; Newtown Township; Northampton; Plumstead; Solebury; Tullytown; Yardley; Warminster; and Wrightstown.