It seems kind of primitive to have power lines just hanging on poles, right?

Bit unsightly too

Is it just a cost issue and is it actually significant when considering the cost of power loss on society (work, hospital, food, etc)?

  • SSTF@lemmy.world
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    17 hours ago

    In a dense urban environment you are wanting retrofitted lines run through terrain already full of concrete, water lines, and other urban features. That would take a lot of coordination in design and still likely miss things (which means more time and money on redesigns). It also means a long installation time which means extended disruption to the area.

    These sorts of underground lines are easier to run in totally fresh new construction, but then again, it runs into servicing issues and extra expense.

    is expensive to fix after a storm

    Assessing and fixing underground lines is much harder, more expensive, and disruptive.