"They'd rather spend 3,000 to replace a downed pole here and there than pay 3,500 to put the cables underground. Power companies are notoriously infamous for taking the cheapest route."

The husband of a woman I used to know worked for a power company. He was a logical kind of guy, and the company drove him nuts. He said the reasoning above is NOT the cheapest route, it just APPEARS to be the cheapest route. In reality, it is based on job security and keeping your costs high enough to justify price increases to the consumer.

Sue