Entergy contractors will conduct reliability inspections of some 54,000 utility poles spread throughout the Entergy Texas, Inc. service territory this year. Workers are moving westward from a number of starting points including Orange, Jefferson, Hardin and Montgomery counties, Texas.
Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., a specialist in its field, was selected to perform the routine preventative maintenance work. The inspections are only part of Entergy Texas’ large, multi-faceted reliability and maintenance program. Each year, a portion of the company’s half-million poles are selected to undergo a rigorous scrutiny to ensure their condition.
Crews will inspect about 600 poles a week. The poles are visually inspected for defects, then sounded to find any internal voids or hollow cavities. This means the inspectors need access to every pole, whether on a main easily-accessible roadway or in a narrow alley behind a home or business.
Some poles may be treated with a preservative at the base of the pole to prevent deterioration. Others identified as needing maintenance will be reported to Entergy Texas for corrective action.
