Quote Originally Posted by Meddle View Post
The perpetual under or over argument. For newly laid out subdivisions or developments, under makes more sense if geology permits. But it would be totally unworkable to try and retrofit an existing area. Think about the costs involved. Many, many millions of dollars and a dozen years or more in the process. All the digging through yards, tunneling under streets and walks, hoping they don't hit something that will need to be repaired.

Then what about the property owners? They're usually required to be responsible for any underground costs between the meter and the grid. Space needs to be made available for ground mounted transformers that are now on poles and the property owner is responsible for keeping that area around them clear of plant growth.
Then the alternative is to continue spending hundreds of thousands of dollars every time a mediocre storm passes through, [[Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall) and dealing with power outages for days. Oh, and bitching about it on the internet. Providing you still have connectivity.