fiber optics solve most of this for comms. clearly doesn’t help for electricity.
gastroglizzy@piefed.social 1 day ago
Ask New York City. It’s expensive af every time a change needs to be made underground. In many places it’s easier to let the damage happen and repair it cheaply.
obviouspornalt@fedinsfw.app 1 day ago
BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Yet in London, power lines are buried, alongside gas and water supplies and most of the telephony network.
Its a choice about what cost is acxeptable for the long term benefits of protection from the elements and safety generally. It costs more upfront, but extends the lifespan of cables as theyre protected from temperatures, UV, fainfall, and falling tree branches.
When they do need repair / replacement it requires digging but theyre generally subsurface, and many utilities are under pavements or to one side of the road, allowing roads to be kept partially open. But they generally require repair less frequently than exposed cabling.