With apologies to AC/DC fans. Well, things are getting back to normal in Back Bay. Until yesterday, this is how a block of Marlborough Street, between Clarendon and Darmouth looked:
Yes, that’s high voltage. In a wood box. Hopefully, a dog didn’t decide to pee it on it (ZAP!).
And it was a long box:
Never a dull moment.
mikethemadbiologist
Ah, the happy memories! I loved living in Mass.; it’s the only state I’ve ever lived where the primary requirement for holding public office was some form of insanity. It was like living in a state governed by characters from Warner Brothers or Jay Ward cartoons. I think Boris Badenov could have been elected in a landslide, since he would have been clearly more competent and saner than most of the regular candidates. The 1990 Equine Encephalitis outbreak response still holds a treasured place in my memories; it combined the maximum possible levels of uselessness, harmfulness, expense and confusion. In other words, an almost ideal Massachusetts response to a problem.
On the other hand, you could marvel that tradesmen could manufacture a workable conduit for an essential service almost overnight.
I work in the electrical trade and can tel you the wood is, of course, simply a barrier to avoid mechanical damage to the insulation on the cable/s. You never know, one of the resident eccentrics might be wearing golf cleats and carelessly trod upon the cables. People do strange things and a wooden cover is cheap insurance.
The wear jacket and insulation on modern cables is pretty thick and very tough. It takes a dedicated effort with a sharp knife to cut through it. But repairs, not to mention liability, are expensive so better safe than sorry.