Residents in and around the Golf Course Terrace Subdivision should be prepared for an unusual sight, as well as some re-routed traffic in the area on Wednesday, July 24, as NV Energy employs a 227-foot crane to remove and replace some utility poles and equipment on Country Club Drive and Ryan Way.

NV Energy’s project is intended to improve the efficiency and reliability of electric service in one of the older neighborhoods in Elko.  To make sure the utility equipment is in top working condition, the company will be performing maintenance, replacing some wires and insulators and replacing nine power poles.

The poles to be replaced are located in residents’ backyards.  Use of the crane was determined to be the more efficient, safest and least disruptive method of replacing aged power poles along property owners’ back lot lines.  The height of the crane was necessary for its long reach into back yards, and to tether and hoist 45-foot wooden power poles through the air to where linemen will be waiting by to put the new poles in place.

According to Elko Area Service Manager Dick Campbell, the company will minimize disruptions in electric service.  However, customers in the area could experience brief power outages once the new poles are in place and wires and equipment are being transferred from old to new poles.

“Improved efficiencies like the crane set process help us do the job faster, at reduced costs and with a better outcome for our customers,” Campbell said.