Editing Utility pole (section)

{{short description|Post used by public utilities to support overhead wires and related equipment}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
[[File:SIF-Overhead-Wires-1-Cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Utility pole supporting wires for electrical power distribution, [[coaxial cable]] for [[cable television]], and telephone cable. A pair of [[Shoe tossing|shoes]] can be seen hanging from the wires (center-left, far right)]]
A '''utility pole''', commonly referred to as a '''transmission pole''', '''telephone pole''', '''telecommunication pole''', '''power pole''', '''hydro pole''', '''telegraph pole''', or '''telegraph post''', is a [[column]] or post used to support [[overhead power line]]s and various other public utilities, such as [[electrical cable]], [[optical fiber|fiber optic cable]], and related equipment such as [[Distribution transformer|transformers]] and [[street light]]s while depending on its application. They are used for two different types of power lines: ''sub transmission lines'', which carry higher voltage power between substations, and ''distribution lines'', which distribute lower voltage power to customers.

Electrical wires and cables are routed overhead on utility poles as an inexpensive way to keep them insulated from the ground and out of the way of people and vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-17 |title=Why are overhead transmission lines not insulated? |url=https://www.electricalclassroom.com/why-are-overhead-transmission-lines-not-insulated/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=www.electricalclassroom.com |language=en-us}}</ref> Utility poles are usually made out of [[wood]], [[Aluminium alloy|aluminum alloy]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Choosing the Right Materials for Pole Upgrades |url=https://utilitiesone.com/choosing-the-right-materials-for-pole-upgrades |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Utilities One |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221105837/https://utilitiesone.com/choosing-the-right-materials-for-pole-upgrades |archive-date=2024-02-21 |url-status=dead}}</ref> metal, concrete, or composites like [[fiberglass]]. A [[Stobie pole]] is a multi-purpose pole made of two steel joists held apart by a slab of concrete in the middle, generally found in [[South Australia]].

The first poles were used in 1843 by telegraph pioneer [[William Fothergill Cooke]], who used them on a line along the [[Great Western Railway]]. Utility poles were first used in the mid-19th century in America with [[telegraph]] systems, starting with [[Samuel Morse]], who attempted to bury a line between [[Baltimore]] and [[Washington, D.C.]], but moved it above ground when this system proved faulty. Today, underground distribution lines are increasingly used as an alternative to utility poles in residential neighborhoods, due to poles' perceived ugliness, as well as safety concerns in areas with large amounts of snow or ice build up. They have also been suggested in areas prone to hurricanes and blizzards as a way to reduce power outages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=After Fiona, PEI utility says it's exploring ways to bury residential power lines |url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/after-fiona-p-e-i-utility-says-it-s-exploring-ways-to-bury-residential-power-lines-1.6132822 |access-date=2025-01-05}}</ref>

[[File:Aerial Work Platforms - Japan - 2012.ogv|thumb|(video) Three [[aerial work platform]] trucks work together on utility poles, in [[Bunkyō]], Japan]]