●Research Trends and Results

Collection of recent cases of efforts to prepare theimprovement manual for electric power pole removal
TAKAMIYA, Susumu (Dr. (Arts and Sciences), Head
IKEHARA Keiichi, Senior Researcher
KIMURA Yasushi, Researcher
Road Department, Advanced Road Design and Safety Division(Key words) Electric cable burying, electric power pole removal, simultaneous improvement, electric power poleremoval by non-burying method, under-eave cables, rear cables*1: “Simultaneous execution” is a method of coordinating work periods toperform simultaneous execution in cases where an electric power cableutility tunnel and sidewalk improvement works are planned for the same
period. “Simultaneous improvement” is a method of simultaneously
newly constructing or widening a road and constructing an electric
power cable utility tunnel at a location where it is predicted that it will
be necessary to remove electric power poles in the future.
*2: “Method of installing electric power cables in eaves of buildings or inback alleys etc.

1. Introduction
Plans to bury electric power cables and to remove
power poles have been revised about every 5 years
since 1986. And the removal of electric power poles isnow being done based on the “Guideline to theRemoval of Electric Power Poles” (Fig. 1). Amongpresent improvement methods, electric power cableutility tunnels, originally introduced in 1995, arespreading widely, and there are cases where the more
economical shallow burying method is adopted ifother site conditions are satisfied. These methods arealready stipulated in improvement manuals of many
regional development bureaus.
On the other hand, the Simultaneous Improvement
Method※1 has not widely penetrated because there isno technical document which describes a specificprocedure, and some regional governments have madeadvanced efforts to use the electric power poleremoval by none-burying method※2. There are also
cases of innovations such as installing above grounddevices at various locations.
The National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement has collected cases of advanced
improvement methods which have not penetrated
nationwide, and cases of innovations thought to beeffective by distributing information in various regions,and has prepared technical documents which regional
development bureaus can use to reflect these
improvement methods in their own improvement
manuals.
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2. Advanced improvement methods
This simultaneous improvement method is superior
to the normal electric power cable utility tunnel
method in terms of work period and improvement cost,and because it is hypothesized that it will be used
where there are few existing buried structures and thatits tunnels will be linear with few bends, it will bepossible to select this economically superior method(for example, adopting the shallow burying method or
the I-shaped special parts to branch or connect electric
power cables (integrating electric power andcommunication lines)). There are also cases presented
for reference of the innovative adoption of the electric
power pole removal by non-burying method in various
regions through cooperation between road managers,
electric power line managers, and roadside residents
who discuss the cable installation methods and layoutof aboveground devices. Photo 1 shows an example ofsuch an innovative case.

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～

Improvement method
First electric cable burying plan

Second electric cable burying Third electric cable burying
planplan

New electric cable burying plan

Electric power pole removal
promotion plan

Guideline to the Removal of
Electric Power Poles

Independently burying

Cab system
Local government
conduitElectric power cableutility tunnel
Shallow burying
Simultaneous
execution
Simultaneous*1
improvement
Electric power poleremoval bynone-burying method

Figure 1. Electric Cable Burying and Electric Power Pole Removal Plans andChanging Improvement Methods

●Research Trends and Results

Under-eave
cablesTransformer is in a back alley,
eliminating above ground equipment.

Above-grounddevicesThis low voltage power line is colored tomatch the building

City parking lot

Above-groundequipment
Above-ground equipment installedin the local garbage disposal site

Above-ground equipment installed on partof a city parking lot

Photo 1. Under-eave cables and examples ofinnovative layout of above-ground equipment
3. Conclusion
In the future, sample cases of advanced
improvement methods which have been collected andtechnical documents which contribute to lowering thecost of removing electric power poles will becompiled and this information will be distributed
throughout the country.