In Caribou, Versant Power crews are replacing aging infrastructure and upgrading equipment along one of the city’s most important distribution circuits, work designed to strengthen the system today and help keep power flowing reliably for years to come.

The project includes replacing 14 utility poles along a circuit that serves a significant portion of Caribou. The circuit provides power to Cary Medical Center, businesses throughout the downtown area and many residential customers. In some locations, the poles carry two circuits that eventually branch off to serve different areas of the city.

For customers, replacing this infrastructure is an important part of maintaining a resilient electric system.

Some of the poles being replaced have been standing for decades. One pole removed along Bennett Drive was installed in 1967 and no longer met current construction and spacing standards. Much of the work along the circuit involves infrastructure of a similar age.

“Sixty years is a long time for something to sit in one spot and not have anything go wrong with it,” said Luke Ireland, Versant Power supervisor.

Replacing aging poles before they fail is one way Versant works proactively to reduce the risk of outages, particularly during severe weather. The importance of that work was evident during the December 2023 storm, when powerful winds brought down poles along Bennett Drive. Upgrading infrastructure along the corridor helps make the system better prepared to withstand future storms.

More Than New Poles

The project isn't only replacing what's old. Crews are also making changes that can improve how quickly power can be restored when an outage does occur.

On Skyway Drive, crews replaced older switching equipment used to control the flow of electricity along the circuit. The new pole-mounted switches are easier to operate and can help them more quickly isolate an outage, potentially restoring power sooner to customers outside the affected area.

In practical terms, that can mean fewer customers affected by an outage and faster restoration for customers outside the damaged area.

“If we ever have an outage and we could turn on part of the circuit and isolate that outage, those switches that we installed are going to let us do that a lot faster and easier,” Ireland said.

Investing in the System Customers Depend On

Completing the work also requires careful coordination. At one location along Bennett Drive, crews worked around two energized three-phase circuits and a junction, with multiple bucket trucks operating at once. Traffic, nearby underground utilities and other work happening in the area added to the complexity. Crews used vacuum excavation near a fire hydrant and water main rather than an auger to safely prepare the site for the new pole.

Despite the complexity, the work was completed while the electrical equipment remained energized, allowing customers to continue receiving power while crews made improvements to the system.

Projects like this one in Caribou are part of Versant Power's ongoing work to strengthen the electric system before problems occur. By replacing aging infrastructure, modernizing equipment and giving crews more options to respond when outages happen, these investments are focused on what matters most to customers: safe, reliable power when they need it.