There’s renewed interest in putting Tulsa’s utility lines underground, but it will take a lot of work.
To start, nothing requires utility companies to work together. So, if Cox gets a right of way to bury its lines, it doesn’t have to let AT&T in later.
"It does encourage operators to share underground and overhead facilities, but it does note in there that leasing of that space is really between those parties," said Streets and Stormwater Director Terry Ball, referring to city ordinances.
Another problem is there’s limited space underground. Moving all utilities there could lead to congestion, and that could cost the city.
"Whenever we go to do a street-widening project or something, and we go to move a water line, a sewer line or a storm sewer line, we're not going to have any room to put it ourselves," said Gary McColpin, a rights of way expert in the city's streets and stormwater department. "Now, we're going to have to purchase additional rights of way, move people out — it's kind of a snowball effect."
And electric and telecommunication companies’ franchise agreements don’t have a provision for buried lines.
"It's not required. You'd have to pay to do that," Ball said. "Other than, I know a couple areas, I think, where PSO's gone and done it on their own in some areas where they did have the heavy damage in the ice storm. There's a few areas they went back and did it on their own, buried them."
About three years ago, PSO representatives told city officials moving overhead lines underground runs up to $1.5 million per mile. It also takes longer to repair underground lines.
