On Old York Road in Baltimore County, BGE had crews stationed to install Hendrix Aerial Cables as part of a major reliability upgrade. This project targeted an area that continued to experience frequent vegetation-related outages over the last few years.
The new aerial cable system is more compact in design compared to traditional open wire construction, which allows for greater clearance from surrounding vegetation. By reducing overhead exposure, the Hendrix system helps limit outages caused by falling branches and other environmental factors.
Earlier phases of the project involved pulling in new conductors. After that was complete, the crews worked on sagging the cables with the proper tension and installing spacers that support the conductors along a high-tension messenger wire. These spacers are used to secure the conductors and also prevent damage from nearby vegetation.
This is a milestone installation for BGE because it’s the first Hendrix job completed by an internal crew. Previously, this type of work was handled by contractors. Completing this project in-house allows BGE teams to gain hands on experience with this construction method, strengthening their skill set for future emergency response and reliability efforts.
It’s important that BGE crews are familiar with this type of construction, which is why we’re bringing this in house and trying to familiarize them to add to their skill set since they’re the ones responding on storms
By investing in innovative infrastructure and promoting skillset growth for internal teams, BGE continues to prioritize delivering safe and reliable services to all of our customers.
