A woodpecker eviction

Hoosier Energy rebuilds line near Redbird State Recreation Area

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Posted on May 07 2024 in A Co-op Perspective, Bartholomew County REMC, Clark County REMC, Daviess-Martin County REMC, Decatur County REMC, Dubois REC, Harrison REMC, Henry County REMC, Jackson County REMC, Orange County REMC, Southeastern Indiana REMC, Southern Indiana Power, WIN Energy REMC

To keep electricity flowing safely and reliably, Hoosier Energy crews must be ready for anything.

This spring, anything meant woodpeckers, resulting in the Redbird Line Rebuild.

A hole had been spotted in one of the poles at Structure 80, part of a right of way running through the Redbird State Recreation Area in Greene County. That’s not an unusual problem and can often be patched up with epoxy.

But when Hoosier Energy Line Working Foreman Aaron Price went up to make the repair, he found more than he bargained for.

Hoosier Energy crew member at Redbird Recreation Area
A Hoosier Energy crew member measures the depth of the hole created by woodpeckers in a wooden pole along the right of way in Redbird State Recreation Area.

“It wasn’t just a hole,” Price said. “It was a woodpecker mansion.”

The result was replacement instead of repair. The decision was made to replace the wood poles hoisting the 345 kV lines at Structure No. 80 and the adjacent Structure No. 79, which shared the same access point.

The Redbird Rebuild was efficient, installing 100-foot galvanized steel poles at Structure 80 and 105-foot poles at No. 79 while using a new framing package for the first time.

In addition to the crane contracted from R.H. Marlin, two Hoosier Energy bucket trucks and a digger derrick truck were in use to keep the poles, cross bolts, and framing in place, all while working around the de-energized lines. Contractor Hudson Excavating also aided the effort.

After finishing the project, the crew followed up with other minor fixes on the lines in the area — sliding dampers, replacing braces, and patching smaller woodpecker holes.

The new steel poles still attract wildlife, as wasps find the flange halfway up an attractive place to build nests, but the rebuild closed the woodpecker housing market.