If electrical wires were built underground then there would never be any outages from storms. I'm sure they thought of this and there's a reason why, I just wanna kno what's the reason?
Easier to put them above ground. If they break you don't have to dig up the ground, they could still break below ground, people digging with machinery could cause a real mess. Some places have them underground.
Lol. They are underground in every country in the world except for the US. And maybe some very remote villages somewhere in Africa
They are, in newer neighbourhoods (developed since the 1970s at least) or otherwise where practical. In older neighborhoods it might be too disruptive and expensive. Feeders and long distance transmission lines are usually overhead because it is usually cheaper and easier to maintain. Another is that underground means that flooding can affect underground equipment.
after a huge outage due to a snow storm in the late 1800s, New York City has required that all utilities run underground. underground utilities are still vulnerable to flooding, as we found out in Hurricane Sandy. since the 1950's almost all new telephone service is underground in the rest of the US except in possibly some very old communities. it is cheaper to run telephone underground because of the thinner wire that is used. underground telephone lines can still be damaged by lightning due to the strong ground electrical currents. the overhead lines you see along railroads are not telephone, they carry railroad signals. the demand for dependable electrical power is not too great, most people want the cheapest possible service and are unwilling to pay the premium cost.
Why aren't telephone and electrical wires built underground? They are in the U.K. And Europe. And Australia, And Japan. And South America. And China. And India. And Canada. And just about every other civilised country on the planet.
