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Elgin Street won’t be cluttered with hydro poles after it’s rebuilt between now and 2020, the city says, because the wires they hold will be buried instead.

Buried hydro wires make for a cleaner streetscape, but they’re also much more expensive than wires run overhead from pole to pole. As a rule, the city won’t pay the premium even when a street is being completely rebuilt.

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But in a memo to city councillors Monday, infrastructure manager Alain Gonthier said planners and Hydro Ottawa have decided that in this case, burying the wires makes more sense. As it happens, Elgin Street itself is coming due for an overhaul at the same time as the existing wood poles are wearing out, which is unusual.

“Early in the detailed design process for Elgin Street it was identified that the new road geometry required the poles to be placed in a non-linear alignment, resulting in the need to use extensive support systems, for which the new road configuration provided insufficient space to install,” Gonthier told council. “The direct impact of this non-linear option would compromise the complete design vision and functionality for Elgin Street and would impact the ability to meet current provincial accessibility requirements.”