Power poles that are hit by cars and trucks more frequently than others might soon have some extra protection.
SMUD is trying out what they call 'raptors.' They're yellow plastic boxes that wrap around the bases of poles that can take a hit up to 30 miles per hour.
Jason McAlister, director of grid assets for SMUD, says they're looking at poles that have been hit 3 times or more.
Those raptors cost about half the 11-thousand dollar cost of pole replacement, but McAlister says it's also about the safety of their workers in the street when a pole needs to be replaced.
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