Road Work, Part III

October 19, 2009 By: thenhbushman Geotag Icon Show on map Category: Taiwan, Topography

Photos by MJ Klein

More work has been done on the main road in our neighborhood.

This is a shot from across the street from Shao-hui’s restaurant. This shot shows the step-down transformers on the old pad at the (now demolished) traffic island, and the new pad to where they will be moved soon (yellow and black stripes).

Taiwan uses local step-down transformers like these to distribute electric power to various buildings. These transformers require frequent maintenance and/or upgrading due to the demands placed on them. There is a group of transformers near our house that is replaced every year or sooner. This pad is all that’s left of the traffic islands in the street.

This is the new pad where the transformers will reside. This pad is now part of the sidewalk and is out of the roadway.

I like this kind of stuff. It reminds me of the kind of work I did back in the US. Here we see the concrete pad, complete with mounting hardware to install the transformers. Also note the cable access holes going horizontally between the cavities, and also the capped conduits going underground. It looks to me like everything is ready for the move.

This is a shot facing East and shows the single traffic island has been removed on this section of the street.

The final shot, showing the opposite direction of the first installment in this series. For the most part, the dual islands have been filled and rolled flat. It looks as if they intend to re-pave the entire surface. That would be a good thing for this street.

Thanks for reading! Please leave us your comments and ratings below!

Articles in series Road Work:

First in series Previous in series Next in series Last in series

Road Work, Part V
Photos by MJ Klein When Hui-chen and I got back from Kaohsiung on Monday afternoon, I noticed a new set of transformers on the new pad. The ol ...
Road Work, Part IV
Photos by MJ Klein This morning, the road crew was back, hard a work to fix up the road. I took a few shots from my 4th floor balcony and then ...
Road Work, Part II
Photos by MJ Klein Well, as you can see, the rubble is gone now. So are any traces of the trees that once lined this street. Now I think ...
Road Work, Part VI
Photos by MJ Klein By the looks of things, this will probably be the last article on the recent makeover in our neighborhood. If anything else ...
Road Work, Part I
Photos by MJ Klein Recently, the county of Hsinchu has been modifying the main road near our home. This is the road where the famous Shao-hui' ...

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7 Responses to “ Road Work, Part III ”

# 1 MJ Klein Says:
October 19th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Road Work, Part III | http://tinyurl.com/ygzof68
# 2 Peter Stewart Says:
October 19th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I like it when they move those big things out the road. And take the tiny bit of sidewalk still left for pedestrians.

At least we won’t have to dodge them when riding.
.-= Peter Stewart´s last blog ..Qik – Go West by Peter Stewart =-.

thenhbushman reply on October 19th, 2009 11:38 pm:

to be perfectly honest with you Peter, i’m surprised that no one has smashed into the transformers on the road. they are a huge block of metal material and as you pointed out, will now be taking up what little sidewalk space there it. thanks.
# 3 malcolm Says:
October 19th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
MJ, this is a good group of post , looks like things are moving right along , altho I still prefer the flowers and plants to divid the lanes , it looks like the new road will improve traffic and clean up the area as they progress . I guess moderization is going to take over sooner or later anyway Sooooo us old timers will just have to go with the flow . take care . Malcolm
Thanks again for you frequent visits to my bolg and your always encouraging comments
.-= malcolm´s last blog ..BACK TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING =-.

thenhbushman reply on October 19th, 2009 11:39 pm:

Malcolm, i forgot to mention that some of the local Thai people who live here, were using the traffic islands as small gardens. nice to have you back in action! hope you’re feeling 100% again soon. take care.
# 4 RGH Says:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Excellent job, WRT transformers, I’m puzzled about the changing out of them. Since they have no moving parts, and if built correctly should need limited service. I suspect the replacing of them is to put larger ones in to handle the increased capacity. Utility companies are like the highway department, in that nothing is built for the future, they only want to keep the traffic jam moving as slowly as possible. Never let the public have an open road to put the spurs into ole Trigger and let him run.

And to be critical of the concrete job, I notice what appears as cracks already. We may need to send you some Mexicans to show the locals how to pour concrete! Just an offer…….

Thanks again for the update, don’t mean to be critical of the work being done. Just a geezer’s view from the southwestern desert, where we know about concrete!

RGH

thenhbushman reply on October 20th, 2009 2:04 pm:

hi RG. i suspect that you are correct in that the transformers don’t require maintenance, per se, but rather they are being upgraded in size because of increased demand. it sure seems like they’re just trying to keep things going for now, rather than building for future demands as you so well put it.

i also noticed that the concrete has cracks in it. but Taiwan is built almost entirely of concrete it seems, and i would have expected better from a local contractor. even the rivers have had their bottoms scraped up, a concrete bed laid down and the bottom material replaced. Michael Turton frequently talks about the politics of the concrete business here in Taiwan, and slathering the island with it is one of the rewards for loyalty to a particular party. thanks RG.