Tilting utility pole creates headaches for residents on Detroit’s west side

Detroit – Utility pole problems on Detroit’s west side are becoming such a safety concern for one family they no longer feel safe in their yard or parking cars in their driveway.

The issue is a pole ready to fall, and the other is who is responsible.

The pole that caused the most concern on Thursday (Oct. 3) is located on Coyle Street, on the west side.

Angela called Help Me Hank because she was worried for her safety.

“It’s been a headache,” said Angela. “It’s been people at least five different people each day to speak to someone, and I’ve been doing this for three weeks. I have two different ticket numbers, and it’s just been crazy.”

DTE crews were putting in a new pole a few weeks ago. That’s the good news. The bad news is the pole several companies share was left behind, causing chaos as it looks like it is ready to tip.

“We have an old pole that’s cracked,” Angela said. “DTE came and switched the pole out. Now, I’m fighting to find out who owns the pole and who’s coming to get it out of my backyard. It’s cracked at the bottom, and it’s dangerous.”

Angela contacted DTE, Consumers Energy, AT&T, and Comcast, but she couldn’t get a straight answer about who was responsible for the danger near her driveway.

“Now we need to leave our cars on the street, which we don’t do,” Angela said. “We have three cars and we are struggling each and every day to park our cars. And it’s been going on for at least three and a half weeks now.

Help Me Hank started making calls, and DTE jumped into action. The utility company does not own the pole, but it has taken action to make the situation safer.

The old pole is gone, and Angela is ecstatic as she can now live safely.

“I am so happy, as it took me months to get nowhere,” Angela said. “Hank got it done in hours. Thank you so much, Hank. Hank to the rescue. Go Detroit Lions and go Detroit Tigers.”

“Frequently, our poles are used for not only electric wires, but for cable, internet and phone wires as well. When we install a new pole, we move our wires and wait for the communications companies to move their equipment to the new pole before completely removing the old pole. As a courtesy to this customer, we transferred the communications lines so the old power pole could be fully removed.”

DTE Media Relations