Crossing pylon

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A crossing pylon is an electricity pylon for the realization of an overhead line crossing of a river, a strait or a valley.

Crossing pylons for crossing wide rivers and sea straits, are in order to allow ships crossing the right of way at flat areas tall constructions, often equipped with marking lamps. In opposite to standard pylons they are often equipped with stairways allowing an easily access to their top.

In many cases they also carry radio-technical equipment.

Crossing pylons for crossing valleys require, if the topography of the valley allows an adequate right of way, not to be very high. However the distance between conductors must be great enough to prevent knocking together the conductors at strong winds. Therefore such crossing pylons have very wide crossbars. At very long spans for each phase a separate pylon is used, especially in the cases when no high constructions are required.

Special crossing pylons are often used where aerial tramways cross powerlines above them. They are so designed, that the powerline is scaffolded in the crossing section. This measure allows saving passengers from the aerial tramway in case of a failure without switching off the powerline. One finds such constructions south of Zermatt, at the Patscherkofelbahn near Innbruck and at the Penkenbahn in Mayrhofen.