Hawaiian Electric is replacing old wooden power poles along Farrington Highway on Oahu's Leeward Coast, good news for tens of thousands of West Oahu residents who depend on the road and worry about wildfire and blackouts.

• The utility is swapping out more than 100 aging wooden poles with steel and composite ones that better resist wind, salt air, rain, and termites.
• Eight poles are done so far, with a dozen more due by late fall as part of a three-year grid-hardening project.
• The work targets high-risk wildfire routes, and local leaders pushed for it after the Lahaina disaster.
• A wet year has fueled heavy plant growth, and scientists expect El Niño to dry it out into fuel well into 2027.
• Farrington Highway is the main artery from Nanakuli to Makaha, so falling poles in high winds are a serious safety chokepoint.

Outlook: Once the highway poles are done, Hawaiian Electric hopes to move on to replacing poles in nearby neighborhoods.