A manhole (alternatively utility hole, maintenance hole or access chamber) is the top opening to an underground utility vault used to house an access point for making connections or performing maintenance on underground and buried public utility and other services including sewers, telephone, electricity, storm drains and gas. It is protected by a manhole cover, a (usually metal) plug designed to prevent accidental or unauthorized access to the manhole. Look up manhole in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A utility vault is an underground room providing access to subterranean public utility equipment, such as valves for water or natural gas pipes, or switchgear for electrical or telecommunications equipment. ... A public utility is a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. ... A sewer is an artificial conduit or system of conduits used to remove sewage (human liquid waste) and to provide drainage. ... For other uses, see Telephone (disambiguation). ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Natural gas (disambiguation). ... Princeton University manhole cover, Princeton, NJ, USA Pick holes in manhole cover, Palo Alto, CA, USA Kraków manhole cover (note integral hinge) Painted manhole cover in Matsumoto, Japan. ...

Manholes are generally found in urban areas, in streets and occasionally under sidewalks. Crowded Shibuya, Tokyo shopping district An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In rural and undeveloped areas, services such as telephone and electricity may be carried on pylons rather than underground. Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China An artists rendering of an aerial view of the Maryland countryside: Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank, 1918-1986), Aerial Series: Ploughed Fields, Maryland, 1974, acrylic and mixed materials on apertured double canvas, 52... For pylons of overhead lines, see Electricity pylon Pylon Noun from Greek πυλώνας gateway tower like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high voltage electricity cables. ...

Images

PMG manhole in a city street, Perth, Western Australia. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1501 KB) Summary PMG (Postmaster-Generals Department) manhole, Perth, Western Australia. ... PMG manhole in a city street, Perth, Western Australia. ... The Perth skyline viewed from the Swan River This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ...

This is a sewer manhole. Typically, only the top ring and manhole cover (not pictured) are visible. Download high resolution version (657x1138, 235 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A sewer is an artificial conduit or system of conduits used to remove sewage (human liquid waste) and to provide drainage. ... Princeton University manhole cover, Princeton, NJ, USA Pick holes in manhole cover, Palo Alto, CA, USA Kraków manhole cover (note integral hinge) Painted manhole cover in Matsumoto, Japan. ...

See also

• SPQR, a common Roman inscription on the manhole covers