Why no widespread underground power utilities?

One data point isn’t a reliable indicator. A digger isn’t the only risk. There are mudslides, water intrusion into conduits, and simple aging of the underground infrastructure.

How long were you without power for? In 9 years in my current house with above ground utilities, I’ve lost power many times but for a combined total of less than 12 hours, I think. The longest stretch was about five or six hours. Most of the other cases, I’ve had power back in minutes or sometimes, a couple of hours.

I had relatives in Boise ID Who lived in assorted north-west suburban developments. The arterial roads (like State St. or Castle Dr.) had poles for power and/or telephone, but none of the subdivision developments they lived in did. It all seems to be buried. Yet I’m told that Boise in the valley by the Boise River has a high water table which is why nobody has a basement. Nobody ever complained about power problems due to this, although some of those houses go back to the 60’s or earlier.