Scrabble Bingo of the Day: UTILIDOR

UTILIDORn pl. -S  an insulated system of pipes for use in arctic regions

59 points (9 points without the bingo)

UTILIDOR is a portmanteau word for "utility" and "corridor" used to describe a large enclosed and insulated conduit built either above or below the ground surface in arctic climates, like Alaska and parts of Canada. They contain utilities such as water supply lines, sewer lines, electrical cables, communications lines, etc.

In the past, below ground utilidors were thought to be technically and economically unfeasible in permafrost, which is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years, sometimes containing ice. So, aboveground utilidors were used instead, which causes a plethora of problems themselves, including difficulties with road construction, drainage problems, and vandalism, not to mention they aren't very pleasant on the eye.

But now with engineering developments and new materials, underground construction of utilidors are the norm. The insulation around the system prevents thawing of the ice-rich permafrost and consequent settling of the pipes. In thermally sensitive, ice-rich permafrost areas, aboveground utilidor systems are preferred, because of it's difficult to stop heat from escaping into the delicate permafrost without costly construction.

Utilidors are also built where the water table is too high to bury water and sewer mains, and where utility poles could pose a danger, as in earthquake-prone areas. The size varies greatly in these systems, from just enough room for the utilities to more than enough space for vehicular traffic.

The largest known and most famous of these kinds of utilidor systems are at Disney theme parks, first built in the Magic Kingdom, serving as part of Disney's behind-the-scenes areas. The tunnels allow employees to perform park support operations, especially trash removal, out of the sight of paying guests.

Photos by fancysomedisneymagic, polarwinter, beuci, lindaswindow

What's a Scrabble Bingo?

A bingo is when a player empties his or her rack in one turn, placing all seven of their letters on the board to create a word that's at least seven letters long. The term "bingo" is used primarily in the U.S., but elsewhere it's simply known as a "bonus" because you get a bonus of 50 points added to your turn's score. "Scrabble Bingo of the Day" will focus on these high scoring plays, teaching you some interesting and possibly unusual seven-letter or longer words accepted in a game of Scrabble.

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