Bonding and grounding may be required at junctions of aerial cable less than ___m in short underground or direct buried plastic-sheathed cable dips in aerial runs.

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Bonding and grounding at where aerial cable becomes underground is about keeping the metal parts at a common potential and giving fault and surge currents a low-impedance path. When an aerial run dips into underground for a short distance, if that dip is within 42.7 meters (about 140 feet), you should bond and ground at that junction. Keeping the transition bonded ensures there’s no significant voltage difference between the aerial and buried sections during faults or lightning, which protects people and equipment and helps clear faults quickly. If the dip is longer than that distance, the rule doesn’t require a bond at the junction, since the short, direct bonding path isn’t as practical or needed for a long transition. Therefore, the specified distance is 42.7 m (140 ft).