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Most south Bryan County residents are glad the long-awaited Freeway 144 widening is underway, however not all.
Some residents in The Bluffs and different close by subdivisions say the $27 million widening mission has led to web and cellphone disruptions that may generally final for eight hours or extra.
A resident of The Bluffs speaks out in regards to the challenges confronted with no web or cellular phone entry, a Comcast consultant acknowledges fiber cuts and energy outages, and a Georgia Division of Transportation spokesperson stated DOT is unaware of any such issues.
Calls to highway widening contractor Most well-liked Supplies Inc. weren’t returned by press time.
“We moved right here slightly below two years in the past. It has been occurring since,” stated Bluffs resident Troy Brown. “We’re shedding not solely Comcast web however our cellular phone and we’re speaking for eight-plus hours per day, or extra, when it occurs. It is actually a problem with Verizon and Comcast. A few of my neighbors have T-Cellular they usually do not lose their service.
“The issue is that they depart us in a communications blackout,” Brown stated. “We won’t even make an emergency name. We won’t name emergency providers. I contacted Comcast and I obtained no assist from them. I filed a grievance with the Federal Communications Fee and that obtained Comcast to reply. What Comcast informed me is that the development on Freeway 144 is reducing the fiber optic cables after which they’ve to return restore them. The reality of the matter is that if we had an emergency throughout these outages, we will not get any assist.
“After they reduce a line solely, Comcast and Verizon are affected. Everybody previous the purpose the place they reduce the road will get no service. There are a number of folks in my neighborhood and different subdivisions affected. They reduce it continuously sufficient to be an issue. My daughter home-schools and my spouse works from house and makes use of the web for video conferencing. Verizon would not even admit there’s an issue. It is a nightmare,” stated Brown.
“The Freeway 144 building in Richmond Hill has sadly seen numerous challenges that impacted our community at instances,” stated Comcast spokesman Alex Horwitz. “This contains fiber cuts and energy outages and interruptions which have affected our Xfinity providers.
“We’re working carefully with our companions on this mission to make sure the interruptions are stored to a minimal and actually apologize to our prospects for the inconvenience.”
That stated, we proceed to work carefully with prospects who’ve been impacted, stated Horwitz.
Nonetheless, Georgia DOT spokesperson Jill Nagel stated she is unaware of any fiber optic cables being reduce because the widening mission started.
“I am not conscious of any cables being reduce,” Nagel stated. “They’re working proper now by the roundabout and our contractor has not presently reduce any cables in that location. I am not conscious of any cables being reduce on Freeway 144 main as much as the roundabout. Earlier than we begin building, we coordinate with the utility firms to relocate their utilities. They name and say that is the place they relaid the cables and while you name 811, a utility line locator, it tells the contractor the place these cables have been recognized to 811 and that means our contractor is aware of the place they’ll and may’t dig.
“However the coordination with the utility firms is earlier than anyone begins digging so in the event that they transfer their cables they let 811 know the place they’re situated,” Nagel stated.
She stated it’s potential that some moved cable location could possibly be mismarked however they rely on the place the cable firms say they’ve moved them and relay that info to the utility line locator service.
“On any mission, if a contractor hits a line, they’re penalized severely as a consequence of the truth that they need to have referred to as they usually have to point out us they recognized the place 811 stated these traces have been,” the DOT spokesperson stated.
Nagel stated all 4 lanes of widened Freeway 144, together with the everlasting roundabout ought to be opened by late Spring or early summer season 2021, climate allowing.
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