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Neighbors concerned about safety in fiber line construction

By John Paul, wsoctv.com
By John Paul, wsoctv.com
Residents of a Huntersville neighborhood contacted Channel 9 after they said AT&T’s fiber line work has caused a string of gas and water main breaks in the area.
A gas line was hit Monday night on Harvington Drive. It was repaired, but neighbors said they are tired of the problems.
The issues started last week when a contractor installing AT&T fiber lines accidentally severed AT&T service lines for the neighborhood. The service was out for more than 12 hours.
A contractor then cut a water line. The gas line that was cut Monday night caused a gas leak, and firefighters had to block off several streets.
Channel 9 anchor John Paul spoke with the neighbors about their complaints and learned that contractors are installing fiber optic lines.
Bill Clegg is not happy with the working being done in his neighborhood.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — He showed Paul where fiber crews under contract with AT&T installed boxes in his yard in Huntersville. Clegg said he had no say in the matter and AT&T was granted an easement to install the cables, which provide high-speed Internet service.

"I didn't realize they could come 10 feet to put a box in my yard for service I may never want down the road," Clegg said.
Neighbors said that between their yards being torn up and their utilities being cut off, they are fed up.
“They're tearing up my yard. They're disrupting my lifestyle. I'm not very happy,” neighbor Ellen Law said. "You can see what they've done here. It's a big mud hole."
Paul spoke with crews about the concerns.
A supervisor told Channel 9 that the utility lines weren't properly marked and they're trying to work carefully. He also said Piedmont Gas will send him the repair bill.
The answers did not sit well with the neighbors, who are worried about their safety.

AT&T released the following statement Tuesday afternoon:

A contractor working on one of our construction projects in the McAulay neighborhood accidently struck a gas line Monday night. We expect our contractors to work closely with local utility companies as well as utility line location service providers to accurately indicate where it is safe to dig. We expect our contractors to closely follow all local construction requirements, codes and permitting, while also ensuring their work is completed safely, professionally and with the least amount of disruption as possible. We apologize for this inconvenience.

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