CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Work is beginning on Google Fiber in Charlotte five months after the company announced it will bring high-speed Internet to the city.
"I like it because I play a lot of video games, so it'll upgrade my Internet a lot," said Chris Ritter, who lives in the Highland Creek neighborhood in north Charlotte, where work is beginning.
PAST ARTICLE: Leaders want all Charlotte residents to have Google Fiber access
Now contractors are digging holes to find utility lines so they don't hit them when they start drilling to install miles and miles of wire.
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"(I'm) not really excited about it," said Gerald Eady, whose driveway has been blocked by crews. "We just moved in a couple days ago. The whole yard and area blocked is off and torn up, just not what I was looking forward to and expected."
Some city permits have already been filed to build "fiber huts," or small buildings, which will amplify service to homes.
There will be 19 huts around Charlotte. Fifteen are on city-owned property, including in a wooded area next to Park Road Park and a wooded area behind a fire station on Ridge Road.
"They will be relatively unnoticeable," said Phillip Reiger, assistant director of the Charlotte Department of Transportation.
Google contractors are required to follow the city's rules for utility work, which allow for work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"If there are any lane closures required, there's appropriate signage and traffic control in place to keep our traveling public safe," Reiger told Channel 9.
While the city will benefit from the high-speed Internet, some residents are ready for the work that just started to be finished.
"I think it'll be an added addition and a welcome addition," Eady said. "It's just the process to get that done is what I'm concerned about."
Channel 9 was told while some neighborhoods will see work before others, that does not mean they will be the first to get Google Fiber service when it's ready.
For now, Google hasn't released a timeline for when construction will be complete or the cost for Google Fiber service.
Google has a 20-year lease for the hut sites, which should bring an estimated $48,000 each year to the city.
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