Google Fiber apologizes for flooding busy intersection in North Carolina city
Google Fiber apologized after its crews broke a water main that flooded a busy Concord intersection.
The flooding closed a popular barbecue restaurant for a day, damaged roads and caused a detour expected to last another week.
“Google Fiber takes construction issues very seriously,” the company said in a statement, Queen City News reported. “We apologize for any disruption to Concord residents. We are working with the City of Concord to address the issue as quickly as possible.”
Wednesday afternoon’s break flooded the intersection of Concord Parkway and Pitts School Road and closed part of the J.M. Robinson High School side of Pitts School Road, police said on Twitter.
Crews isolated the break after several hours and then began repairs, the (Concord) Independent Tribune reported.
N.C. Department of Transportation workers helped fix parts of the roads after the flooding caused erosion, according to the newspaper.
The detour could remain through Friday, Feb. 11, “depending on progress of the repairs,” NCDOT spokeswoman Jen Thompson told The Charlotte Observer on Friday. NCDOT is helping the city of Concord with the detour, she said.
“Our first priority was to get the break repaired and back into service,” Concord spokeswoman Lindsay Manson said in an email Friday. “And we are now focused on working with NCDOT to get the road repaired and reopened as quickly as possible.”
Officials are “in the very early stages of evaluating and looking into what happened,” Manson said. “Our primary focus right now remains on recovery.”
Among the disruptions caused by the flooding, Johnny Roger’s BBQ & Burgers on Concord Parkway South had to close for the day Wednesday.
In a Facebook post Thursday, restaurant management said the eatery was open again, “even though the road is partially closed. Cutting through the parking lot to get to 29? Stop by Johnny Roger’s and grab some dinner too!”
By Thursday morning, Concord Parkway had reopened, but Pitts School Road remained closed east of Concord Parkway, WSOC reported.
City officials advised residents near the flooding that their tap water may appear discolored due to the break, but the water would be safe to drink after they ran the water in their taps until it became clear, according to the station.
Google Fiber expansion
In August, according to Google Fiber’s blog, the company said it would expand its Internet service to Concord and Matthews, and parts of Charlotte, by the end of 2021.
“We’re trying to build everywhere because we believe competition is good for consumers,” Jess George, government and community affairs manager for Google Fiber in North Carolina, told the Observer at the time.
Prior problems
The Concord flooding was just the latest of many incidents of fiber contractors causing damage in the Charlotte area.
In 2020, Charlotte Water recorded more incidents of line hits and other problems caused by fiber contractors than in the previous two years, the Observer reported in 2021.
The 2020 cases — 306 in all — caused about $681,000 in damage, according to an Observer analysis. The cases were for all fiber companies, including one of Google Fiber’s largest competitors, AT&T.
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 11:04 AM.