[UPDATE: Reopened] The Avenue of the Giants is Closed Due to Tree Down and Fiber Optic Line Blocking the Road

Road Closed Caltrans sign

Road Closed image from Caltrans

The Avenue of the Giants (Route 254) is closed north of Myers Flat. A falling tree brought utility lines onto the road about 8:30 a.m. ATT whose lines are on the road told emergency dispatch that “all workers [are] on strike…Will attempt to find someone to go.”

But by 10:16, Caltrans apparently was frustrated with the lack of response. They told the dispatch, according to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page, that “ATT…must respond or Caltrans will cut the line/Cannot close a highway indefinitely–and will be billed.”

ATT responded that they have contractors on the way but “recommends not cutting the line as it is the fiber optic line that services all of Humboldt County.”

So, the road is closed with no estimated time of reopening.

UPDATE: Caltrans says the road is  now reopened.

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules

Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

28 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
clearlake fool
Guest
clearlake fool
7 years ago

says AT&T on strike ???????
anything on that ???? i cant find anything online other than the union workers authorized a strike .
hope they dont cut fiber line .

Professor Fate
Guest
Professor Fate
7 years ago

Is America great again yet?

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
7 years ago
Reply to  Professor Fate

NO!!!!

Black Tail Addict
Guest
Black Tail Addict
7 years ago
Reply to  Professor Fate

And getting greater everyday.

Shake Well
Guest
Shake Well
7 years ago

I was under the impression that all main fiber optic cables like that were buried. Anyway, it could be criminally irresponsible of Caltrans to play petty tyrant with this matter.

Aleric
Guest
Aleric
7 years ago
Reply to  Shake Well

Buried? No way. Most of the way down to Sonoma it’s just lying on the ground.

CalTrans has a responsibility to keep roads open so emergency vehicles can pass through. If AT&T considers keeping their system working so unimportant that they’d abandon a community of tens of thousands so they can argue for more benefits, this is entirely on them.

Shake Well
Guest
Shake Well
7 years ago
Reply to  Aleric

If emergency agencies can’t communicate, they won’t be able to respond anyway.

Aleric
Guest
Aleric
7 years ago
Reply to  Shake Well

Fiber optic doesn’t carry normal phone service, and most emergency services use radios.

Ummmmmmm.......
Guest
Ummmmmmm.......
7 years ago
Reply to  Aleric

It sure does carry normal phone service, if you are willing to call “Long Distance” calls normal service.
Once upon a time there were back-ups for the phone, but last time I tried (just to do it) they seemed out too.

Mattolian
Guest
Mattolian
7 years ago
Reply to  Shake Well

Ya, no Att coverage. Hence, no responce. Is it just att thats down? If so, oh well.

TJ
Guest
TJ
7 years ago

Sadly this is the normal speed att works at. Ever since southern bell bought Pacific bell back and then merged with ATT, the service has gone to hell in a hand basket and very little maintenance seems to get done. Not to mention responding and being somewhere when they say they will.

I am not saying Suddenlink is much better when it comes to speeds of getting shit done. But ATT is so far behind on network upgrades they have been paid to complete if they havent signed paper work claiming they completed it then pocketed the money. Not to mention selling services to customers that they don’t have or support in your area.

Guest
Guest
Guest
7 years ago

https://www.facebook.com/D9action/

CWA District 9 Mobilization
· 4 hrs ·

All AT&T West District 9 Locals in CA and NV are on a grievance strike over the company’s violations of the previously negotiated job duties of the Premises technicians. This same issue has been a subject at the bargaining table for months and the Company has recently made a unilateral change in job requirements without the agreement of the Union. The Union has tried to resolve this issue with the Company over several days. Locals will continue to be on strike until a satisfactory settlement can be reached. Members are advised to call their Local union for instructions. AT&T’s greed continues to hurt worker and customers.

Me
Guest
Me
7 years ago
Reply to  Guest

ahh yes…the tail wagging the dog. so great for america.

Mattolian
Guest
Mattolian
7 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Treat the people that work for you well. Or suffer thier pain. Solidarity.

Zippy
Guest
Zippy
7 years ago

There is another what I think is a fiber optic line above ground just north of Phillipsville with a tree laying across it that I have told ATT workers about. They just said “Ho well.” This was last fall. The tree is still across it but I would guess that at some point the linee will break. “Oh well.

Mattolian
Guest
Mattolian
7 years ago
Reply to  Zippy

You mean “ho well”

Starburst
Guest
7 years ago
Reply to  Zippy

Could you provide more info about the location if the downed line?

n pvil
Guest
n pvil
7 years ago
Reply to  Zippy

yeah that line has been stretching low for a couple of years there. i told them about it 3 times. theyre probably saving it for when work is slow. or it could be the pvil slow response time factor

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
7 years ago

Out here on Hwy 36 the Fiber Optic line is still unbutied as well!!! It’s right across the road from me but I still am not allowed to use it!!! It’s for “Redundant Backup only”!!! Strangest thing though, the last time the FO Cable was damaged along Hwy 101 service was OUT in all affected areas util AT&T fianlly got the main cable fixed!!! So much for this being a “Redundant Backup”!!!

Aleric
Guest
Aleric
7 years ago
Reply to  Dan Fuller

It’s only redundant if you pay the company that owns it for the privilege of getting to use it. Nevermind that it was laid down using our tax dollars with the promise that it would be our backup cable…

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
7 years ago
Reply to  Aleric

Precisely why I gripe about it at every available opportunity I’m so damned tired of Corporations pissing on my head & telling me it’s raining!!! Like for instance Gott Kaiser Gropenfuhrer AKA Drumpf, rhymes with DUMP, which is exactly what needs to be done with IT!!! He reminds me of “Pennywise the Clown” from Stephen King’s novel “It”!!!

Thinking Allowed
Guest
Thinking Allowed
7 years ago
Reply to  Dan Fuller

And obviously Trump, with three months in office, is responsible for decades of accumulating problems. He must have a time machine.

Facing the real problem, rural areas are only of use to any politician as a sad example of poverty when asking for funding. That people live here is totally uninteresting. They will be ignored by Democrats, Republicans and everyone else as having no value in a politician’s career.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
7 years ago

Probably the least known effect of term limits is the fact that rural areas are screwed. Before term limits an effective representative from rural California could, if re elected enough, gain seniority and wield serious influence benefiting his/her constituency. Now its all about raw numbers and the urban areas are calling the shots.

Thinking Allowed
Guest
Thinking Allowed
7 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kirby

Bingo!

Aleric
Guest
Aleric
7 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kirby

Not to mention, if the representatives have term limits but the lobbyists don’t, the lobbyists end up being the only people with connection or know-how on how to do anything. I’d rather have an 8 term rep than a revolving door of know-nothing stooges taking cues from corporate and union salespeople.

TJ
Guest
TJ
7 years ago
Reply to  Dan Fuller

ATT only uses that line for business customer redundancy cause of the way the contracts are written. The only business customers that get access to it are Optical fiber purchasers. That have a high gaurenteed uptime built into their contract. So everyone else including consumers using voice services (cellphones), are allowed to drop.ATT In fact they does own any useage to it they rent on the line. Since they didnt want to be included in the project.

onrust
Guest
onrust
7 years ago

There was a time when people conducted business using money and you either had money or not. But then came credit cards and companies making money on people charging them for the privilege of charging. And the banks making that money found they could make more money if they verified information about the card holder and whether there was money in their account. And then many of the banks closed local offices and centralized their operations. The fiber optic lines, besides providing us with high speed internet also allow banks to verify transactions as well as almost all businesses now. It makes people very angry when they lose access to their debit and credit cards. There clearly has been a many years battle between CalTrans and ATT over access to right-of-ways and who needs to fix what. It keeps the lawyers busy, their’s meaning ATT and our’s, meaning the public. And as for the tail wagging the dog argument, when the tail is not wagging the dog, people are expected to work for nothing and get poor wages, few benefits and no respect. My solution is to eat the rich. Usually they are fat and lazy or should I say plump and prime.

Veterans friend
Guest
Veterans friend
7 years ago

That cable goes right through Myers Flat…yet we cannot get service from it. No internet even though they tell us to “sign up” in every phone bill.