# Flurry of telephone cable-laying in metro Chicago?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flurry-of-telephone-cable-laying-in-metro-chicago/768463>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flurry-of-telephone-cable-laying-in-metro-chicago/768463 "2016-10-13T21:38:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flurry-of-telephone-cable-laying-in-metro-chicago/768463/1 "2016-10-13T21:38:41Z")

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This week, I’ve noticed a **lot** of telephone underground cables being buried under the street in various places in Chicago and suburbs. Two or more trucks blocking the right lane in a couple of different spots (presumably the two ends of the cable) are hard to miss if you’re driving or riding a bike, especially if they’re working on a main street. ☹

So is there a season for this work that I’m seeing so many cable-laying crews in so many different places? Or are they doing this all the time and I’m noticing them only because I’m out in the middle of the day (off work this week) and they avoid working rush-hours because they block streets/lanes?

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flurry-of-telephone-cable-laying-in-metro-chicago/768463/2 "2016-10-14T12:48:49Z")

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What’s on the side of the trucks?

Google Fiber is still being laid, but who knows for how much longer.

The phone companies are also rolling out fiber and they do a whole area at a time.

Long distance fiber has a different MO. The work their way down a major thoroughfare or whatever else right-of-way they have access to. You don’t see them working on side streets or on different unrelated major roads at a time.

Etc.

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**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flurry-of-telephone-cable-laying-in-metro-chicago/768463/3 "2016-10-14T14:32:21Z")

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I haven’t noticed any more than usual.

My commute takes me out the Kennedy and past the Tristate & O’Hare westbound and back again in the evening, an area that has been under construction for …so long now. There have been cable and tunnel trucks but I wouldn’t say more than expected.

Horrible traffic aside, it _has_ been pretty fascinating to watch bridges coming down and going up, medians rebarred and poured, infrastructure laid down, lanes changed, reduced and then added and all the other sights associated with a major project like this. In fairness,it seems they’ve done a pretty good job keeping the worse of the closures to nights and weekends. When I take this route during off-peak times, they have crews out getting things done.

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flurry-of-telephone-cable-laying-in-metro-chicago/768463/4 "2016-10-14T15:37:41Z")

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It’s possible that the only time in Chicago the phone company can even work is between repairing all the broken lines from the summer thunderstorms and the winter snowstorms.

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**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flurry-of-telephone-cable-laying-in-metro-chicago/768463/5 "2016-10-14T15:55:03Z")

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You will see phone company cable installation activity in areas which are growing (many people moving to that area, new construction), and lately to increase internet bandwidth. Everybody is streaming TV and 10 Mbps no longer cuts it!