A utility crew with Clearwave Communications was anticipating completing a 4,800-foot fiber optic cable extension project on Friday on U.S. Route 51 south.
Crew supervisor Matt Suzuki told the Du Quoin Call the project, which started last Wednesday, was to extend the cable line from Fenton's Custom & Collision about a mile south to the Verizon cell tower at the end of Idyle Wild Road.
Suzuki said workers were replacing copper wiring, which can cause service issues with a large number of users, with cable. Fiber optic cable can support a larger number of users with less dropped calls.
"Anyone with Verizon service should see increased reliability," he said.
Horizontal directional boring was used to get the cable underground, and an Ameren Illinois crew was on hand to monitor the nearby high pressure gas line.
