CONCORD, N.C. — Crews have begun repairs at a busy Concord intersection after a broken water main shut down the road last week.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) said crews began repairs at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Pitts School Road Thursday. The road was shut down for several hours last Wednesday when water flooded the lanes.
The repairs are expected to take up to three weeks, depending on weather conditions. NCDOT said crews will have to cover a work area that's roughly the size of a football field on Pitts School Road.
A detour will remain in place for drivers on Pitts School Road until the project is complete. Drivers will be detoured onto Roberta Road and George Liles Parkway before they can rejoin U.S. 29 north of the intersection.
A City of Concord spokesperson confirmed damage to the water main was caused by a third-party contractor working for Google Fiber, which is in the progress of bringing its Internet service to the city.
The spokesperson said the contractor failed to submit the proper paperwork before beginning the work. The contractor was required to submit a request to North Carolina 811, which marks the location of underground pipes and utilities, at least three full weekdays before beginning the work. The contractor allegedly submitted the request on Jan. 31 and was performing work on Feb. 2 when the damage occurred, according to the city spokesperson. The official said work should not have begun until Feb. 4.
WCNC Charlotte received the following statement from a Google Fiber spokesperson Thursday evening.
"Google Fiber takes construction issues very seriously. We apologize for any disruption to Concord residents. We are working with the City of Concord to address the issue as quickly as possible. If you ever have a Google Fiber construction issue to report, please call (877) 454-6959."
The cost for work has not be released to WCNC Charlotte at this time.
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