A dump truck snagged a line of internet cables along South Buncombe Road in Greer Friday morning, sending them crashing onto the roadway near a popular ice cream shop and several apartment complexes. Police and firefighters directed traffic through the busy corridor, while Spectrum crews were on scene; a traffic light appeared damaged.
Greer police and firefighters were directing traffic where the cables had fallen onto the roadway Friday morning, according to FOX Carolina News. The Greer Police Department confirmed to the station that a dump truck caused the cable line to fall on South Buncombe Road, right in the stretch known for its ice cream shop and nearby apartment complexes.
Traffic Light Also Took a Hit
Along with the fallen cables, a traffic light also appeared to be damaged in the incident, per the crews working the scene. Spectrum crews were on hand as well, addressing the downed lines as police directed traffic through the area.
This kind of disruption isn't unique to Greer. In Duncan, Charter Communications said customers lost Spectrum internet service for about six hours on Aug. 21 after an overhead fiber-optic cable was cut, an incident detailed by the Post and Courier. Crews there replaced 1,000 feet of cable, with damage estimated at about $20,000.
A Pattern of Cable Trouble in the Upstate
The Post and Courier also reported a separate Aug. 19 episode near Inman, where nearly 1,500 feet of fiber-optic cable was stolen, causing roughly $10,000 in estimated damage. A Spectrum spokesperson, Patti Braskie Michel, said crews repaired 288 or more fibers during the Duncan restoration work. The outlet noted those two cable-cutting episodes came weeks after Spectrum carried out two rounds of layoffs that eliminated nearly 300 jobs in Greer.
Elsewhere, vehicle strikes on fiber lines aren't unheard of either. In Moline, Illinois, a truck pulled down a Mediacom fiber-optic cable, with repair work planned for the following Tuesday night, according to qconline.com. That outlet noted the trouble stemmed from work on the new Interstate 74 bridge, which had prompted Mediacom to relocate a major span of fiber-optic cable in the first place.
Back in Greer, it remains unclear how long the cleanup and repairs along South Buncombe Road will take, or whether the dump truck involved was identified. For now, drivers passing the stretch near the ice cream shop and apartment complexes should expect crews and possible delays as police and firefighters continue managing traffic around the damage.
