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Glendale sees surge in fiber work; city weighs standards, microtrenching and staffing for incoming projects
Summary
Engineering staff told council that fiber buildout has accelerated: 11 new providers in 18 months, large jumps in linear feet of trenching, and roughly 1,200 permits a year. Staff described public‑utility‑easement issues, construction fatigue, pavement preservation and a regional push to set microtrenching standards.
City engineering staff on April 8 told the Glendale City Council that the city is experiencing a rapid increase in telecom construction, driven by fiber deployments and competition among providers.
"We're very busy," Don Bessler of the engineering department said, noting the city averages about 1,200 annual permits and that staff handled approximately 700,000 linear feet of trenching and boring in 2024 and expect roughly 900,000 linear feet in 2025. John Flatt, civil engineering administrator, told council 11 new entities have applied to work in the city’s rights‑of‑way in the past 18 months, with most current activity centered on fiber.
Why it matters: staff said fiber provides substantially higher download and…
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