RESIDENTS and businesses in Perthville can expect disruptions to telephone services when Telstra begins work on relocating cables in the village next week.
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The cable relocations are necessary to allow Bathurst Regional Council to continue with extensive roadworks along Perth, Bathurst and Prince streets.
The roadworks commenced in April this year and council’s director of engineering services Darren Sturgiss said they involved reconstruction of pavements, road widening, drainage and kerb and gutter works to improve drainage and vehicle amenity.
“Telstra fibre optics are substantially impacted by these works, and relocation of these services is complex,” he said.
“The project cannot be completed without these works being scheduled.”
A Telstra spokesman said one fibre optic cable and two copper cables had to be relocated.
“This process will require a significant amount of work by Telstra and will see the installation of new conduits and the cutting and reconnecting of the three cables in the new location,” he said.
The work will not be continuous and where possible will be undertaken at night to minimise any inconvenience to local residents.
- Telstra spokesman
“This work is scheduled to commence on October 15 and we expect the work will take approximately three to four weeks to complete, but will be weather dependent.
“The work will not be continuous and where possible will be undertaken at night to minimise any inconvenience to local residents.
“There will only be minimal disruptions to telephone services and traffic during this time.”
Meanwhile, Perthville resident Virginia Skidmore said areas around the roadworks were a safety hazard, had potholes, were boggy during the rain, dusty in dry weather and there was a lack of warning signage for pedestrians and motorists.
“There’s potholes and cones that have been knocked over for months,” she said.
Ms Skidmore claims council should have known about the Telstra cables before works started and that this had caused an unacceptable delay for residents and businesses.
There’s potholes and cones that have been knocked over for months.
- Perthville resident Virginia Skidmore
“I thought this would have been sorted before the roadworks commenced,” she said.
Mr Sturgiss said the provision of safety or warning signage was the responsibility of the contractor.
He did acknowledge the site had a “small amount of unfinished surfaces” but said potholes were addressed as they occur.
“The alternative is to close down these sections of road, which would severely restrict access for residents,” he said.
Mr Sturgiss said works were anticipated to be completed within the 2018/19 financial year, but he was unable to provide an exact date.
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