Evanston Public Works crews were working to restore service Wednesday after a contractor inadvertently severed fiber optic data lines at the intersection of Ridge Avenue and Leon Place early Monday, taking a wide range of city sites offline as a result.
The outage occurred about 9 a.m. Monday. Officials are making “every effort to restore the services,” affected by the incident, city spokesperson Cynthia Vargas said, adding that the city’s Fourth of July celebration should not be affected.
A notice appeared at the top of the city’s website notifying users that “due to a network disruption, the phone systems and internet are down at some city buildings. For immediate assistance, please contact the 311 Center by calling 847-448-4131, or simply dialing 3-1-1 while in Evanston.”
Notifications were also posted Monday on the city’s Facebook page and X (formerly Twitter), shortly after the incident, Vargas said.
At the Evanston Public Library main branch, notices were taped on doors. “Sorry! No Internet,” the sign began, listing services not available.
Among other sites taken offline as a result of the incident were the Clark Street, Dempster and Lighthouse beaches, the Chandler-Newberger Center, Noyes Cultural Arts Center and Fire Stations 3 and 5, officials said. Several sites were back online as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, including the Clark Street, Dempster and Lighthouse beaches. The Evanston Library was back at 4 p.m.
Credit: Bob Seidenberg
Both the city and Northwestern University’s data operations were affected.
The cut fiber line reportedly also reportedly affected police and fire department communications, with coverage spotty in some areas.
“The city is making diligent efforts to ensure that we are online by tonight,” Vargas said Wednesday.
Residents with questions should call the 311 line, she said.
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