Traffic Control for Ubiquity Open Access Broadband Project

AWP Safety delivers safe worksites for Ervin Cable crews installing fiber in Arizona’s major metro areas

AWP Safety is the only traffic control and safety partner with the footprint and capabilities to support major broadband expansions that impact large regions. Our company is currently using its expertise to deliver comprehensive worksite and community protection for a long-term telecommunications project across most major cities in Arizona, from Flagstaff to Tucson.

Challenge

Ubiquity, an infrastructure investment firm specializing in last-mile, open-access broadband infrastructure, is investing in a multi-year project to deliver high-speed internet and more consumer choices to communities in Arizona, California, Nebraska and Texas. The expansion started in January 2023 in Mesa, Arizona, and is expected to continue for up to eight years.

Subcontractor Ervin Cable Construction, LLC, is installing all the underground infrastructure, which requires micro trenching, running conduit, flow fill and restoration of all worksites.

The project’s scope requires ongoing traffic control and work zone protection across multiple neighborhoods simultaneously. Because work is completed in densely populated areas, accommodations are needed for a variety of traffic types including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and those using public transportation. Work zones are located in multiple municipalities and right-of-ways under the jurisdiction of Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), adding complexity to the permitting process.

Solution

Ervin Cable selected AWP Safety as its preferred traffic provider due to its robust traffic solutions portfolio and unmatched expertise in traffic control. An AWP Safety team comprised of a customer account manager, traffic control supervisor and billing specialist are 100% dedicated to focus daily on Ervin Cable’s needs to ensure the project flows smoothly, stays on schedule and is accurately billed on the customer’s preferred cycle.

“It’s all hands are on deck,” says Eddie Black, AWP Safety account manager leading the team. “We are the only traffic control and safety provider with the scale and capabilities to support broadband projects that encompass the entire state of Arizona.”

More than a year in, AWP Safety has already developed dozens of traffic control plans covering hundreds of municipal and ADOT permits, sometimes managing work related to 40 permits at once. With work finishing up in Mesa and starting in Chandler, Arizona, services have included:

• Daily deployment of up to 50 professional Protectors to provide worksite setup and flagging services – extra support crews are deployed for setup in residential areas where road striping is absent
• Strategically placed Automated Flagger Assistance Devices (AFADs), which use Google/Waze technology to divert 25% of traffic around worksites entirely
• Procurement of law enforcement officer (LEO) support at directional closures
• Sidewalk closures and temporary pedestrian pathways
• Extensive signage for all traffic scenarios, from “Road Work Ahead” to “Share the Road” cycle lane markers

Results

• Efficient work and real-time troubleshooting. The dedicated traffic control supervisor is available in the field during all work hours to flex AWP Safety resources as Ervin Cable’s needs change.
• Elevated safety performance. AWP Safety uses advanced AFAD technology and traffic control safety best practices to increase safety by up to 70% for work crews and communities.
• Better traffic flow. Advanced traffic control plans anticipate all potential safety risks and bottlenecks, optimizing worksite traffic flow on Arizona’s busiest city streets.

Community members in Mesa already have access to high-speed internet on Ubiquity’s new infrastructure through Fiber First, the first internet service provider (ISP) to deploy residential service on the open-access network. More ISPs are expected to use the infrastructure in the future to offer consumers more service choices, leading to more competitive pricing.

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