The Aurora city phone system, website and internet were fully restored over the weekend after third-party fiber optic cables near Interstate 88 were accidentally cut Thursday during ongoing repair work on the tollway, a city official said.
The damage to the fiber line affected both of the city of Aurora’s internet providers, which fully disabled the internet in city of Aurora buildings, along with the city’s website and phone system, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, officials said.
The fiber line damage also disabled OnLight Aurora’s internet service to its customers, according to officials.
A temporary wireless solution was installed Thursday, but internet speed and services continued to lag under the temporary solution, officials said.
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City officials said the damage to the fiber line was complex, and the Illinois Tollway’s fiber maintenance provider worked overnight and throughout the day on Friday to find a permanent fix. By 7 a.m. Saturday, the permanent solution was put in place, and all city services were fully restored, officials said.
Aurora city officials said their main concern was that the city’s non-emergency service system, myAurora 311, could not be reached by phone Thursday, and officials encouraged residents to use the online application. Emergency communication was not affected by the internet loss.
Aurora city staff were unable to use their desk phones or upload videos to the city website, and staff emails were delayed, during the disruption, according to officials.
The section of Interstate 88 that runs through Aurora is also known as the Reagan Memorial Tollway. The Illinois Tollway maintains a 48,000-mile fiber-optic network spanning its 294-mile right-of-way, which supports its internal communications and transportation systems, according to an Illinois Tollway press release.
Commercial entities and municipalities also rely on fiber infrastructure along the tollway for high-speed connectivity, according to the release.