Windstream Wholesale, Windstream’s optical transport division, touted it’s reached a “major construction milestone” on its CanAm2 long-haul fiber build, a 440-mile route that will eventually connect Montreal, Canada to New York City.
The Canadian portion of the route – from Montreal to the New York state border – is substantially complete, said Karl-Arne Hegewald, Windstream’s SVP of network infrastructure and program management. He noted Montreal is “an important growth hub” for content providers and other data centers.
The company expects to complete the segment from the border to Albany by the end of Q1 2024, then complete the extension from Albany to New York City by the end of next year.
“It’s important to note that this is not a sequential construction effort,” Hegewald told Fierce. “We are working on each of the three segments as permits are obtained so that we make the most efficient use of our construction crews and complete the entire project as expeditiously as possible.”
While Windstream has an existing Montreal-New York route, he said that infrastructure is aging and “demands for new high-capacity long-haul technology point to the need for new glass.”
“Fortunately, we have spare conduit along much of the route that we are leveraging, which eases some of the build cost,” said Hegewald.
The build aims to provide customers with a “better operational experience,” by getting around hard-to-access segments that are challenging to repair or have been “more prone to network events over the existing route’s lifespan.”
For the CanAm2 project, Windstream is partnering with two infrastructure solutions providers: Telecon for the route within Canada and HYLAN for domestic construction.
HYLAN has over 60 years of experience building in New York and New Jersey, Hegewald said, and is a “respected contractor that understands the complexity of navigating the build process in New York City.”
“They’ve also helped us redesign other portions of the route that were on high-capacity utility towers, which required special access because of terrain as well as coordination with the utility,” he said.
As for Telecon, it has a similarly long history in Canada and designed the original route segment there a couple of decades ago.
“Telecon also provided guidance on a reroute near Montreal using an alternate bridge crossing, and their knowledge helped us to navigate many of the permitting requirements there, including with the railroads,” Hegewald added.
In the meantime, Windstream is continuing its long-haul buildout in the southeast U.S. It’s completed the T-Rock Express, which runs from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by a segment from Little Rock to Memphis.
Aside from CanAm2, Hegewald said Windstream is constructing the Beach Route, connecting Raleigh, Savannah and Jacksonville – with the Savannah-Jacksonville segment being “all new construction.”
The Raleigh-Savannah route will be completed in Q4 of this year and ties into DC BLOX’s new cable landing station in Myrtle Beach. Windstream expects to complete the Savannah-Jacksonville segment by the end of Q1 2024.