COMCAST FIBER-OPTIC PROJECT TO SERVE THE TOWN OF GYPSUM
Comcast is building a state-of-the-art network in the Town of Gypsum, delivering our full suite of broadband, video, voice, home management, and business products and services to the residents and businesses of the community.
This website aims to serve as your go-to resource for updates on our construction process, FAQs and product information. We want to ensure everyone is well-informed, so please review the entire site. You can also use the above jump links to take you to a specific section of the page.
MONTHLY UPDATES
Update for July 5, 2023:
Our Fiber Network Project is almost entirely complete! Over the past couple of months, crews have completed the remaining underground construction work, and the final areas are coming online. The project is now nearly 100% complete. Two areas on the map – Brightwater and Siena Lake – will have ongoing construction as those neighborhoods continue to develop, but the core of the Town and its commercial areas are complete.
- Xfinity on Tour Celebration at Gypsum Daze July 14-15! To celebrate the project completion in both Gypsum and Eagle, Comcast is bringing “Xfinity on Tour” to this year’s Gypsum Daze. Product experts from Xfinity and Comcast Business will be on site to share more information about how you can get connected to fast, reliable internet service and save when you switch to Xfinity Mobile. We’ll also be sharing information about our Internet Essentials program and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides qualified customers with a credit of up to $30/month (up to $75/month in Tribal lands) towards internet and mobile service. See our event flyer below:
- – Hawk’s Next Ln
- – White River Dr
- – Buckhorn Valley Blvd
For newly GREEN Areas: When an area on the map changes to green, which is the serviceable phase, this indicates that the backbone network is available in the area, it has been tested, and is ready for residential and business connections. However, if the business or residence is more than 150 feet from the network infrastructure, additional steps may be required to complete the connection and install services. As noted above, due to seasonal weather impacts and the potential for property damage, this installation work may have to wait until the Spring.
- – If you’re a seeking service at a residence, please call 1 (800) XFINITY (934-6489) for more information.
- – If you’re a local business, please contact local Comcast Business representative, Tim Shannon at Timothy_Shannon@comcast.com or (970) 401-1023.
- – If you have questions about installing and burying a Comcast service line on private property, please contact Randy Provo at (719) 960-6555 or Randal.Provo@spectranow.com or contact Paul Vigil at (303) 330-8255 or Paul.Vigil@spectranow.com.
Irrigation, Locates & Sprinkler Repair Note: In accordance with state laws related to utility location and Colorado’s 811 system, property management companies and Homeowners Associations, which own and manage underground irrigation systems, are responsible for locating their irrigation lines in public rights-of-way and utility easements in advance of underground construction. The SEFNCO construction team will reach out to property management prior to starting construction work in and/or around the property. Additionally, we strongly encourage management staff to participate in a walk-out of the construction path with the construction crews as an added step to avoid any conflicts.
Construction crews on this project go to great lengths to avoid damaging residential sprinkler systems. However, if such damage does occur, crews have repair parts and equipment with them and can fix damages within 24 hours of being notified. If you’ve identified sprinkler damage on your property that was a result of this construction project, please contact Thomas Locke at (970) 309-2480 or at tlocke@sefnco.com.
CONSTRUCTION OVERVIEW
As this project progresses, we want to ensure residents are well-informed and prepared. Multiple notifications via door hangers to residents and businesses will be provided in advance of any work impacting your neighborhood.
When the build reaches your neighborhood, it will largely proceed as follows. The colors correspond with phases in the interactive map above.
RED = Construction work has not yet begun in your area, prior work has yet to resume, or prior work was stopped due to inclement weather. Please check the Weekly Updates section for the latest information on the location of construction work.
ORANGE = This phase is when locate work and underground construction work are underway.
During the locate work to identify underground utilities, Comcast’s construction business partner (SEFNCO) will submit the appropriate requests via 811 to require utility owners to locate their infrastructure in your neighborhood’s public right-of-way and utility easements. Separate crews from the appropriate utilities will mark the ground with locate flags and paint to indicate where infrastructure currently exists so the new construction does not disturb or damage existing lines.
The markings consist of different colors to reflect each type of infrastructure in a certain area (see below chart). It is essential for the utility crews to request locates, as required by 811, be performed to ensure the utility owners identify their plant prior to any work being done and the construction crews can operate as safely as possible.
The locate marking colors correspond to utilities as follows in accordance with the Colorado 811 safe dig practices:
Roughly 1-2 days before this locate preparatory work begins in your neighborhood, you will receive a door hanger notifying you that work is within days of starting. Keep an eye out for a door hanger that looks like the following image:
*NOTE – Utility owners of systems like irrigation and sprinkler lines are required by law to sign up with Colorado 811 and mark utilities within 72 hours of locate ticket submittal. This also applies to irrigation lines in town right of ways. This does not apply to individual homeowners.
Within roughly 5-7 days after the locate work, SEFNCO will begin to install conduit, fiber, and coax lines into your neighborhood. The majority of the construction work will occur in public rights-of-way and easements. You will receive another door hanger roughly 1-2 days before the construction work begins in your neighborhood.
On the very limited occasions where Comcast may need to access public easements located on private property, a construction contractor will contact residents directly to notify them before initiating any work. Pursuant to the Town Code related to easement access, if contact is not made, Comcast’s construction partners may still enter the property to conduct the work on public easements. Notification of entry will be provided.
BLUE = Within a few days of the construction work’s completion, crews will return to connect the newly installed lines to the broader Comcast network. This phase of work includes placing pedestals, pulling fiber through placed conduit and connecting new lines to the network. This phase could involve some locate work related to pedestal placements.
As with all construction projects, unknowns can present themselves and cause a delay in the scheduled time of the work. These include but are not limited to inclement weather, incorrectly identified buried cables/pipes, access issues, etc. If schedules change, Comcast and SEFNCO will do their best to notify you of the change and the new dates.
GREEN = Work and restoration is complete. Residents’ homes and businesses are now serviceable (ready to sign up for Xfinity or Comcast Business). Once the network connection is complete, you will be able to sign up for service and you will receive a doorhanger that looks like the following image:
At this time, residential customers will need to contact Xfinity by phone at 1-800-XFINITY, visit us online or at a nearby Xfinity store to discuss a plan that works for your home.
If you are a business owner and would like to contact one of our local Comcast Business representatives to begin discussing our products and services, please email Tim Shannon or call 970-401-1023.
Once you’ve reached out to request service, we’ll set up an appointment for installation. During the installation appointment, a Comcast technician will come to your address to establish a direct, wired connection to your home or business and help you get your services up and running. At this point, you’re officially a Comcast customer!
Please note – The technician will install a temporary line to get you connected. This line will initially be above ground, likely through Spring, when ground conditions improve enough to bury the line underground.
CONSTRUCTION MAP & SCHEDULE
Beginning in late March 2020, an 18-month phased engineering and construction project began bringing a fiber-optic network into Gypsum.
Town-wide in scope, the project involves a combination of construction in the public right-of-way and easements, installation of new equipment, and connection of the network architecture. Construction will move from neighborhood to neighborhood until the full build is complete across the town.
Please click on the below image to visit an interactive map showing which phase of this process your neighborhood is in.
MAP LEGEND:
RED = Work has not started, prior work has yet to resume or work has stopped due to weather
ORANGE = Locate and construction work in process
BLUE = Network connection work (placing pedestals, pulling fiber through placed conduit and connecting new lines to the network. This phase could involve some locate work)
GREEN = Work & restoration complete (homes & businesses can sign up for service)
TYPE OF WORK:
LIGHT GREEN OUTLINE = Aerial (above ground) work
*NOTE: all other areas involve underground construction
Frequently Asked Questions
- Watch for the notifications. It is easy to miss a mailer, door hanger or phone call as spam.
- Keep your pets in your house. If access is needed to your backyard, please make sure your pets are safe and secure during the time period provided by Comcast.
- Be patient. Comcast is having a new, state-of-the-art network built across the entire community and bringing the full suite of services to Gypsum. Comcast and SEFNCO are working to complete this work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
- Be aware of construction workers. All construction workers and people placing door hanger messages will be wearing a safety vest and a badge identifying themselves as a Comcast employee or an authorized Comcast contractor.
A large portion of the work will be done by SEFNCO Communications, which is an approved, long-term partner of Comcast specialized in building complex networks and infrastructures. You can click here to visit their website. You can reach the team working on this project directly at (970) 340-3150.
If you’re interested in speaking with someone about our products and services, please visit one of our nearby Xfinity Stores:
- Avon Xfinity Store – 281 Metcalf Rd, Unit 210
- Glenwood Springs Xfinity Store – 1605 Grand Avenue, Suite I
Below are some example images of what the SEFNCO vehicles and equipment will look like.
Q: What does a construction site look like?
The below image provides a high-level overview of what a typical construction site looks like from a bird’s eye view.
To provide Comcast service in your community, our team needs to place above ground connection points that link to underground fiber lines. These connection points are pedestals or peds, which are generally light green plastic housing that encloses and secures the network connections.
Peds serve specific network engineering needs, particularly in mountain towns. Their above ground design and placement provides a more secure connection space and avoids service-impacting damage from water and ice. Above ground peds are also much easier and faster to service in the event of a network issue or outage.
To ensure the highest quality connection, peds need to maintain a relatively close distance to the associated home or business. The combination of these factors – in addition to staying in the public right-of-way or utility easements – creates some critical limitations on where peds can be placed.
Comcast and SEFNCO are working in collaboration with the Town’s Public Works Department to minimize the number of pedestals in each neighborhood, to the extent possible, and place them in the least obtrusive locations.
Once work is complete in an area, restoration work will begin to make the area look like it did or better before the work began.
Comcast invests billions of dollars in our network across Colorado to ensure residents and businesses have access to the most innovative video, broadband, security, home and voice products available.
Technology is at the core of what we do. We have fiber at the core of our network, and we are extending it deeper into neighborhoods and closer to homes. We’re driving the industry with our major technology partners to redefine the technologies that you use to enjoy entertainment, connect and communicate now and into the future.
Products & Services
Click here to learn more about Comcast’s residential products and services.
Click here to learn about Comcast Business’ products and services.
Click here to learn more about some of the key priorities that reflect our company’s values.