A stop work order issued to Google Fiber last month by the city of Brookhaven remains in effect because the utility giant has not submitted documents required to continue working in the city.
A Google Fiber crew hit a gas main on Dec. 13, 2024 near Montgomery Elementary School on Ashford Dunwoody Road. In turn, Brookhaven officials suspended work to allow officials to assess “means and methods to ensure public safety, and ensure that unnecessary impacts to residents are avoided,” the city said in December.
On Jan. 14, Brookhaven Public Works Director Jorge Gomez said the city is still waiting for Google Fiber to submit necessary documents.
“They are allowed to do limited work to include splicing, testing, and restoration but the stop work order in regard to any digging or directional boring still remains in effect until documentation reports and analysis of the proposed corridors for new digging is provided,” Gomez said.
Residents told Rough Draft that Google Fiber crews have broken sidewalks, burst water mains, destroyed landscaping, and more. Nearly 100 residents filed complaints in 2024 about Google Fiber in the city’s online service request system, Brookhaven Connect.
“With everything we’ve been through in the city, perhaps there are lessons to share with other municipalities,” Brookhaven City Council member Jennifer Owens said.