Frontier Communications employees are making preparations to begin repairing telephone line damage that has resulted in 700 to 900 residences in the Washougal area losing phone service.
According to Frontier Communications General Manager Ross Waggoner, at approximately noontime today a contractor working to install gas lines at 17th and “E” streets as part of a widening construction project severed two large cables that serve up to 2,400 residences.
The outage strictly impacts customers using land telephone lines. Those using FiOS or cellular phones should still have service.
“It’s just this one group of people,” Waggoner said.
Repairs, which must be done by hand, are expected to begin between 8 and 9 p.m. tonight, and finish up in the mid-morning to late afternoon on Saturday.
How fast repair work happens will depend on weather conditions — cool temperatures and snow are predicted to reach the local area this evening and into Saturday morning.
Waggoner said Frontier is currently working with Clark Regional Emergency Service Agency 911 and other local emergency providers.
