UPDATE: Verizon Expects all Fiber Cables Destroyed by Lawrence, Mass., Bridge Fire to Be Restored Tonight; Restoration Efforts Continue Round-the-Clock

LAWRENCE, Mass., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- All of the fiber cables that were destroyed in Monday's Lawrence bridge fire are expected to be restored tonight (Aug. 28), returning service for a significant number of customers who lost service as a result of the fire.

At the same time, progress is being made in restoring copper cables. Service has already been restored for thousands of affected Verizon customers and more are expected to be restored Wednesday (Aug. 29).

All 911 service is working in all communities. In some cases, 911 calls are being rerouted to alternative dispatch centers as is customary with the state's robust and redundant 911 system.

The early Monday morning fire under the Central Bridge on North Canal Street in Lawrence damaged Verizon cables and knocked out service for thousands of customers.

Verizon crews have been working around the clock splicing new cables and restoring service for customers who live and work primarily in the Lawrence and North Andover areas. Verizon trailers have been set up at the scene, and crews continue to work throughout the day and night until all services are restored.

Some Verizon customers in Andover, Lawrence, Littleton, Methuen, North Andover, North Reading and Tewksbury have lost some Verizon services as a result of the fire. Also, voice and data services for some business and government customers may be affected. Customers in other communities may be impacted as well.

The work to restore service is complex, given that technicians are splicing thousands of individual copper and fiber optic connections in a very confined area under the bridge. 

Verizon is working with its customers, local officials and other carriers to identify and prioritize service restoral for critical services, including health care facilities, public safety, elderly housing complexes and individual customers.

Customers can report outages by calling 1-800-VERIZON.

Verizon will provide a further update by noon Wednesday (Aug. 29).   

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 94 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 188,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news.  To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon