Construction to bring new internet option to Santa Cruz begins

Construction to bring another option for internet to downtown Santa Cruz started Wednesday. The Cruzio project is one that neighbor Kristen Dowell has been eagerly awaiting.

“I am excited about a local company providing fast internet. I have Comcast right now and I am not really happy with them,” said Dowell.

The network is expected to bring gigabit broadband service to homes and businesses in downtown by early next year for around $50 a month, according to Peggy Dolgenos with Cruzio.

“We have to have a low price, we have to have really great service, we have to have really great speed and the way to do that is to put in new infrastructure because the stuff that’s in the ground right now is aging,” said Dolgenos.

The construction technique used on Locust Street near City Hall is called “directional boring,” according to Dolgenos. It allows crews to only make a small hole in the street versus digging it all up preventing a big traffic mess.

“You send a drill down into it and then it just goes under the street for like a hundred feet before it has to come up again” said Dolgenos.

Right now, the company can get gigabit internet to several areas in the county but Cruzio wants to extend that service even farther.

“We encourage people, even if they live somewhere else in the county and they are not in this blue area (service area), to let us know if you want this kind of internet and we’ll see what we have for you,” said Dolgenos.

Work is expected to be completed in about six weeks, according to Dolgenos.