The cable was accidentally cut in the Riverside and Memorial Dr area by a civil contractor working in the area on Friday.The Opera Bridge.
What's hot ...
Fabric Structure Systems' (FSS) canopy over the Town Basin crossing formerly colloquially known as "the bridge to nowhere".
And which I propose should be nick-named The
Town Basin Opera Bridge, given its design lines are not dissimilar to the Sydney Opera House.
The canopy is also a wonderful home-town example of the talents of FSS, who are responsible for the Rugby World Cup's giant rugby ball, a huge rubber duck that recently floated on Auckland's waterfront, and The Cloud - the structure that will embrace thousands of visitors to Auckland during the World Cup.
If we're going to call it the Opera Bridge, perhaps an annual opera performance from the bridge is in order?
Driving or walking past the bridge, the canopy draws in the eye, and will have a magnetic pull for visitors and locals.
It's awesome, congratulations to the district council and everyone involved with its creation and location.
And What's not ...
Oh dear. A damaged cable has left about 800 Whangarei residents with no phone or internet. Three or four years ago, it would have been a minor hassle.
In 2011, it's massive, given the reliance many Northlanders have on internet for work and recreation.
The cable was accidentally cut in the Riverside and Memorial Dr area by a civil contractor working in the area on Friday.
Given the immediate communication difficulties it caused the customers, it's no surprise that there were some challenges getting the word to them, as to when they could expect normal service to resume.
Network operator Chorus reckoned all phone and broadband services should have resumed late yesterday.
However, some customers have been told that it could take until Friday. They have been told to talk to their service providers, re. compensation.
In the meantime, there could be one very nervous contractor out there.
At the very least, customers should expect a refund equivalent to the cost of days that they had no service. Times 800, that could easily add up. And isn't it ironic, that in these days of wireless this and that, that service should fail because of human error and a clumsy cut.
