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Contractor Support

New Construction & Remodeling

Because Trailblazer Broadband is owned by the Town of Estes Park and operated by Estes Park Power & Communications, it is easy to ensure that your new build is equipped with the proper conduit for Trailblazer’s fiber-optic lines at the time of construction.

The Power & Communications team reviews all new construction and remodeling plans for electrical installation. During construction, your contractor can run conduit to make your new home Fiber-Ready for Trailblazer Broadband. Even if service isn’t available yet, you can avoid future disruption to hardscape and landscaping.

1. Call For Information

Contact Estes Park Power & Communications with questions and to discuss the fiber path. Please reach out to:

Adam Edwards, Crew Supervisor

Phone: 970-577-3614

Email: aedwards@estes.org

If needed, Estes Park Power and Communications representative will schedule a time to walk the property with you and make Exterior and Interior fiber placement suggestions.

2. Plan Optimal Fiber Placement

Consider the best internet configuration for your property, taking into consideration:

Main or ground-level placement of the main Nokia Gateway in a central location is optimal (with additional Beacons recommended for multiple levels or large homes).
Where you use the internet most
Near an electrical outlet
At least 3 feet away from any appliances or wireless devices that may cause interference (e.g. Microwaves, Cordless Phones, Baby Monitors, Older Electronic Equipment, etc.)
The potential for interference with WiFi signals from certain building materials such as concrete, brick, steel, or even particularly thick walls.
Where wired (ethernet) vs. WiFi connectivity is needed throughout the property.

If you wish to have additional wired (ethernet) connections within the home you can run ethernet cable (Cat 6 or above) to the additional wired locations during the construction process. If this is not done at the time of construction, the customer will need to engage a Network Specialist or contractor to run the additional cable post-construction. This is not a service that Trailblazer provides.

3. Place Conduit

Ensure that Trailblazer Broadband conduit is in place.

By coordinating with your contractor to trench and install the 1″ micro-conduit ahead of time during the construction process, you will save the trouble of having Trailblazer’s fiber teams do a second trench to your home, which might have to cross finished surfaces such as driveways or walkways.

Fiber-ready conduit should be installed following your power feeds from the vault at your curb to your home.

IMPORTANT: Existing conduit may or may not be useable for Trailblazer Broadband fiber installation.

Please understand that placing conduit for fiber during construction does not always mean that you will have service immediately. Your actual service availability will still be based on our overall construction schedule during which we run and test the fiber optic lines to your area. Click below to learn more.

Keep an Eye Out For Us!

View the Full Trailblazer Construction Schedule

When service is available in your area, you will be notified by mail or email. To learn more about the home installation process, click the link below.

Installation Process

OUR TEAM

The same team that you depend on for excellent electric service is installing all new fiber to build our broadband network. Estes Park Power & Communications is also managing 4 contractor teams who assist with fiber construction, splicing and installation.

BUILDING A WORLD-CLASS SYSTEM TAKES TIME!

Service will be built out in phases over the next 3 to 5 years in coordination with existing electrical SmartGrid upgrades. The state-of-the-art fiber infrastructure requires an expansive network spread from 4 centralized “huts” to 55 strategically located cabinets and then to thousands of terminals across our valley.

Before service is available to you, there are a number of steps that must be completed. The first step is main construction to bring fiber to your area. As with electrical lines, main fiber lines may run overhead or be buried underground, depending on your location.

THE FIBER PATH

When running fiber underground, we must follow existing easements which is why we may have to “cut through” a sidewalk or parking lot rather than going around it.

While it may seem odd that you will see a trench run through the middle of a road around town, that is actually the BEST location because it avoids lanes where disruption could cause tire damage as well as the edges of the asphalt on each side which is weaker than down the middle of the of the road. Trenching cuts about a 2” line to house the fiber.

LOCATES

If underground work is required, you may see different colors of flags or spray paint in your neighborhood to identify all the various types of public utility lines that are underground.

UNDERGROUND TRENCHING

We are making every effort to minimize disruption, but some trenching is necessary to run the fiber for our internet service, again following the path of existing electrical lines wherever possible.

As of March 2022, over 160 miles of fiber optic cable have been run since construction started in Sept 2019, both underground and overhead.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT & LANDSCAPE RESTORATION

Protecting our viewshed and natural landscape is always a priority.

The Town of Estes Park has done extensive research and training to utilize the least invasive and most beneficial methods available to make the necessary improvements to the infrastructure.

Whenever digging is required, our team will take extra care to use the latest digging and trenching methods to minimize impact to your property and landscape. If micro-trenching across concrete or asphalt is used, a return visit for repairs may occur at a later date.

For more information about Trailblazer in your community click here to download our introductory resource packet.

This interactive construction map shows Estes Park Power & Communications fiber and electric projects in progress:

Click on your area to access additional details regarding current construction. To see when broadband service is available to you click on the following link.