MESA, AZ — Cones and work zones have become common sights along South Ellsworth Road in southeast Mesa, and neighbors say they're tired of it.
But the disruption is part of the City of Mesa's ongoing effort to provide better high-speed internet service through a fiber-optic installation project.
In Eastmark, the complaints are about barricades, signs, and a left turn that keeps traffic away from a popular retail area on Ray Road.
"The hardest part is you just want to get somewhere efficiently and you can't," Jillian Lonson said.
Lonson lives nearby and says the merging and redirecting is confusing.
"I'd say it's quite time-consuming to have to leave the area due to all the construction," Lonson said.
The city is installing fiber-optic lines, with plans to reach all of Mesa. Sundt Construction is doing the work. A sign at the site says the disruption started in late August and should end Oct. 20. Sundt wouldn't confirm that for ABC15.
At Point 22 Tavern, which sits a stone's throw from that intersection, the traffic hasn't hurt business.
"It's growing out here. Business is booming," Ryan Smith said.
But Smith, the tavern's general manager, lives nearby and says getting around is tough.
"It's been hectic. It's really inconvenient for those of us who live here in the area, especially for people who come in to work and go back home," Smith said.
The payoff: Five fiber providers will have access to these lines for businesses and homes. Ian Linssen, Mesa's director of emerging technology, says residents asked for it.
"Growing pains are painful. What happens is, at the end of the day, we hear from our residents and our businesses that they want more connectivity," Linssen said.
Linssen says city crews do what they can to shorten timelines for projects that tie up traffic. Everyone ABC15 spoke with agrees this is a short-term hassle for a long-term benefit.
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