NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) — Another utility strike caused problems for homeowners in southern Indiana Tuesday morning, but Floyd County leaders say the company responsible is showing signs of improvement.
Crews with Lumos, the company installing fiber optic cable across the region, hit a gas line in the Wolf Lake subdivision of New Albany. The New Albany Fire Department was called to the scene after neighbors reported the smell of gas.
According to Lumos, the line was “nicked by a shovel” while workers were exposing it — a step the company said they were legally required to take before drilling. A phone line was also damaged, but the company said both issues were quickly repaired.
For nearby residents like Rhonda Harrison, the incident felt all too familiar.
“And here we are again with our yards being torn up,” Harrison said. “It’s very frustrating.”
Harrison said crews have repeatedly marked her yard with utility flags that end up staying in the ground for months before any real work happens.
“Since they have started doing the work, it seems like they’re getting it done fairly quickly,” she said. “But again, we had fiber ran out here a couple of years ago, and our yards were all torn up.”
Lumos’ work has not gone unnoticed by county leaders. The company has previously had permits suspended twice after numerous complaints including cut gas and water lines, holes left open in yards and streets, and crews working at all hours of the day and night.
Floyd County Commissioner Jason Sharp said while Tuesday’s mishap was frustrating, complaints have slowed down compared to earlier in the project.
“I think they have gotten better,” Sharp said. “At least, I can tell you the complaints from my level have come down tremendously. I haven’t gotten a complaint on Lumos in quite a while.”
Sharp said the county has required Lumos to be more accountable when mistakes happen, and so far, he believes they are meeting that expectation.
“If you have an incident, are you responding quickly and are you being receptive to the responding agencies?” he said. “So far, since we’ve had the last issues with Lumos, they’ve done just that.”
Despite frustrations, the fiber installation continues across Floyd County as Lumos works to expand high-speed internet access in the area.
More Coverage:
Gas leak in Fairdale linked to fiber optic company hit in Indiana with stop-work orders
Water outage in New Albany caused by fiber optic contractor already under scrutiny
Judge issues immediate stop-work order for fiber optic installation in Floyd County
Floyd County halts fiber optic work after resident complaints, multiple gas line strikes
Fiber optic company faces backlash in Floyd County over damaged property, unsafe practices
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
