Update 8-5-26:
City staff say phone lines are up and running again, following a partial outage that lasted the better part of a week.
Around 11:30 a.m. on Friday, a truck hauling an excavator clipped a utility line, cutting phone service from Alaska Communications. The outage affected local landlines, including the city’s emergency line. Instead of 911, Sitkans were encouraged to call an alternate cell number during the outage.
In an email to KCAW on Wednesday (8-5-26), Public And Government Relations Director Melissa Lunas said the city received confirmation from ACS that the repairs to the damaged telecommunications line were completed and services are now operating normally.
Original report:
Phone calls for some Sitkans were still spotty Monday (8-3-26) after an accident on Sawmill Creek Road knocked out major service provider Alaska Communications (ACS) late last week. The outage affected the city’s emergency service lines.
Around 11:30 a.m. on Friday, a semi-truck driver was making a left-hand turn off of Jarvis Street onto Sawmill Creek. In an email to KCAW, Sitka Police spokesperson Serena Wild said the truck was hauling an excavator and an arm of the excavator was not lowered far enough on the trailer to clear the above phone lines. The arm caught a hanging cable and ripped it apart.
In a release on Monday afternoon, Public and Government Affairs Director Melissa Lunas said ACS is continuing to work on repairs and the city will share updates as more information becomes available. Lunas said some 911 calls are now going through. However, service has not yet been fully restored, and interruptions may still occur. For emergencies and non-emergencies, the Sitka Police Department’s backup line is 907-623-0911.
Lunas said the city’s online utility payment portal, which was also affected by the outage, appears to be functioning again as of Monday morning.
