DOT Backbone Relocation
OSP Construction | Fiber & Copper Backbone Replacement | Western South Dakota
Kramer Service Group partnered with a Tier-1 national telecommunications carrier to replace fiber optic and copper backbone facilities along a state highway corridor in western South Dakota. The project was driven by SDDOT Project Control Number (PCN) 6874 on US Highway 16, requiring full relocation of the carrier's existing telecommunications infrastructure to accommodate highway construction.
KSG was responsible for all outside plant construction, including placement of new conduit systems, fiber optic cable, copper cable, handholes, pedestals, and associated splice closures throughout the project corridor.
The scope required removal of existing fiber route markers, complete splicing of all F1 fiber segments within the project limits, and coordination with co-located dry utilities for joint placement where feasible. All materials were contractor-furnished, with fiber cable and handhole specifications subject to carrier engineering approval.
- Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) — 6,000 ft of 3–4" bore; 1,000 ft rock bore; 2,160 ft of ≤2.5" bore
- Plowing — 11,000 ft mainline plow (36" cover); 3,000 ft additional ≤2.5" plow
- Trenching — 7,000 ft mainline trench (36" cover); 4,000 ft additional trench
- Conduit & Innerduct — 20,986 ft 7-way armored microduct; 5,000 ft SDR 11 innerduct
- Fiber Optic Cable Placement — 36,423 ft total (72-ct micro, 72-ct armored, 288-ct armored)
- Copper Cable Placement — 5,000 ft (100-pair, 50-pair, 25-pair)
- Fiber Optic Splicing — 1,584 fusion splices; 288 maintenance window adders; 12 splice closures
- Copper Splicing — 600 mechanical splices; 525 module splices; 17 buried copper splice cases
- Testing & Acceptance — 288 bare fiber tests; 225 copper conformance tests
- Handhole & Pedestal Installation — 34 handholes; 32 pedestals; 30 ground rods
- Existing Plant Exposure & Removal — 72 dig-and-expose locations; 21 pedestal removals
- Highway ROW Coordination — SDDOT-permitted US Highway 16
Multi-Discipline Backbone Relocation
Simultaneous replacement of fiber optic and copper cable systems — three fiber cable types (72-count micro, 72-count armored, 288-count armored) and three copper pair counts (25, 50, 100) — coordinated to maintain service continuity.
Contractor-Furnished Materials
All project materials procured and furnished by KSG per carrier-approved specifications, including Prysmian/Corning fiber cable, polymer concrete handholes, and associated hardware.
Conduit System Scale
Over 20,986 ft of 7-way armored microduct combined with 5,000 ft of SDR 11 innerduct across three diameters, supporting future-path capacity for the carrier's long-term network architecture.
Testing and Documentation Rigor
288 bare fiber tests, 1,584 fusion splices, and 225 copper conformance tests — all verified to carrier standards before final project acceptance.
DOT and Utility Coordination
Construction within SDDOT-permitted highway right-of-way along US Highway 16 with state one-call locating, adjacent dry utility coordination, and compliance across multiple private property rights-of-way.
Controlled Construction Sequence
Carrier inspector present during all facility placement with milestone field reviews at every 2,000 ft. Liquidated damages of $1,000/day reinforced schedule discipline across the 120-day construction window.
Kramer Service Group delivered a complete fiber optic and copper backbone relocation along a South Dakota DOT highway corridor, replacing the carrier's existing telecommunications infrastructure across more than 36,000 feet of fiber placement and 5,000 feet of copper placement — supported by over 25,000 feet of plowing, trenching, and directional drilling, and a conduit system built around nearly 21,000 feet of 7-way armored microduct. All splicing, testing, and documentation met carrier acceptance standards within a 120-day construction window under continuous carrier inspection.