NAHANT — The Nahant rotary may become the landing site for a new transatlantic fiber optic cable.
In February, Edge Cable Holdings USA, LLC, a subsidiary of Facebook, applied for a Chapter 91 Waterways License and Permit for a proposed Amitié Fiber Optic Submarine Cable System that would link the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
Meant to increase telecommunication reliability in Europe and the United States, while also increasing data capacity and speeds, the line will run roughly 1.8 miles through Massachusetts state waters. It will utilize existing utility conduits under nearby roadways in order to reach a cable landing center located at the Nahant rotary near the Nahant-Lynn line.
According to a Facebook spokesperson, the proposed United States installation would stretch roughly 214 miles, approximately 33.7 miles (54.3 kilometers) of which would be in Massachusetts state waters with additional length on shore. This would include the installation of approximately 0.8 miles of conduit from the Lynn Rotary by horizontal directional drilling (HDD).
These activities will take place in the South Essex and North Shore Ocean Sanctuaries, filled and flowed tidelands of Nahant Bay, and flowed tidelands of the Atlantic Ocean in Lynn, Marblehead, Swampscott, Salem, Beverly, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester, and Rockport.
In an interview with The Item, state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) said the project would help update the area’s existing infrastructure.
“It’s pretty remarkable that we have a transatlantic cable coming through Lynn,” Crighton said. “Obviously, technology’s improving at such a rapid pace. From time to time, these cables, and other things within the existing line, need to be upgraded and fixed. For everyone relying on these technologies now, we want to make sure we have the best possible system in place.”
The project has been determined to be a water-dependent infrastructure crossing facility. Upon receipt of all federal, state, and local authorizations, installation of the Amitié cable is anticipated to occur in U.S. waters and in Massachusetts in the second half of 2021 or early 2022.
Public comments on the Chapter 91 Waterways License and Permit Application can be addressed to Ivan Morales at [email protected]. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Waterways Program will accept all written comments on the Waterways Application until April 23.
