Fiber and Conduit System

Beneath the city streets runs an extensive fiber and conduit system that carries copper, coaxial and fiber optic cables that supports the city's telecommunications, traffic and networking needs. By expanding the conduit system, we are constantly improving our ability to support the delivery of municipal services like fire and police.

The city is committed to investing in a telecommunications infrastructure to meet the city's goal of becoming a "wired city." When feasible, the city also leases conduit space to commercial providers.

Eastside Public Agencies Fiber Consortium
Bellevue is a member of the Eastside Public Agencies Fiber Consortium, which was started in 2003 to build a shared, multi-organizational fiber infrastructure that spans city and organizational boundaries. The consortium includes Kirkland and Renton, the Lake Washington and Bellevue school districts, the University of Washington,Evergreen and Overlake hospitals, and Seattle Public Utilities. The partners pool resources to expand the fiber optic network.

The consortium has succeeded in making more than 35 miles of fiber optic cable available to partner agencies, from the northern boundary of Kirkland through Bellevue, and down to Renton. So far, partner agencies have used this fiber to:

• Connect schools to each other and the K20 network
• Provide high speed connectivity between fire stations and City Halls
• Provide links between 911 centers
• Build capacity for intelligent transportation systems
• Backhaul free wireless networks in public places

Soon there will be major connection points in the Kirkland, Bellevue and Renton city halls. Over the next five years or so, we intend to:

• Continue to add to the fiber network
• Explore opportunities to provide more services across the network
• Ensure that the business people in consortium organizations understand the opportunities the fiber represents.

Fiber and Conduit System Map

Regional Fiber-optic System