- Fiber optic installations are turning Heraklion’s streets into a permanent construction zone, frustrating locals and drivers.
- Deputy Mayor Dimitris Spyridakis tells Cretalive the Municipality only issues permits and does not manage the actual digging.
- The city admits the asphalt is taking a hit, but claims this is a nationwide issue they can only partially control.
“Fiber-optic cables are not managed by the municipality. We issue permits and exercise control—not supervision—to ensure that the installations comply with the regulatory decision passed by the City Council, which they are required to follow,” Spyridakis told Cretalive.
When asked directly if these endless trenches are destroying the city’s asphalt, Spyridakis admitted that the damage is inevitable. He pointed out that this is a nationwide issue, not just a Heraklion problem.
Across the city, streets continue to be opened, patched, and reopened as utility companies expand broadband networks. While few dispute the long-term benefits of faster internet, the repeated excavations are taking a visible toll on roads already scarred by years of infrastructure works.
One example is Demokratias Avenue, where road resurfacing must wait until the Municipal Water and Sewerage Company (DEYAH) completes its own underground works before asphalt can be laid.
It is a familiar story in many Greek cities: water, electricity, telecommunications, and road repairs often happen at different times, resulting in streets being excavated more than once.
Fiber optics are a vital investment for Heraklion’s future. Reliable high-speed internet benefits residents, businesses, tourists, and the island’s growing digital nomad community.
The question many residents are asking, however, is not whether fiber should be installed—but whether the work could be coordinated more efficiently.
Would it be possible to schedule multiple infrastructure upgrades together, dig once, install everything needed, and restore the road only once?
That approach could reduce disruption, lower restoration costs, ease traffic congestion, and spare residents from months of repeated construction.