ANN ARBOR, MI — A new high-capacity fiber optic network now links Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, completing an infrastructure project officials say will support regional economic growth for decades, Ann Arbor SPARK announced Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The approximately 18-mile Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti Broadband Fiber Optic Network was funded through a $2.4 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant and $600,000 in local matching funds from Ann Arbor SPARK, the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti SmartZone Local Development Financing Authority, the city of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County.
The underground network connects the two cities through separate physical routes, a design intended to improve reliability and redundancy. It launches with 432 fiber optic strands and was built with additional capacity to accommodate future growth, according to SPARK…