PARADISE — Beneath the surface of Bille Road’s shoulder, a long metal tube drilled through the ground, spinning and pulling piping from one excavation site to the next Friday.
Operating the machine was Manuel Ochoa who explained that he and his team were working for AT&T to bring lines underground along the roadway. An excavator digs short trenches, and the borer pulls the piping from ditch to ditch.
About 50 feet east of Ochoa, Felipe Espinoza used a locating device to track and monitor where the piping was underground. Occasionally he would give Ochoa the signal to turn on the borer to keep it feeding through.
Nearly seven years after the Camp Fire, the town continues its upgrades, repairs and overall recovery.