Delivering measurable performance, resilience, and scalability across key Midwest projects.
Sector: Data Centers / Cloud Infrastructure
Location: Greater Chicago Area
A leading cloud provider needed a secure fiber route from its Elk Grove data centers into downtown Chicago—navigating the busy O’Hare corridor and coordinating permits across nine five separate agencies (ISTHA, CDOT, IDOT, DuPage County, Cook County, FAA, CDA, UP CN and forrestry). The timeline was tight, and physical constraints included overlapping Tollway construction, water/drainage underpasses, and the need to minimize rush‑hour traffic impacts.
Deployed a temporary fiber path via trusted partners to meet the client’s go‑live date without waiting on full construction.
Engineered and constructed a fully underground, carrier‑distinct pathway—bypassing congested utility corridors.
Led the right‑of‑way and lane‑closure approvals across all jurisdictions, liaising directly with each agency to streamline approvals.
Successfully drilled beneath I‑294, adjusting for existing utilities and traffic control requirements to ensure safety and compliance.
Seamless fiber connection between Elk Grove and downtown Chicago data centers.
Shorter, direct routing improved latency and provided capacity for future cloud service growth. 510µs (microseconds)
Physically diverse route eliminated overlaps with other carriers and greatly reduced risk of shared‑infrastructure failures.
Delivered on aggressive deadlines, earning trust for ongoing network expansion.
Sector: Research & Education
Client: Argonne National Laboratory (for SC26 Conference)
Location: 350 E. Cermak Road & 710 N. Lakeshore Drive (StarLight)
For the 2026 SC HPC conference in Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory/IEEE required two high‑bandwidth, low‑latency fiber paths between major research interconnection sites. The infrastructure had to be ready by 2025, fully underground, physically diverse, and secure to meet national lab standards and accommodate mission‑critical HPC testbeds.
Engineered two geographically separate subsurface routes to eliminate single points of failure.
Minimized distance and hand offs specifically for HPC and research testbeds.
Installed high-fiber-count cables to support massive parallel data flows required by HPC workloads.
Leveraged local permitting expertise and rapid response crews to complete construction well ahead of conference deadlines.
Infrastructure live in 2025, enabling early testing and demonstrations for SC26.
Underground diversity protects against weather, construction, and third‑party disruptions.
Provided Argonne with a future‑proof fiber backbone capable of scaling to next‑generation supercomputing needs.
Streamlined data exchange between conference venues and global research networks.
Sector: Education
Location: Damien Ave Bridge over Chicago River
One of the most critical data centers in the Chicago metropolitan area is bordered by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which historically limited fiber route access to only the east and south entrances of the facility. This lack of true route diversity presented risk and capacity constraints for clients requiring high-reliability connections.
Crosstown Fiber, through strong collaboration with the City of Chicago and trusted local engineering and construction partners, delivered a breakthrough solution: a large bank of 4” ducts deployed on the Damen Street Bridge. This created a new west-side entry point—crossing the canal for the first time—and opened a previously inaccessible path to the facility.
Designed and executed a one-of-a-kind infrastructure project that had not previously existed for potential customers seeking westward access to the data center.
Executed complex installations across an active waterway, leveraging advanced construction methods to ensure safety, durability, and minimal disruption.
Delivering an unconventional design in a complex cityscape like Chicago requires more than just vision. It depends on trusted relationships with municipal stakeholders, agencies, and construction partners capable of navigating permitting and logistical challenges.
The newly installed large duct bank provides substantial long-term capacity—eliminating the need to repeat such a difficult and costly construction project in the future.
The new build offers a genuinely diverse fiber path to a key data center from the west—previously unavailable anywhere in the market—enhancing redundancy and resiliency for customers.
As the only provider with fiber infrastructure crossing the canal at this location, Crosstown Fiber delivers a solution unmatched by any competitor in the market.
Multiple, large-capacity ducts ensure scalable growth in the area for years to come, supporting both immediate demand and long-term expansion needs.
