Interstate 85 closed in Charlotte after big-rig wreck, police say. Hundreds lose power.
Interstate 85 was closed in Charlotte for hours and at least 800 Duke Energy customers were without power after an 18-wheeler knocked down power lines in a crash Saturday morning.
The highway was closed in both directions at Sugar Creek Road and North Graham Street, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said on Twitter.
MEDIC responded to the crash but did not immediately say if anyone was injured.
Just before 10 a.m., police reported the interstate was back open. Just before 3 p.m., however, Duke Energy said I-85 would be closed again in both directions for about 45 minutes as teams put the lines back up.
“Highway patrol is onsite to route drivers around the work,” Duke Energy spokeswoman Logan Kureczka said on Twitter at 2:50 p.m. “We appreciate drivers’ and customers’ patience and understanding. #CLTtraffic #CLT”
And the highway was closed in both directions yet again at 6:15 p.m. between Statesville Road and Graham Street, CMPD reported.
“Please avoid the area,” CMPD said on Twitter.
Outages at 10 a.m. were reported along the I-85 corridor northeast of uptown, in the Sugar Creek and Derita areas, according to the Duke Energy outage map.
Customers lost power just after 7:30 a.m. and can expect electricity to be restored by 11:30 a.m., Duke Energy officials reported on the outage site.
Power lines extended across I-85 at Graham Street after a driver on a service road hit a utility pole and pulled the lines down, Kureczka said.
“We are working with first responders right now to clear the highway,” she said.
