Power lines fall at State Road 60 intersection causing traffic light, business outages
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY − Power lines fell along a sidewalk of a major intersection and busy shopping area knocking out power to traffic lights and several stores and businesses Thursday.
No one was injured, but fire crews and deputies closed portions of State Road 60 and 58th Avenue for utility crews who worked to shut down energy to the power lines before beginning repairs, a fire official said.
"We got two high-tension power lines came down along Walgreens and the sidewalk there," said Assistant Fire Chief Richard Marini, around 5 p.m. "We got a couple lanes shut down."
Traffic lights at State Road 60 and 58th Avenue were off due to the outage, according to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. The agency advised commuters to treat intersections without functioning lights as four-way stops.
Traffic lights along State Road 60 from 58th Avenue to Interstate 95 were affected.
It was estimated power would be out in the area and traffic signals would remain down for up to two hours for repairs to utility lines, the agency announced shortly before 4:30 p.m.
Fire crews were first sent to the area around 1:45 p.m. after callers reported sparking wires. When firefighters arrived, Marini said the first power line was already on the sidewalk on the southeast side of State Road 60 in front of Walgreens.
"While we were there the second wire came down," he said.
Fire crews and law enforcement waited in the area for Florida Power and Light workers to shut off power to the grid along the southeast side of State Road 60 at 58th Avenue.
Florida Power and Light reported 1,719 of its customers were affected by the outage just after 4 p.m., but by shortly after 5 p.m. that number dwindled to 34, a spokesperson said.
"...Within 30 minutes we were able to restore all but 34, said FPL spokesman Kamrel Eppinger. "Crews are on scene working to restore power to the remaining customers."
Eppinger said the cause of the outage was being investigated.
"It could be related to the cool weather we had," Marini said, saying power lines contract and expand with temperature fluctuations like recent bouts of lows in the 40s and 50s.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Power lines fall at State Road 60 intersection causing traffic light, business outages
