NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Virginia State Police have reopened a section of I-64 WB in Newport News after downed wires were cleared from the roadway.
Sgt. Michelle Anaya initially said the interstate would be closed for about six hours from Jefferson Avenue to just past Fort Eustis. But the closure lasted only about an hour.
State police, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and Dominion Power worked together to reroute traffic and resolve the issue.
"Around 12:30 this afternoon, a truck had snagged our powerlines there off I-64," said Dominion Energy spokeswoman Bonita Harris.
Anaya said a tree just off Interstate 64 fell over the highway, dragging and lowering powerlines with it. She said a tractor-trailer then hit the lines, breaking them.
Harris said crews worked quickly to move the lines.
“We know how frustrating it is to be stuck in traffic and we wanted to work as quickly and safely as possible," Harris said.
She said the broken lines caused 1,400 customers to lose power, but not for long.
"Our crews were able to reroute most of those customers to another source of power," Harris said.
The westbound lanes reopened around 3 p.m. while Dominion Energy crews started to work on the lines off the highway.
Virginia State Police said no one was hurt from this incident.
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