CHARLOTTE — A vehicle struck power lines near I-85 early Saturday morning, causing the lines to come down on the highway and the road to be closed in both directions.
>>> CHECK CHANNEL 9 TRAFFIC MAP FOR ALTERNATIVE ROUTES.
The incident happened shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday on I-85 near North Graham Street. The highway reopened shortly before 10 a.m.
NCDOT has provided these detours for drivers:
- Southbound travelers should take Exit 48 (I-485 Outer). Continue on I-485 to Exit 23 (I-77 South). Continue on I-77 South to access I-85 again.
- Northbound travelers should take Exit 38 (I-77 North). Continue on I-77 North to Exit 149 (I-485 Inner). Continue on I-485 to access I-85 again.
More than 800 customers in north Charlotte are without power, according to the Duke Energy Power Outage Map.
The Channel 9 photographer was stationed at the North Graham Street Viaduct and saw Duke Energy maintenance workers repairing the lines around 8:30 a.m.
Traffic, advice; Northbound and southbound I-85 lanes closed at Graham St due to downed power lines on the highway; look for another route; use extreme caution around emergency vehicles. Traffic is diverted onto secondary roads. pic.twitter.com/MxxH8TM9fS
– Charlotte Fire Department (@CharlotteFD) November 4, 2023
Duke Energy estimates power will be restored by 11:30 a.m.
This is a developing story; check wsoctv.com for updates.
(WATCH: Young trick-or-treater hit by truck outside intensive care unit)
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/11-04-2023/t_bceb03eb80784bfb9ebac065954ccd28_name_Widescreen_image__1_.png)
©2023 Cox Media Group