EL CAJON (CNS) - Interstate 8 in El Cajon is open Thursday morning, after crews finished repairs on damaged power lines.
Wednesday a large cylinder being hauled by a truck snagged power lines and snapped at least two poles between North Second Street and Greenfield Drive. Interstate 8 was shut down in both directions several times Wednesday and had been closed since 11:30 p.m. with plans to re-open at 6:00 a.m. Thursday.
During the shutdowns, eastbound traffic will exit the freeway at Second Street, head north onto Greenfield Drive then back onto the interstate. Westbound motorists can exit at Greenfield Drive then take Second Street to the freeway, or take Lake Jennings Park Road to state Route 67, then head toward Interstate 8 or state Route 52.
The California Highway Patrol plans to close the freeway so utility crews can work to replace the lines downed by a tractor- trailer's high-profile load, according to SDG&E.
A SigAlert remained in effect this afternoon as traffic on the freeway slowly thinned. Crews planned to remain on scene making repairs throughout the day, according to SDG&E, which estimates that the next closure could last up to two hours.
A large water tank being towed behind a big rig snagged on wires over the eastbound lanes near North Second Street around 1:20 a.m. and left a few power poles snapped in half, CHP Officer Kevin Pearlstein said.
The snafu caused a power outage affecting around 4,100 customers in El Cajon, according to SDG&E. As of 1 p.m., power had been restored to all but three of the affected customers, and the utility doesn't anticipate any additional outages will repairs are underway.
The big rig was hauling equipment for the U.S. Department of Energy, it was reported.
Part of Interstate 8 was closed twice this morning, with the first full closure from 8:30 until about 10 a.m., and the second from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Greenfield Drive, according to the CHP.
All freeway lanes in both directions were closed at Second Street so SDG&E crews could remove the broken poles, according to Caltrans and the CHP.