Traffic clogs Taunton after hydro pole snaps
Friday traffic was backed up on Taunton Road after a hydro pole snapped near a regional reconstruction project after equipment got tangled up in overhead electrical wires. Prior to a new pole arriving, a crane held the old one in place.
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
A section of Taunton Road was snarled with traffic on April 8 when construction equipment at the Region of Durham’s bridge reconstruction site became entangled in overhead electric wires and snapping a hydro pole.
Taunton Road from Stevenson Road North and Airport Boulevard to Northbrook and Patton Streets was closed off for several hours while workers cleaned up the mess.
According to Bill Reid, the project manager at the region’s bridge reconstruction, a piece of equipment became entangled in the wires, causing the pole to snap at the bottom.
“The pole didn’t come down,” Reid says. “The pole stayed up, the wires are held up, but the pole completely snapped at the base.”
Reid says nobody was hurt in the incident, but a passing motorist must have called 911, resulting in police and emergency services to attend the scene.
The Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation (OPUC) were quickly on site to repair the damage, but traffic remained closed in both directions for several hours while the work was undertaken.