Downed Power Line Backs Up Traffic On I-244 Near Utica

A truck knocked a power line onto I-244 just east of the northeast corner of the Inner Dispersal Loop Thursday morning.

Police said the truck was being used in the construction zone on I-244 when it hit the line and knocked it onto the roadway right at the Utica exit at about 11:30 a.m. 

The line fell onto the eastbound shoulder and set the grass on fire.

Construction has the highway narrowed to two lanes in each direction. Police initially blocked both lanes of eastbound traffic near Utica. They quickly reopened one eastbound lane, but the incident still caused a traffic back-up. 

Firefighters and police notified PSO to send a crew to shut off the power to the line.

Police reopened all lanes about an hour later.