Thousands of people were without power and internet in Charlottesville on Tuesday after a tractor-trailer crashed into a utility pole downtown Monday night.
At around 7:30pm on Monday, a trailer making a left turn at the intersection of High Street and Park Street near Court Square crashed into a telephone pole on the corner.
The crash knocked out power to about 2,900 Dominion Energy customers and left about 8,300 Ting Internet customers without internet access.
Crews were on scene all day Tuesday repairing damage and closing the intersection near Court Square to traffic.
Dominion spokesman Jeremy Slayton said Dominion crews first replaced the damaged equipment before Ting crews began repairing the fiber. Ting said technicians won’t be able to fully repair the fiber until Dominion engineers remove the damage and complete his own repairs.
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Maintenance workers repair a damaged utility pole at the intersection of High Street and Park Street in Charlottesville on Tuesday morning, February 13, 2024.
Hawes Spencer, Daily Progress
As of Tuesday afternoon, most public facilities in Charlottesville had been restored. As of 4 p.m., 272 customers were still without power and 150 customers were without internet connectivity.
Both Dominion and Ting said they expect final repairs to be completed and both internet and power restored by Tuesday evening.
“Following local governments granted first access in accordance with local government priorities, Ting began work to restore service to our network last night at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET,” Ting Internet Supreme Network said. Director Jason Smith told The Daily Progress in an email Tuesday. “We were able to quickly bring most addresses back online. However, we will continue to work directly with Dominion to repair damage to some lines.”
The map shows the extent of power outages in the Charlottesville area for Dominion Energy customers as of 4:00 PM on Tuesday, February 13, 2024.
dominion energy
There were no reports of injuries at the scene of Monday night’s crash, where a utility pole snapped. Charlottesville Police are investigating the matter, but police spokesman Kyle Irvin said no charges have been filed against the tractor-trailer driver at this time.
Irvin said the driver was attempting to detour around a construction site in Court Square before hitting the pole. With construction underway for the new Charlottesville-Albemarle County Courthouse complex at the former Levy Opera House, a portion of High Street near Court Square will be significantly narrowed to make room for the construction. It is being
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