TRAFFIC ALERT: Garbage truck damages power lines on U.S. 17 causing major backups near Hampstead
By WECT Staff | March 1, 2021 at 2:57 PM EST – Updated March 1 at 4:52 PM
HAMPSTEAD, N.C. (WECT) – Pender County officials say a crash involving a garbage truck and power lines caused major backups along U.S. 17 in the Hampstead area Monday afternoon.
The crash happened near Ace Hardware and the Go Gas which is in the 15000 block of U.S. 17, officials say. As a result, traffic was backed up most of the afternoon.
An image of the crash submitted to WECT showed a power pole that appears to be snapped in half. County officials say Duke Energy crews responded to the scene to repair the damage. Approximately 434 people were without power in the area, according to an outage map from Duke Energy.
County officials say U.S. 17 fully reopened to traffic at around 3:30 p.m.
Pender County Schools say schools would dismiss at their regularly scheduled times.
“Schools may hold the loading of buses if traffic updates indicate a need to do so. Students who are afternoon car riders can be picked up when families are able to reach campus safely. Buses will leave campuses and proceed to their destinations as the traffic clears, but we do expect delays until the roads are fully open. Again we ask you to proceed with caution and thank you for your patience,” the district stated in a Twitter post.
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