Freeway, neighborhood back to normal after electrical pole accident

Anahi Pacheco wasn’t home last night when a power pole came crashing down near Interstate 10 and Piedras after an 18-wheeler ran into it. The accident caused power lines to hit the freeway and feeder roads, bringing traffic to a halt for hours.

Pacheco couldn’t feel more relieved that she was at work at the time. Her bed is right against the wall closest to the El Paso Electric pole hit.

“The pole was hanging from the stop light. The wires and everything were hanging. Little by little they were cutting the wires,” Pacheco described about how the scene looked when she returned home.

A brand new pole sits at the site now. Driving by you’d have no idea it’s what caused I-10 to be shut down, east and west bound, for hours.

“Accidents always happen at that intersection. It’s rare when they don’t,” Pacheco said. She’s only lived in the neighborhood for four months.

Meanwhile, the electric company is quite pleased with how quickly its crews responded.

“We worked 20 consecutive hours, around the clock, till actually 5 a.m. this morning to not only restore power … but we were also out there making sure we had repairs to the poles and wires by the morning,” El Paso Electric spokesman Eddie Gutierrez said.

He explained how 30 to 40 workers were on the ground working as quickly as they could. Primary and feeder lines from two poles effected traffic not only on the freeway, but also nearby feeder roads.

Although the accident was a bit of a headache for drivers and people who live near the power poles, in the end it’s a good thing no one was hurt.