CHELMSFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - All of I-495 going north and south through Chelmsford was closed to traffic for a time as crews responded to reports of downed power lines in the area, according to officials.
MassDOT said that the lines were down near exit 88 on 495 southbound, causing extensive closures while prompting the agency to ask drivers to seek alternate routes as crews respond.
Michael O’Brien, who was on his way to celebrate his 23rd wedding anniversary with his wife, said he didn’t expect his trip to take as long as it did.
“We came up around right before the exit 89 … saw the stoppage, could see police lights,” O’Brien said.
In a statement, National Grid said their workers were called to the scene around 6 p.m., with traffic halted as crews made “necessary repairs.”
Some people even decided to whip out a soccer ball and play a small game when traffic halted, all hoping they would eventually get to their destinations.
“Everybody knew nothing was moving and between wasting gas people just started shutting down the cars,” said O’Brien.
No injuries were reported as lanes of traffic slowly started to reopen, with traffic resuming after the live wire was removed before 8 p.m.
The power company said that while some households may have had momentary outages at the time, only two customers appeared to be without power hours after the incident.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)