BBBTV12 Serving Anderson, Roane and Morgan Counties
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (Jan. 24, 2021 at 5 p.m.) – The intersection of South Illinois Avenue and Union Valley Road is expected to reopen by midnight,ahead of the Monday morning commute. The roadway has been closed since Friday afternoon after a truck crashed into a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) transmission tower, causing the highway to be impassable.
TVA and Oak Ridge Electric crews worked hand-in-hand with the help of the Oak Ridge Police Department and Public Works Department to maintain a safe work environment while the very complex emergency repair was conducted over the weekend.
While the roadway will reopen late tonight, drivers should still be cautious and prepared for delays and detours around equipment while crews continue to work off the road.
Power remains out for a small southeast portion of the City near the site of the crash, including the University of Tennessee Arboretum.
The crash, which happened just before 4:30 p.m. Friday, caused widespread outages across the City. Electric crews were able to get power restored for a majority of the City within a few hours, with the exception of that small southeast part of the City.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading the crash investigation.
For more information and suggested detours around the area, visit OakRidgeTN.gov. Follow City of Oak Ridge Government (@CityofOakRidge) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.
