Travelers had to find alternate driving routes as Interstate 95 shut down multiple times Tuesday in Groton.
A local power company is making repairs to wires and as a result, I-95 will close twice in both directions.
Two power lines on I-95 South were severed by a crane at approximately 3:39 a.m. Tuesday, April 2. They fell to the highway below, forcing roads to be shut down immediately. Groton Public Utilities said power was out, but then restored around 7:29 a.m.
“It’s going to be approximately one-hour long, whole-highway shutdowns at exit 88 southbound and 87 northbound,” said TFC Tanya Compagnone, who’s with the Connecticut State Police. “We’re recommending that people take alternate routes, which would be Route 1, Route 184.”
A crew was out Tuesday morning repairing overhead highway signs for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. CTDOT said the downed lines and the resulting outage were caused by the boom of a sub-contractor’s crane. It swung while in a raised position and that tore down the lines.
“This should not have occurred,” said Kevin Nursick, a CTDOT spokesperson.
Town of Groton police reported at least one accident on secondary roads as a result of traffic being diverted from I-95.
There will be a total of two highway closures, according to Groton Public Utilities, and they’re expected to last a total of two hours.
