Downed power lines block Highway 101 north of Paso Robles

Power lines that went down across Highway 101 north of Paso Robles caused traffic delays and a power outage on Wednesday morning.

California Highway Patrol Officer Pat Seebart said a piece of heavy equipment apparently hit the power lines and brought them down onto the highway near Wellsona Road just before 11:30 a.m. The lines also went across the nearby railroad tracks, according to Cal Fire.

Southbound Highway 101 traffic was diverted onto San Marcos Road, and northbound traffic was stopped as PG&E crews worked to clear the power lines, Seebart said.

According to PG&E’s outage map, 380 customers were without power during that time. Power was restored by early afternoon.

By 12:05 p.m., all lanes of Highway 101 were back open.

This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 11:42 AM.