The City of Oak Ridge Public Works Department will be making asphalt repairs to South Illinois Avenue this week, weather permitting, a press release said.
The work will be in the northbound lanes across from Badger Avenue near Sonic and stopping at Oak Ridge Turnpike. Crews are set to begin at 8 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.
For more information, contact Oak Ridge Public Works Department at (865) 425-1875 or visit OakRidgeTN.gov.
Two people were arrested after allegedly crashing a stolen pickup truck in Oak Ridge and trying to run from police Monday afternoon, officers said.
The Oak Ridge Police Department tried to stop the pickup truck on South Illinois Avenue at Tulsa Road at about 1 p.m. Monday, a press release said.
“The driver of the pickup truck began to flee, and officers discontinued the attempted traffic stop,” the press release said.
The pickup truck continued driving at a high rate of speed and crashed into a vehicle at the intersection of South Illinois Avenue at South Rutgers Avenue, the press release said. One tire blew out, and the pickup truck continued driving on the remaining three tires toward Edgemoor Road, the release said.
[Read more…]A pedestrian with life-threatening injuries was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville by a LifeStar medical helicopter after a traffic crash in Oak Ridge at about 4:05 a.m. Monday.
The Oak Ridge Police Department received notification of a crash involving a pedestrian on Monday, June 28, on South Illinois Avenue just north of the intersection of East Tulsa Road, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. The roadway was closed for a few hours.
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The City of Oak Ridge will have its second public meeting on a new sign at the city’s entrance on South Illinois Avenue at 3 p.m. today (Thursday, February 18).
The public meetings are to receive input on the design of the new sign, which will be at the entrance to Oak Ridge from Knox County in Solway.
The sign will be placed on the island between South Illinois Avenue (Pellissippi Parkway/State Route 62) and Bethel Valley Road. It would be near the exit drivers use to go to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex.
The public meetings are being held online on Zoom. The first meeting was Wednesday. During the meetings, people can join and view the designs, ask questions, and leave their feedback verbally or in the chat. The two meetings will be audio- and video-recorded and subtitles will appear on screen for those who are hearing-impaired.
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The rebuilding of a large high-voltage transmission tower in Oak Ridge was completed Sunday, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight.
The 155-foot steel lattice tower that had to be replaced was knocked over when a pickup truck crashed into it at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. The tower, which is at Union Valley Road, carries high-voltage Tennessee Valley Authority transmission lines and city transmission and distribution lines.
The four-lane road, the main connection between Oak Ridge and Knox County, was closed for about two days after the crash while crews removed and replaced the damaged transmission tower.
TVA said the crash also caused damage to three smaller structures, and they were repaired.
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South Illinois Avenue is expected to re-open by midnight near the University of Tennessee Arboretum after being closed for more than two days because a large high-voltage transmission tower was knocked over near the road in a crash on Friday. The road re-opening is expected to occur before the Monday morning commute.
Power is still out for a small southeast portion of the city near the crash site, including the University of Tennessee Arboretum, the City of Oak Ridge said Sunday evening.
The single-vehicle crash into the Tennessee Valley Authority steel lattice transmission tower was reported at Union Valley Road at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. That section of the four-lane road, also known as State Route 62 and Pellissippi Parkway, has been closed since shortly after the crash. The road is the main connection between Oak Ridge, Knox County, and Knoxville.
TVA and the Oak Ridge Electric Department worked over the weekend to replace the damaged transmission tower, which carries TVA and Oak Ridge power lines. The repair crews had help from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Public Works Department. It was a complex emergency repair, the City of Oak Ridge said.
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The City of Oak Ridge has published photos of the work to replace the high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower knocked over in a single-vehicle crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday.
The city said the Tennessee Valley Authority and Oak Ridge Electric Department crews are working together, with help from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Public Works Department, to “maintain a safe work environment for a very complex emergency repair.
“Crews are working to have South Illinois Avenue at Union Valley Road open as soon as possible,” the city said.
On Sunday, TVA said the repair work could be complete in time to re-open South Illinois Avenue, a four-lane roadway that connects Oak Ridge to Knox County, for the Monday morning commute. That’s assuming there are no delays due to weather or drilling problems.
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Work to repair the damage to a Tennessee Valley Authority transmission tower knocked over in a crash on Friday could be complete in time to open South Illinois Avenue (State Route 62) in time for the Monday morning commute, a spokesperson said Sunday.
However, the schedule could be affected by weather and any potential drilling delays.
TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks said heavy equipment, materials, and workers, as well as safety and engineering plans, are required to replace the large high-voltage steel lattice tower that was knocked over by a pickup truck Friday afternoon. The safety and engineering were completed Friday evening, Brooks said.
“The heavy equipment, materials, and manpower needed to perform the work are either on site or en route,” he said. “We currently expect the work to be completed in time for Highway 62 to be open for the Monday morning commute. Risks to that schedule are weather and potential drilling delays due to the topography (i.e. rock).”
[Read more…]Crews were repairing the damage to the Tennessee Valley Authority power distribution system on Saturday after a pickup truck crashed into a large high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower on Friday, knocking it down and causing widespread electrical outages.
All four lanes of South Illinois Avenue (State Route 62) in Oak Ridge remain closed between Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road and Bethel Valley Road while the repairs are being made. It’s not clear how long the work might take. The road remains closed because of heavy equipment, low hanging lines, and the safety of work crews, the City of Oak Ridge said Saturday.
Power to the University of Tennessee Arboretum remained out Saturday evening, the city said.
The steel lattice tower that was damaged Friday appeared to have been removed by Saturday evening, or it was no longer leaning near the roadway the way it had been Friday.
The crash was reported at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue, near the UT Arboretum, at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. Three people were injured, and charges are pending against the driver.
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The section of South Illinois Avenue between Bethel Valley Road and Lafayette Drive remains closed after a crash knocked over a high-voltage transmission tower on Friday afternoon, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Saturday morning.
The ORPD posted a roadway update at 10 a.m. Saturday. Officers advised drivers to seek alternate routes and expect delays.
Police expect the road to remain closed throughout the evening. Both northbound and southbound lanes are blocked.
Here are detour routes:
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Power was restored to all of Oak Ridge except for the University of Tennessee Arboretum after a crash knocked down a high-voltage transmission tower Friday afternoon, the city said Friday night.
The single-vehicle crash caused the tower to fall over and created widespread power outages. Many residents reported having power restored within about one to three hours, while it seemed to take longer to restore power in the southeast section of the city, closer to the crash site.
In its last update, posted at 10:10 p.m., the City of Oak Ridge said the Arboretum will be without power through Saturday.
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Charges are pending and three people were injured in a single-vehicle crash into a large high-voltage transmission tower that caused widespread power outages Friday afternoon, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said.
The crash was reported at about 4:15 p.m. Friday at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.
A preliminary report from the THP said Dustin Elliot, 28, of Mobile, Alabama, was driving a white 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck north on South Illinois Avenue (State Route 62) when he went off the right side of the road and hit the Tennessee Valley Authority transmission tower. The tower was damaged, knocked over, and leaning over the road.
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