Oak Ridge Today

Photos: TVA transmission tower repair

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Crews replace the Tennessee Valley Authority’s high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower knocked over in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

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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South Illinois could re-open Monday

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Crews repair the damage to the Tennessee Valley Authority distribution system after a pickup truck crashed into a high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower, causing widespread power outages in Oak Ridge and the surrounding area on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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).”

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Crews repairing damage after crash knocks down power tower

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Crews repair the damage to the Tennessee Valley Authority distribution system after a pickup truck crashed into a steel lattice transmission tower, causing widespread power outages in Oak Ridge and the surrounding area on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. The work is pictured above on Saturday evening. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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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Part of South Illinois Ave. remains closed

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A large high-voltage transmission tower was knocked down in a single-vehicle crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, Jan. 22, 2021, causing widespread power outages. Repairs are being made. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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 restored to Oak Ridge except for Arboretum

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Electric crews repair the damage caused by a crash into a TVA high-voltage transmission tower next to South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

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 pending, three injured in crash into TVA transmission tower

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Charges are pending after a crash into an electrical transmission tower that caused widespread power outages Friday afternoon, Jan. 22, 2021, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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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Large transmission tower knocked down, causing power outages

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A large electrical transmission tower was knocked down in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, Jan. 22, 2021, causing widespread power outages. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 1:30 a.m. Jan 23.

A large high-voltage transmission tower was knocked down in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, causing widespread power outages.

Power went out in sections of Oak Ridge at about 4:30 p.m. Friday. Stoplights were not operating, and South Illinois Avenue was closed to traffic in a section north and south of the University of Tennessee Arboretum. Traffic was backed up for miles, and drivers were redirected to alternate routes.

A heavily damaged white pickup truck was at the crash site. An overturned Bobcat was behind the pickup truck.

The City of Oak Ridge said the pickup truck hit the transmission tower. The driver of the truck involved in the crash and a passenger had injuries that were not life-threatening, the city said. Both were taken to local hospitals.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

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Charges pending after head-on crash on South Illinois

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Charges are pending against one driver after a head-on crash on South Illinois Avenue early Sunday caused one vehicle to start on fire and pinned a driver in a second vehicle, Oak Ridge police said.

The crash occurred on South Illinois Avenue at about 1:35 a.m. Sunday, when the Oak Ridge Police Department received a report of a vehicle traveling the wrong way. The vehicle was described as a silver sport utility vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes. 

When they arrived, police officers found a head-on traffic crash in the southbound lanes of State Route 62, South Illinois Avenue, near Centrifuge Way. It involved the same vehicle (a silver 2016 Subaru) and a 2007 Toyota, the ORPD said.

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Lawsuit seeks up to $5 million in fatal truck-lawn mower crash

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A wrongful death lawsuit filed in Anderson County in December seeks up to $5 million in damages from the driver of a pickup truck who struck a man riding a commercial lawn mower on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge in September.

The driver of the lawn mower, Danny Palmer, 75, of Oak Ridge, died after the crash.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Palmer in Anderson County Circuit Court in Clinton on December 5 by his wife, Barbara Palmer, who is represented by attorney Bruce D. Fox of Clinton.

The crash between the commercial mower being operated by Palmer and the GMC pickup truck was reported near Summit Place on South Illinois Avenue at about 2 p.m. Thursday, September 13. Preliminary findings indicated that the pickup truck hit the mower, which was in the roadway at the time of the crash, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department. Palmer died of his injuries, the ORPD said. [Read more…]

Tractor-trailer overturns with 6,500 chickens

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A truck carrying about 6,500 chickens overturned on South Illinois Avenue at Bethel Valley Road on Monday night, Dec. 10, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A truck carrying about 6,500 chickens overturned on South Illinois Avenue at Bethel Valley Road on Monday night, Dec. 10, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A tractor-trailer carrying about 6,500 chickens overturned on South Illinois Avenue on Monday night, authorities said.

Several of the holding pens broke free from the truck, and an unknown number of chickens were lost, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a statement.

The crash was reported at about 8:25 p.m. Monday at Bethel Valley Road in the lanes headed toward Knox County. The semi truck veered off the right side of the roadway and flipped, the ORPD said. [Read more…]

City identifies man who died in crash between mower, pickup

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Note: This story was last updated at 11:20 a.m. Sept. 18.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the man who died while driving a commercial mower on South Illinois Avenue on Thursday afternoon as Danny Palmer.

The crash between the commercial mower being operated by Palmer, 75, and a GMC pickup truck was reported near Summit Place on South Illinois Avenue at about 2 p.m. Thursday.

Preliminary findings indicate that the pickup truck hit the mower, which was in the roadway at the time of the crash, the ORPD said. [Read more…]

Mower operator killed in crash on South Illinois

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The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a crash between a pickup truck and a riding lawn mower on South Illinois Avenue south of Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 13, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a crash between a pickup truck and a riding lawn mower on South Illinois Avenue south of Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 13, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The operator of a commercial mower died after a vehicle struck it on South Illinois Avenue at about 2 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

The crash was near Summit Place, just south of Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road in south Oak Ridge.

The name of the mower operator will not be released at this time, pending notification of family, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a statement. The driver of the other vehicle, a GMC pickup truck, was not injured. [Read more…]