AUSTIN — Some Austin residents were temporarily left without power Monday evening after a truck pulled down multiple utility and power lines across Bee Caves Road, or FM 2244.
According to the Austin Fire Department, Bee Caves Road was closed around 7:15 p.m. from Loop 360 to Barton Creek. At around 2 p.m. the following day, the roadway reopened, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
Austin Energy said crews completed repairs on the downed poles and lines, safely restoring power to all customers. It said 32 team members worked overnight to make the repairs. By 8 p.m., Austin Energy said 95 percent of its customers had power restored. An additional 50 customers received their power back at 8:36 p.m. The remaining 20 had service restored by Tuesday morning.
The Travis County Sheriff's Office said the outages were caused by an 18-wheeler hauling a tall load, which struck the lines and caused them to break three utility poles around 6:30 p.m. Monday. The driver did not immediately realize they had taken the lines down, officials said, though they were on the proper route with the correct permits.