Downed poles cause tie-ups

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Two downed utility poles on Route 9 south tied up traffic for several hours on the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 1.

Evan Berman, assistant chief of the East Freehold Fire Company, which responded to the scene, said on Dec. 2 that he did not know what caused the poles to fall down. He said heavy rain could have washed away soil supporting the poles or winds in excess of 50 mph could have blown them down.

The area was hit by heavy rain in the morning and strong winds throughout the day.

Berman said that as far as he knows, construction in the area near the utility poles had nothing to do with the poles coming down.

PHOTOS BY FARRAH MAFFAI staff Traffic on Route 9 near East Freehold Road, Freehold Township, came to a standstill in the early afternoon hours of Dec. 1 after two utility poles loaded with wires came down. The utility poles that held a combination of cable television, electric and telephone wires fell along the side of the highway at about 1:30 p.m. Berman said one cable fell across Route 9 and affected traffic in both directions.

The wires landed on the roof of one automobile but the driver was not injured, said police Lt. Robert Brightman.

The poles came down on the southbound side of the highway directly across from the Pond Road Shopping Center and traffic on the southbound side was held up for hours.

Berman said Jersey Central Power & Light employees arrived on the scene and removed the cable from the northbound side of the highway, freeing it up long before traffic on the southbound side was able to proceed.

He said if a wire landed on a car the motorist would be advised to stay in the car until the power company shut off the power.

In addition to the East Freehold Fire Company and JCP&L, the Freehold Township police responded to the scene as did representatives of telephone and cable television companies. Berman said the fire company cleared out at about 3:30 p.m., but JCP&L and the other utility companies were on the scene well into the night repairing the situation.

— Linda DeNicola