Bank St in Russell Township has seen two traffic accidents in as many days, both involving electric poles. Russell is extending the sewer system, so traffic is being redirected down Bank St. The street is very narrow and there are no proper curbs to speak of, meaning the electric poles are basically in the street. Add in that people often park on the sides of the street, and accidents are inevitable.
The first incident occurred on September 25, when an Amazon delivery truck was forced to swerve out of the way of an oncoming vehicle and collided with an electric pole. The front bumper of the truck was damaged, and the pole itself was splintered enough to fall. Luckily, the electric cables were strong enough to hold it up, otherwise it would have fallen onto the house behind it. The pole was replaced by Hydro-One, although residents were left without power for four hours while they sourced a new pole.
The second incident occurred on September 26. The electric lines leading to the Keith M. Boyd museum dangle low above the road, not enough that pedestrians are in danger but plenty low enough for an eighteen-wheeler to catch them. A Saputo truck pulled the wires taught as it passed underneath and splintered the pole, although it only needed a brace to repair it instead of a replacement.
EAP received an email from a concerned citizen regarding the accidents, who said that the city should have planned the detour a little better. The citizen mentioned that while it’s concerning, one must note the humor in two accidents involving the same part of the street happening in such a short time.
