Semi-truck pulls down utility poles, closes 84th Avenue Northeast in Kirkland

The truck was caught on cables and pulled down five poles, closing the street for more than 24 hours.

By Kailan Manandic • September 18, 2018 11:40 am

Kirkland’s 84th Avenue Northeast remains closed after a semi-truck caught on cables and took down five utility poles the morning of Sept. 17.

The semi truck pulled down the poles at about 11:30 a.m. Monday morning and the avenue remains mostly closed from Northeast 141st Street to Northeast 143rd Street. Work crews attempted to repair the poles, working through the night in an effort reopen 84th Avenue Northeast, but were unsuccessful as of the Reporter’s Tuesday deadline.

The incident initially closed 84th Avenue Northeast at Northeast 140th Street but work crews were successful in opening the avenue up to the Northeast 141st Street intersection, which was a big help in facilitating traffic, Kirkland police Lt. Rob Saloum said.

Frontier, a national Internet provider, is currently on the scene repairing poles that carry their cables. According to Saloum, they were unable to provide an estimate of when the entire road would reopen, but Saloum added that the earliest time would potentially be 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police coordinated with bus drivers from Thoreau Henry David Elementary School, which is a block south of the affected area, and were able to transition to alternate routes.

“It went really smoothly,” Saloum said.

The Reporter will update this story as it develops.