Sparking power lines shut down 82nd Ave. of Roses

If you wondered why the street was closed to northbound traffic – creating a massive traffic jam through the parallel neighborhood streets – here’s why …

Portland Police Bureau shut down 92nd Avenue of Roses from SE Foster Road north to SE Raymond Street to protect citizens from sparking wires

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Although the problem affected only one business, according to Portland General Electric spokesman Steve Corson, the sparks flying off the glowing electrical wires did cause considerable concern on the evening of February 17.

Sizzle, zap! Power kept flowing through the line, but it shorted out intermittently, causing these sparks to fly.

“The problem was reported at 5:52 p.m.,” Corson told us. “It was windy. The wind was pushing a power wire into a steel pole. It caused sparking. It didn’t cause the wires to fault totally, so power was able to flow.”

By 7:40 p.m., crews insulated the wire, and a message was put into PGE’s maintenance system to address a long-term solution. And at that point, S.E. 82nd was reopened to traffic, and the traffic jam in nearby neighborhoods dissipated.

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