Car Accident Knocks Power Out to 1,700 Bayville Residents, Closes Route 9 North

Some township residents are in for a hot night tonight, after a truck struck a utility pole shortly after 3 p.m. this afternoon and split it in half, Sgt. James J. Smith Jr. said.

Route 9 North will be closed until repairs are made to the pole, which may not be completed until tomorrow morning. That's bad news for those without power on a day where temperatures soared to over 100 degrees.

"It seems like it's a pretty big job that will go one until the morning," Smith said.

Smith and Mayor Jason J. Varano had a conference call with JCP&L officials a short while ago and were told a transformer on the pole had to be repaired and some circuits rebuilt.

"It's a mess," Smith said.

Traffic on Route 9 North will be detoured onto Sloop Creek Road until the repairs are made and traffic lights are back in operation, Smith said.

The truck struck the pole between Moorage Avenue and Route 9. The details of the accident were unavailable late this afternoon. Smith said  the unidentified driver - who was not seriously injured -was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment.

St. Barnabas R.C. Church on Woodland Road and the media center at Clara B. Worth Elementary School will be open all night as cooling centers for residents without power, he said.

"Hang in there," Township Council Vice-President Carmen J. Amato said. "They are working as quickly as possible. Hopefully it will get done pretty quickly."

The areas affected by the power outage include sections of Bayville, Station Road, Sylvan Lakes, Pinewald and Berkeley Shores, Smith said.

Come back to Berkeley Patch for more news on this developing story.