Fallen power line halts traffic on Highway 397 in Tri-Cities. Power out in east Kennewick

A fallen power line blocked traffic on Highway 397 and knocked out power to about 700 customers in east Kennewick on Friday morning.

By noon, Benton PUD crews had restored electricity to all but about 100 customers. Those remaining customers had power restored by about 1:30 p.m.

Fire and emergency crews were called to the intersection of the highway at South Morton Road about 10 a.m.

According to dispatch reports, Benton County sheriff’s deputies closed the highway so drivers weren’t in danger of hitting an active line.

In a separate incident Friday, a wire down in Prosser near Seventh Street and Bennett Avenue took out power to about 200 customers at about 1:45 p.m. Power was restored by about 3 p.m.

Benton PUD did not have information immediately available about why lines were down in either incident.

This story was originally published December 29, 2023 at 11:31 AM.