Update: both directions of 101 reopened around 2:30 p.m.
Both directions of Highway 101 in Burlingame are expected to remain closed until 5 p.m., Saturday, after power lines fell onto the roadway overnight.
UPDATE - Both directions of US-101 closed until approx 5:00PM tonight. Take alternate routes or public transportation pic.twitter.com/VMKRk8yJsW
— CHP RWC (@CHP_RedwoodCity) August 29, 2015
The freeway is closed between Millbrae Avenue and Anza Boulevard, and drivers are being told to take alternate routes such as Interstate 280 or El Camino Real. The lines fell onto the freeway on Friday night around 9:30 p.m. when a crane working on the Broadway interchange project struck one of the transmission towers in the area. According to ABC 7, around 22 drivers and passengers were trapped when the lines fell onto their cars, but were able to safely escape when PG&E de-energized the lines hours later.
The driver a UPS truck is trapped inside as PG&E crews work to de-energize a downed power line across HWY 101. pic.twitter.com/l1rLb6bsNP
— Sergio Quintana (@svqjournalist) August 29, 2015
The downed lines caused a big power surge to hit the Bay Area, but a spokesman for PG&E told SFGate that there were no outages as a result of the incident. The surge caused the lights to flicker at AT&T Park in the middle of the 7th inning and temporarily knocked out the scoreboard (video).
Amazingly, nobody was hurt, even though the lines carry over 100,000 volts of electricity. Although several drivers were stuck on Highway 101 for hours, at least they had a mariachi band there to entertain them: