HAMMOND, IND. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A significant stretch of the Indiana Toll Road has reopened after a nearby power lines caught early this morning and caused an hours long closure.
Indiana State Police announced around 12:30 p.m. that both sides of the Indiana Toll Road, between Calumet and Cline avenues in Hammond, were back open even as crews continue to repair and restore the surrounding power lines.
Initially, ISP had estimated the closure would last until 7 p.m. However, the area's utility company Nipsco determined the Toll Road could be opened safely while crews assessed the damage and begin working on the lines.
A little after 5 a.m., a utility pole at 8 Mile Marker on the Toll Road caught fire. It is not yet known what caused the fire.
Police immediately closed the surrounding Toll Road as a precaution, afraid that the pole would collapse and bring power lines onto the highway.
There still is a possibility of pop-up closures and traffic is expected to be heavy in the area. WBBM traffic reporter Beau Duran suggests that drivers still would benefit from taking the Cline Avenue Bridge instead.
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