A cement truck split a traffic light pole at the intersection of Hillsborough St. and Pullen Road around 3:12 p.m. Monday, according to the Raleigh Police Department record.
Police did not believe the driver, Timothy Cross, 36, was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the scene of the accident, according to report, and damage was totaled at $3,000.
The pole snapped near the base and leaned over Hillsborough Street, bringing the traffic lights and signs close to the road’s surface.
The electrical crew, who arrived at the scene of the accident at 4 p.m., took two hours to replace the pole and the wires to the traffic light.
While the electricians fixed the collapsed pole, Raleigh police blocked Hillsborough Street from the intersections of Enterprise Road to Pullen Road.
Students and faculty had to find an alternative route to travel.
Scott Bartlett, a junior in criminology, said he passed the electrical crew fixing the pole while walking to a grocery store.
He changed his route after he noticed Pullen Road was getting backed up with traffic and then saw a police car and a truck with a cherry picker.
“At first, I had no idea what was going on,” Bartlett said. “I just saw an RPD car in the middle of the road, who was not even re-directing traffic.”
Maribeth Bunting, a senior in communications, said she was going to eat at Bruegger’s Bagels when she saw police cars blocking the road.
“I just wondered what was going on and why traffic was blocked off,” Bunting said.
The wreck interfered with some students arriving to class on time, she said.
“[My classmate] said she was going to be late because of the wreck on Hillsborough,” Bunting said. “She just said something about a cement truck.”
The traffic lights should be completely working properly by Tuesday morning, according to Progress Energy.