Section of Main Street in Presque Isle Closed After Bus Hits Utility Pole

A section of Main Street in Presque Isle was closed off to traffic Thursday morning after a bus hit a utility pole, snapping it in half and pulling power lines down onto the road.

Presque Isle Police and Presque Isle Fire & Ambulance responded to the crash involving an Aroostook Regional Transportation System (ARTS) bus shortly after 7:30 a.m. just south of Presque Isle Freshies.

The bus driver, identified as Mark Woodman, was not injured and pulled the bus into a parking lot off Main Street, according to Corporal Eric Depner of the Presque Isle Police Department. The lower section of the pole snapped off, bringing some power lines down onto the street and leaving other lines dangling in midair.

As emergency personnel were arriving on scene, a tractor trailer came by and took down more low-hanging wires, Depner said.

Officer Nicole Dudley and Cpl. Depner were the investigating officers. It was determined that the driver was momentarily distracted and drifted off the road into the pole. There were no passengers on board the bus at the time and no injuries.

A section of Main Street in Presque Isle closed off

Presque Isle Police say that a section of Main Street from North Street to Davis Street could be closed for several hours as Versant Power crews work to replace the pole and repair the downed lines.

Motorists traveling on north Main Street are asked to seek an alternate route Thursday. Detours are set up at North Street and Davis Street to move traffic around the work area.

 Crash results in localized power outage

A power outage was affecting approximately 250 customers including several businesses. Versant Power estimates that service would be restored by 3:30 p.m.