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SALT LAKE CITY — Traffic in both directions on I-80 near the Salt Lake International Airport off-ramp reopened Tuesday afternoon after live power lines came down, closing the area for over an hour.
A truck driver with the Utah Department of Transportation was leveling out dirt on the road shoulder near the area around 3:30 p.m. when the truck bed, which was raised, hit a power line, according to UDOT spokesperson John Gleason.
UDOT has suspended all activities involving its trucks driving with raised beds until it can evaluate its procedures, such as driver's being aware of their surroundings and where the power lines are, Gleason said.
"Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident, but the bottom line is this is unacceptable," Gleason said. "We want to make sure we do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again."
Activities involving trucks driving with raised beds include laying asphalt, shoulder work and pouring gravel, Gleason said.
"It's something we take very seriously &madash; safety is our number one priority," Gleason said. "That's why we want to make sure we're doing everything that's right here."
During the traffic incident, there was damage to some vehicles and a lot of people were inconvenienced by the delay, Gleason said.
Contributing: Dave Cawley
