Rush-hour motorists suffered lengthy tailbacks yesterday after a crash on Harbour Road overnight Wednesday resulted in diversions.

Significant delays were experienced while crews worked at the site of a utility pole that was damaged in the traffic incident.

It was not until 7.25am this morning that the Ministry of Public Works and Environment informed that the road was reopened for normal service.

Belco later posted on its Facebook page that the repair works were completed at 1.15am.

A spokesman for the Bermuda Police Service said a woman was arrested for impaired driving after the single-vehicle crash, which happened on Wednesday at about 11.45pm near the junction with Highwood Lane in Paget.

He explained that when officers arrived on the scene of the incident, they saw a utility pole and a car both with extensive damage.

The spokesman added that a piece of the utility pole appeared to be “lodged in the right front wheel of the vehicle”.

“EMTs were seen speaking with a female who was later identified as the driver of the vehicle in question,” he said.

“Police spoke with the driver … who displayed signs of impairment.”

The BPS spokesman said that the woman provided a breath sample, the results of which suggested she was nearly three times the legal blood-alcohol limit.

He added: “The driver was subsequently arrested and charged for driving while impaired, and will be appearing before the courts in the coming days.”

Shelly Leman, a Belco managing director, said that the crash left a Belco pole “snapped in half, blocking the road and causing an outage to area residents”.

She explained: “Belco crews attended the scene, rerouted power to restore some customers and have been working to replace the broken pole and restore power to the remaining customers.

“Other utilities are also repairing their infrastructure that was damaged in the accident.

“The road has remained closed throughout vehicle removal and repair works due to the significant safety risk posed by the damaged pole.”

The Ministry of Public Works and Environment said yesterday that Harbour Road was closed between Chapel Lane and Lovers Lane.

Eastbound traffic was diverted through Chapel Lane to Middle Road, while westbound traffic was diverted on to Lovers Lane.

Signs were being put in place at the Crow Lane roundabout to redirect commuters.

The delays meant that several matters scheduled to be heard in Magistrates’ Court and the Supreme Court yesterday were set back by about an hour because a Department of Corrections vehicle transporting inmates from Westgate Correctional Facility to the courts got caught up in traffic.

Drivers shared their experiences on social media throughout the day, as they tried to provide the latest information for other road users.

One reported that it took more than three hours to reach town after leaving Somerset at 7.40am.

Another commenter posted in the morning: “All roads at a snail’s pace. Took us almost an hour and a half to get from Island Cuisine to Belmont.”

The user added that, at that time, the road outside Fourways Inn on Middle Road was “gridlocked”.

Motorists noted that police were stationed at the Paget stop lights to direct traffic.

Meanwhile, a bus passenger, who took the No 7 service from The Reefs in Southampton at about 10.10am, said she arrived on Front Street an hour later.

“It was frustrating because I was late for work,” she added.

“Normally that bus is always on time.”

The situation seemed just as challenging this evening.

One commenter wrote: “We have been sitting outside Wesley Methodist Church for almost 40 mins with no movement. This is insane.”

Another said it took an hour and a half to travel from town to Pinnacle Hill in Paget.

A driver told The Royal Gazette: “As of 6.30pm, traffic into Hamilton as well as outbound traffic was subject to heavy delays, with frustrated drivers backed up into the city for the turn down Flora Duffy Hill and motorcycle police attempting to keep junctions clear within the city.”

Belco’s outage map suggested yesterday that about 20 customers were impacted by the power cut in Paget, with the number dropping to 13 by 7.50pm.

• UPDATE: this story has been amended throughout to reflect that Harbour Road has been reopened as of this morning

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