Belco crews worked for about 17 hours carrying out repairs and restoring power to customers after a crash on Harbour Road left a utility pole snapped apart.

Shelly Leman, a managing director at the company, said this afternoon that the team “demonstrated exceptional dedication” in challenging conditions to complete the task.

She added that Belco planned to pursue compensation for emergency response costs and the resources required to fulfil the repairs.

Motorists endured lengthy tailbacks yesterday when part of Harbour Road was closed and diversions were put in place so that the work could be carried out safely.

The stretch, between Lovers Lane and Chapel Road in Paget, was fully reopened to traffic as of 1.30am today, Belco said.

Ms Leman explained: “Our crews worked around the clock to restore both power and road access to commuters.

“This was a complex emergency response that required immediate action to ensure public safety while restoring essential services.”

The Bermuda Police Service said yesterday that a single-vehicle crash happened on Wednesday at about 11.45pm.

When officers arrived at the scene, they saw a utility pole and a car, both with extensive damage.

The snapped pole resulted in electricity outages for residents in the area.

Belco crews attended and rerouted power to restore some customers, then continued to work throughout the day and night to replace the broken pole and restore service to the remaining households.

Ms Leman said that the work was completed by the electricity company by about 11.30pm on September 4.

A new utility pole was installed and conductors were transferred to return power to all affected customers.

She added: “The road remained closed until 1.30am to allow the other utilities to complete their infrastructure repairs and cable transfers safely.

“The emergency response required a crew of six to twelve people working for approximately 17 hours and necessitated the deployment of specialised equipment and materials.

“To expedite the restoration and minimise disruption to residents and commuters, Belco diverted crews from scheduled customer and maintenance activities.

“We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Belco crew members who demonstrated exceptional dedication working in challenging conditions to restore this critical infrastructure.

“We also thank the residents and motorists for their patience and co-operation with traffic diversions during this extended repair period.

“We recognise the significant inconvenience this closure caused, particularly during rush hour traffic.

“Belco will work collaboratively with relevant authorities to ensure appropriate accountability regarding this incident and to pursue fair compensation for the emergency response costs and resources deployed.

“Power has been fully restored to all affected customers, normal traffic flow has resumed on Harbour Road and our crews have returned to their regular operational and maintenance schedule to continue improving Bermuda’s electrical infrastructure.”

Police said earlier that a woman was arrested and charged for allegedly driving while impaired in connection with the crash, and is expected to appear in court soon.

They added that there were no serious injuries from the incident.

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