Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Traffic was backed up for nearly 20 kilometers Wednesday evening due to a single vehicle accident. A vehicle that crashed into a CFE power pole along a stretch of Riviera Maya highway was responsible for the snarl.
The Secretariat of Civil Protection of the municipality of Playa del Carmen arrived to enforce safety protocols after the pole was left dangling.
The accident happened around 6:00 p.m. near Punta Venado, approximately 20 kilometers south of the city of Playa del Carmen where the car slammed into the base of the pole, knocking it lose and causing one live cable to fall across the highway.
Civil Protection shut all four lanes of traffic to vehicles heading toward Playa del Carmen. By nightfall, traffic was backed up nearly 20 kilometers while the northbound lanes remained closed.
The driver of the private vehicle that hit the pole sustained only minor injuries.
According to Civil Protection, a medium-voltage cable had fallen from the loose pole and across the highway.
A crew of CFE workers arrived at the scene to move the live cable and maneuver a crane into position to prevent the damaged pole from completely falling over. Crews were on site more than two hours making the necessary repairs.
Traffic was left at a standstill along that section of Riviera Maya highway until it was reopened shortly after 8:00 p.m. Police did not provide a cause for the single vehicle crash.
