All lanes of Interstate 10 near Milton, Florida, reopened on Wednesday evening after a truck struck low-hanging power lines and knocked them onto the interstate near Garcon Point Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, as reported by the Pensacola News Journal.
The Milton Police Department said I-10 traffic was diverted through Milton while the lines were down, and Santa Rosa County said the interstate reopened in both directions between exit 22 and exit 31. Westbound lanes at exit 35 stayed closed longer because of a vehicle fire that occurred during a crash following the initial closure, the county said.
WKRG News 5 likewise reported on Wednesday afternoon that all lanes of I-10 had reopened after the temporary closure for the downed power line in Santa Rosa County. Milton police asked motorists on U.S. Highway 90 and surrounding roads to use caution, allow extra travel time and stay alert for emergency responders and utility crews, warning that congestion would continue while diverted traffic cleared.
The reports did not release injury information for either the power-line incident or the later crash and vehicle fire, and no cause beyond the truck striking the low-hanging lines was given for the initial closure. For Punjabi and other long-haul truckers who run I-10 across the Florida Panhandle, the corridor is a main east–west freight route, and even a brief full closure pushes heavy truck traffic onto local roads such as U.S. 90 through Milton.
What is solid
- A truck hit low-hanging power lines near Garcon Point Road, bringing lines down across I-10 and forcing a closure between exits 22 and 31 — Florida Highway Patrol via the Pensacola News Journal, corroborated by WKRG's reporting of the downed-line closure.
- All lanes had reopened by Wednesday evening, Oct. 21 — Pensacola News Journal update at 5:15 p.m. and WKRG reporting the same afternoon.
What is only claimed
- No contested claims in the reporting; injury details for the incidents were not released in either source.