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One lane of traffic in each direction had reopened by about 4:30 on the busy main thoroughfare after work was completed to ensure the power line was safe, Wilton police said.
Route 7 was closed in the area of Pimpewaug Road with a detour at School Road and Route 33/Ridgefield Road. Traffic was jammed all day through the area, with motorists forced to make detours around the area.
The accident occurred when a dump truck, which was reportedly delivering mulch to Gregory's Sawmill, hit the lower voltage line in the area, starting a fire that consumed the truck, police said. The driver was able to get out safely in time, police said.
Wilton Fire Chief Ron Kanterman told the Wilton Bulletin that the truck was on an incline to allow the mulch to fall. But the truck hit the overhead wires, setting it on fire, the Bulletin said.
Mitch Gross, a spokesman for Eversource, said that initially, 68 customers in Wilton and 20 in Redding lost power but it was restored within minutes.
"We were able to reroute the power into the area, and no customers were affected," Gross said.
The damaged line had to be removed in order to complete the repairs, he said. The higher voltage line was de-energized in order to allow that to happen, Gross said.
In a release Wednesday afternoon, Wilton Police said the road was reopened after repairs were made and it was safe to travel. Police urged motorists to use alternate routes because traffic was heavy in the area, especially near school dismissal time.
Read more about the accident here at the Wilton Bulletin.
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