Outside contractor to investigate what caused 26 light poles to crash in Tukwila
Apr 9, 2019, 5:14 AM
Power poles collapsed in Tukwila back in April. (Tukwila PD)
(Tukwila PD)
An outside contractor is investigating what caused 26 light poles to crash onto East Marginal Way in Tukwila on Friday, according to a statement from Seattle City Light.
RELATED: City Light still unsure of reason behind light pole collapse
The statement said that the poles along East Marginal Way had been inspected in 2016 by a third-party vendor, and a number of poles were treated and identified for replacement in coming years. None were identified as needing immediate replacement or posing a public safety hazard.
The investigation will include reviewing inspection records, looking at the damaged poles and equipment and obtaining any reviewable video from the area. There is currently no estimate for how long the investigation will take.
Two people were injured when a power pole crashed into a car, and the 26 power poles that fell knocked out power to more than 16,000 customers in South Seattle, Tukwila, White Center and Burien. The incident also closed both directions of East Marginal Way South.
On Monday, 13 Seattle City Light customers, including the Museum of Flight, Aviation High School and parts of Boeing, remained without power. The infrastructure that produces their power was destroyed.
It’s not clear how it was destroyed.
“The poles in that area were all inspected in 2016,” City Light CEO and General Manager Debra Smith said. “So we have good data about the, the inspection process and the treatment that was applied to many them. We’re looking at loading.”
Smith said it may take two to three weeks to have answers.
