Update: PG&E Repairs Line, Restores Power to 4,100 Customers

Pacific Gas & Electric fixed a fallen power line late Wednesday afternoon, restoring power to thousands of customers in Mill Valley after relieving traffic jams that snarled local roadways for much of the day.

A failed connector caused a PG&E power line on East Blithedale Avenue to break and fall to the ground Wednesday morning, sparking a power outage to 4,100 PG&E customers in Mill Valley and stifling traffic along the road.

The line on the south side of East Blithedale between Amacita and Nelson avenues fell to the ground at around 9:30 a.m. The failed connector, according to PG&E officials at the scene, could have been damaged or become wet during the recent batch of rain storms, they said.

The outage, according to PG&E spokesperson Katie Romans, extended from Camino Alto west to Panoramic Highway and from Miller and Throckmorton avenues north to the city limits.

Power was initially restored to 850 customers, and the remaining 3,250 customers had their power back by 3:45 p.m., Romans said.

“Thankfully, the weather is holding up for us today, which makes getting this work done easier," Romans said.

Lt. Ken Dunkel said when the line dropped, a driver actually maneuvered his car to block traffic along the eastbound lanes of East Blithedale to prevent any drivers from coming into contact with the live wire.

“We don’t know who it was, but it was quite a smart thing to do,” Dunkel said.