Downed power lines briefly block I-90

Interstate 90 was blocked in both directions for about 20 minutes Saturday afternoon after power lines fell across the roadway.

The lines were on the roadway about 3 miles east of the Idaho-Washington border, Idaho State Police said. The incident was reported about 12:40 p.m. It was not immediately known what caused the power lines to fall.

Just after 1 p.m., state police said utility crews from Avista Corp. were on scene and the hazard had been removed and the interstate had been reopened.

A state police representative said there were no accidents, and police were not sure why the lines fell.

It couldn't be determined Saturday whether the lines were energized while on the road.

Dan Kolbet, a spokesman for Avista, said people should always assume a downed line is energized, or hot.

Kolbet said the connection that holds up the line failed and burned up.

It's not clear why exactly the line failed, but wildlife - such as a bird or squirrel - could have triggered the problem. The connection also might have been older and just failed, he said.

He said it took Avista about four hours to do the repair work completely, but it was done off to the side of the road and didn't interfere with traffic on I-90.