UPDATE at 5:48 p.m. on 11/18/2019:
PG&E said it has restored power to most customers impacted by the outage.
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All lanes are back open on Highway 99 at Norris Road after it was shutdown due to downed power lines in the roadway, the CHP has confirmed.
According to Sgt, James Nabors with the California Highway Patrol, around 3:30 p.m. on Monday a big rig with a "large object" sticking out of it was traveling north on the highway before hitting a power line causing the power line to droop. Other cars traveling northbound hit the lines causing them to completely fall down.
Officials said a small grass fire was started when the lines went down, but Kern County Fire quickly extinguished the flames.
Caltrans had initially tweeted the closure around 4:30 p.m. Monday evening.
BAKERSFIELD: State Route 99 is currently CLOSED in both directions at Norris Road due to downed power lines in the roadway. Please exercise caution through the area as vehicles will be moving slowly or stopped. Alternate routes advised. No ETO at this time. pic.twitter.com/08SNOaVVjV
— Caltrans District 6 (@CaltransDist6) November 19, 2019
PG&E is also reporting that about 1,080 of its customers are currently without power in that same area --which is near Meadows Field Airport.
County officials confirmed on social media that the airport is currently impacted by the outage. The terminal & Air Traffic Control Tower are operating on a generator as flights are still arriving and departing as planned.
⚠️Meadows Field Airport is currently experiencing a power outage. The terminal & Air Traffic Control Tower are currently operating on a stand-by generator.
— County of Kern (@CountyofKern) November 19, 2019
Officials with PG&E have estimated restoration time of 8:45 p.m. for customers impacted by the outage,
