The reason the traffic was so bad in north Shoreline Monday

Thanks to MLT News for answering a question that many were asking on social media

Traffic was snarled and an estimated 35 customers were without power in the Lake Ballinger neighborhood directly north of Shoreline Monday afternoon after a truck-utility pole accident on the Shoreline side of Highway 104.

According to the Washington State Patrol, at 1:47pm Monday the driver of a Freightliner vacuum truck was traveling eastbound on Highway 104 just west of 1st Avenue NE by Ballinger Commons with the truck boom in place. The truck boom struck cable wires, damaging a utility pole and pulling down wires into the westbound travel lanes, the State Patrol said.

The driver of the truck wasn’t injured in the incident, which completely blocked the roadway for several hours and apparently backed up traffic into Shoreline on north-south streets as well.

Snohomish County PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said crews were sent to the scene to make needed repairs. “The job should take about five hours, so we’re estimating power will be restored to these customers by 9pm,” he said. “If we can re-route it from another source, power will be restored sooner.”