Downed wires snarl traffic on Newbridge Road

Crews from the East Meadow Fire Department and the Long Island Power Authority worked on downed wires late Monday afternoon on Newbridge Road, near the intersection of Blue Spruce Road at the East Meadow/Levittown border.

The northbound lane of Newbridge Road at the intersection of Bellmore Road was closed during the afternoon rush, backing up traffic south toward Old Westbury Road and Hempstead Turnpike. It remained closed as of 5:50 p.m. Crews also worked on another downed line along Hempstead Turnpike at Newbridge Road in front of the Walgreen's. The right lane was closed in the eastbound lane of Hempstead Turnpike and on Newbridge Road at the traffic light. 

According to Mark Gross, a spokesman for LIPA, said a balloon made contact with a primary wire at a power line on Newbridge Road by Blue Spruce Road at about 3:30 p.m., and caused a surge that burned the wires. 

A total of 588 outages were reported in East Meadow, and by about 5:15 p.m., that number was reduced to 15. 

Some residents at the scene said they saw a flash that resembled lightning. Irene Edwards, who lives in a home on the corner of Newbridge Road and Blue Spruce Road, said she heard an explosion. "It sounded like a bomb," she said.