Power outages cause problems for Gainesville roadways

GAINESVILLE - Just as the Tuesday afternoon rush hour began, Gainesville city officials reported 20 of Gainesville's major intersections remained without power. In addition, several local streets were impassible because of trees on power lines. <br /> <br /> Public Works Director, David Dockery, said the City is using all the generators it has access to, but the extreme conditions have taken a toll. <br /> <br /> "Power has been restored to a number of traffic signals, but we still have almost two dozen traffic lights without power. We are working with the power companies as fast as we can. We would appreciate the public using extreme caution and limiting their travel to major thoroughfares and state highways and only traveling when necessary. Several local streets like Dixon, Bradford, Piedmont and others are impassible. Most importantly, motorists should treat the powerless intersections like four-way stops," Dockery said.<br /> <br /> City spokeswoman Catiel Felts said the city is gathering prices on tree removal and debris clean up, but expect to be able to do most of the work themselves as soon as the power lines are removed.<br />