Saturdays typically offer Bay Area commuters a break from frustrating traffic headaches, but that wasn't the case for drivers in South Bay this weekend.
A stretch of Highway 101 near Gilroy on Saturday was completely closed in both directions for several hours after power lines crashed down on the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The power lines toppled just before 12 p.m. between Leavesley Road and Masten Avenue, triggering a makeshift parking lot to form on both sides of the highway, according to the CHP. Cars and trucks were forced to slowly squeeze off of the roadway using nearby off-ramps.
Both sides of Highway 101 were reopened during the early afternoon hours, according to the CHP.
PG&E phone lines were also strewn across the roadway, according to the company. Roughly 80 customers in the area were left without power as a result. That number has since dropped to 50 customers as of 4 p.m., according to PG&E.
The cause behind what caused the power lines to fall and block the highway is under investigation.
Further information was not available.
