Overnight storms down power lines near Ohio Intel site

NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WCMH) -- Some central Ohioans woke up Tuesday to downed power lines after overnight storms, and they also happen to be near a major construction site.

The downed lines documented by road closures on the Ohio Department of Transportation's website run along the Johnstown Utica Road stretch of U.S. Highway 62 between Beech Road and Duncan Plains Road. The path of damage is northwest of Intel's construction site for its new fabrication plant in Ohio.

Photos taken at the scene showed power lines pulled to the ground alongside trees snapped in two. A video sent to NBC4 by a driver through the area also showed power lines they passed progressively sagging. They then passed an electrical pole that had fallen onto a barn, and additional ones that had split.

AEP Ohio confirmed the storms brought down six utility poles and power lines in the Johnstown area, and that it would have crews working throughout Tuesday to repair them. Its team shut down the stretch of U.S. 62 and predicted it would fix the poles by 8 p.m.

"We were able to reroute power to restore most of the impacted customers," an AEP spokesperson wrote to NBC4. "There are currently about 80 customers still out of power, and they will be restored once new poles are installed and equipment is repaired."

The power company attributed high winds as the cause behind the downed poles. Storm Team 4's radar scans picked up 40-mile-per-hour gusts for the area Monday night. While in close proximity, AEP confirmed the damage did not affect operations at the Intel construction site.