Rig tears down phone lines in Ashland

A tractor trailer tore down telephone lines from a house in Ashland, causing other damage in the process, according to state police at the Frackville barracks.

The incident happened at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday, resulting in Route 61 (Hoffman Boulevard) being shut down.

Police said Cornelius F. Alexander, 48, of Zephyrhills, Florida, was driving east on Walnut Street with intentions to turn right onto Hoffman Boulevard. They said instead of turning into the proper lane, Alexander drove into the oncoming lane, wedging the rig on the retaining wall of the traffic island that divides the lanes. During the maneuver, police said, the rig tore down several telephone lines from a house at the intersection, drove onto the pavement along the northbound land of Hoffman Boulevard, and struck the sign, resulting in the highway being closed to traffic until the wedged tractor trailer could be freed.

Police said Alexander was cited under a section of the Motor Vehicle Code that deals with one-way roadways and rotary traffic islands.