Car Crash and Downed Utility Lines Close NC 54 Near Chapel Hill on Thursday

UPDATE: The road closure reopened late on Thursday night and traffic patterns returned to normal.

Traffic along one of Chapel Hill’s most traveled roads is being diverted Thursday afternoon thanks to a car crash and subsequent road closure.

A key stretch of North Carolina Highway 54 on the town limits of Chapel Hill and Durham — which leads to an exchange with Interstate 40 — closed shortly after 2 p.m. The Durham Police Department, which is handling response to the case since it happened in Durham County, confirmed to Chapelboro a vehicle crashed into a utility pole near Falconbridge Road and downed several power lines. Emergency responders then worked to clear the area and close the road to avoid damaging the lines, with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s traffic map reporting NC 54 as closed in both directions between Falconbridge Road and Farrington Road.

Footage captured by WRAL’s helicopter team on Thursday afternoon during the closure showed one vehicle wrecked and lying on the bank near the Hardee’s franchise off of NC 54, as well as a truck with a tangle of power lines underneath the vehicle.

Being a critical east-west thoroughfare between Chapel Hill and Durham, the closure of NC 54 led to significant traffic on other roads detouring the area. Drivers can detour the closure by taking Barbee Chapel Road to Stagecoach Road or Farrington Road while traveling east, and westbound travelers can detour by using I-40 or NC 751 — but many roads in the surrounding area are experiencing more traffic congestion as a result.

Durham Police told Chapelboro no major injuries were reported in the crash. As of 4:15 p.m., Duke Energy’s Outage Map did not report any outages for customers in the area as a result of the downed power lines.

The police department said no timeline has been made for the length of the road closure and necessary repairs to the utility pole, power lines and road. The NCDOT traffic map estimates it could last into the 6 p.m. hour on Thursday.

Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

‹

Arrest Made in Hillsborough Fatal Shooting; Durham Juvenile Facing Murder Charge

Two weeks after a late-night shooting left a 20-year-old dead and an 18-year-old injured in Hillsborough, Durham Police arrested and charged a suspect. A release from the Hillsborough Police Department on Wednesday said a 17-year-old was taken into custody by Durham Police and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation around 12:30 p.m. in Durham. […]

NC Governor Pardons Man Who Had Murder Convictions Vacated

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper granted a pardon of innocence Friday to a man imprisoned for two decades before his two murder convictions were vacated more than four years ago by a trial judge. The pardon means Darryl Anthony Howard, who is now 58, can apply to the North Carolina Industrial Commission for compensation of […]

Arrests Made in Connection with Efland Murder

The Orange County Sheriff’s office has arrested at least two individuals in connection with a fatal shooting in Efland earlier this year. Officials say Jermauciyae Abram was arrested on Friday, March 11, in connection with the January 18 shooting of Tevin Deshawn Kendrick, of Durham. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says the Durham County Sheriff’s […]

Durham Leaders Unite to Stop Violent Crime

The Durham Mayor, Interim Police Chief and Sheriff gathered on Thursday to discuss violent crime in the city. Durham had 42 homicides in 2015, almost double from the previous year, according to Mayor Bill Bell. The police department is currently in the process of selecting a new chief but Bell said they were not going […]

Friday's Homicide Investigation Continues

Questions remain in Friday’s homicide in Southeast Chapel Hill as the investigation rolls on.

North Carolina’s Electoral Future May Hinge on Rural Black Voters Who Feel Ignored by Democrats

Roughly 4 in 10 Black voters in North Carolina’s last presidential election said they live in small towns or rural communities.

Local Government Meetings: February 9-13, 2025

This week in local government: residents in Chatham County push back against Flock license-plate cameras and AI data centers.

Local Government Meetings: February 2-6, 2026

This week in local government: Durham considers the RTP's long-term development plans, and Carrboro gets an update on its comprehensive plan.

Issiah Ross Argues Self-Defense In Double Murder Trial; Prosecution Wraps Testimony

Issiah Ross took the stand Wednesday to share his own testimony and defense in the trial over the 2022 deaths of two teens in Orange County.

Car Crash and Downed Utility Lines Close NC 54 Near Chapel Hill on Thursday

Traffic on one of Chapel Hill's most traveled roads, NC 54, is being diverted Thursday thanks to a car crash and subsequent road closure.

›