As we first reported yesterday, the culprit of the surges causing the outages was a leaning power pole.
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Thelen said road widening on Western Row Road resulted in some power poles being moved. One began leaning after it was moved, and slack in the lines caused transmission and distribution lines to get too close which caused them to auto shut off momentarily.
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Kings Island spokesman Don Helbig, however, said what occurred at the park were not outages but “a brief flicker/surge, similar to what you might experience in your home when lights and television go out for a second and then come back on.”
“We had power back within seconds of the flicker,” Helbig said. “However, rides are shut down as a precaution temporarily and begin to re-open after safety checks have been completed.”
UPDATE @ 4:20 p.m. (May 16, 2017)
Power outages have occurred over the past several days at Kings Island because a utility pole outside the park is leaning over, which is likely a result of road construction in the area, according to a Duke Energy spokesperson.
After outages occurred at the park on Friday, Monday and today, a team of line workers worked non-stop and finally located the problem today, according to Duke Energy Spokeswoman Sally Thelen.
A temporary fix has restored power to the park until a permanent solution can be completed.
"A pole with two layers of lines on it was discovered leaning, causing slack in the lines,” Thelen said. “The leaning pole was likely due to road construction in the area."
Thelen said power was getting shut off because of a safety precaution built into the system.
EARLIER
Rides at Kings Island were suspended today after a power outage, a recent problem that park officials said is related to a Duke Energy substation outside the park.
Kings Island spokesman Don Helbig said the outage occurred at 2:05 p.m. It was caused by a “recurring intermittent issue” with Duke Energy’s substation outside the park, he said.
Kings Island has a contingency plan for incidents like this, which includes suspending rides.
Helbig said at 3 p.m. most rides are now operating again normally and no one is stuck on the ride.
Social media posts indicate the outage left some people temporarily stranded on the Diamondback roller coaster.
We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.
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