Update: Traffic moving on Glenstone as crews repair wind damage

Glenstone Avenue was reopened in both directions near Evangel University just before 8:15 a.m. Thursday after strong winds the night before snapped power poles in half.

City Utilities reported that crews worked through the night in hopes of having the road open in time for the morning commute.

At least seven poles were damaged, with some either lying in the road or leaning precariously as the sun went down, and authorities rerouting traffic.

Joel Alexander with City Utilities said that while the area near Evangel was the most severely affected, the high winds Wednesday had resulted in around 700 outages throughout the Springfield area.

North and southbound traffic on Glenstone Avenue has been diverted at Division Street and at Chestnut Expressway while crews make repairs.

Paul Logsdon, director of public relations and publications for Evangel, said that as of about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the power was still out on the northern half of Evangel's campus and that streetlights were still off as far north as Division Street.

The event was reminiscent of September 2014, when five power poles went down in front of Evangel, closing almost the exact same streets.