The northbound right turn lane at U.S. 61 South and Pemberton Square Boulevard was temporarily blocked Wednesday morning while city Traffic Department employees reconnected an electric wire to the signal system cabinet on Pemberton.

Traffic Superintendent W.L. Sanders said the line was disconnected when city Water Department workers inadvertently pulled it out while repairing a nearby fire hydrant leak. Water department employees, Sanders said, didn’t realize the line was pulled out because no one was shocked “and the signal kept going because it had a battery backup.”

He said traffic department employees discovered the problem when the backup system ran out of power, shutting the traffic signals down.

Sanders said traffic employees ran a temporary line to the signal cabinet to restore power to the signal until the permanent line was reconnected Wednesday.

Sanders said traffic department employees will soon connect lines from the signal to two signs on U.S. 61 South that will warn drivers when the traffic signal is going to change. “It will tell you the signal’s about to turn red,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of work there,” he said. “We’ve got the conduit installed for the signs; we’ve got to pull the wire to it. We’re going to try to finish it up.”

Sanders said similar signs are on U.S. 61 South near the Dana Road intersection and near the Oak Ridge Road/U.S. 61 North intersection. He said work is expected to begin on U.S. 61 South in the next few weeks.