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The driver hit and severed a pole at Sierra Highway and Via Princessa around 2 a.m. Saturday, said Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Lt. Mark Hershey.
"The drunk driver almost snapped the pole," Hershey said. "It's the worst one he could have hit; it has wires going in either direction."
The arrested driver remained in custody Saturday, however, sheriff's officials would not release any further information pending further investigation, said Sgt. Jim Schallert.
More than 800 homes around Friendly Valley Parkway, Avenue of the Oaks and Sierra Estates Drive were impacted by the outage, said Anna Frutos-Sanchez, Southern California Edison public affairs region manager. Edison restored power to the homes at about 6:20 p.m.
Sheriff's deputies blocked off both sides of Sierra Highway and diverted northbound traffic through the shopping center anchored by Stater Bros.
Via Princessa was closed off from Sierra Highway to Whites Canyons Road. Highway 14 travelers could not exit off Sierra Highway.
The damaged pole, which hung in mid-air suspended by power cables, also left a Shell gas station and the Riverview Plaza without power and customers.
A Southern California Edison crew waited hours Saturday for a replacement pole.
The crew also had to fix the arm of a neighboring power pole which was being pulled down by the suspended pole, said company foreman Willie Rios.
Traveler Dennis Farrell, of Canyon Country, was frustrated by the traffic mess and the lack of advanced signs warning of road closures.
"Peoples' tempers are getting pretty heated out there," he said. "We got caught in it because there are no signs anywhere. It's a mess."
Sharon Wikel, who lives in the Canyon Country Senior Apartments, said she lost power for two hours starting about the time of the collision.
Wikel, 64, said she happened to be awake when she heard a loud noise.
"I heard a noise like an explosion and saw three flashes of light," she said. "Then the lights went off."
A Time Warner Cable crew restored cable to the Friendly Valley area.
"Generators are keeping Friendly Valley going," said Tony Castro, maintenance technician.
Deputies opened Via Princessa and northbound Sierra Highway after 4 p.m. Saturday, while Edison crews continued to fix the utility pole. A small section of southbound Sierra Highway, just south of Via Princessa, remained closed.
Power to the traffic signals could remain out until today, said Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Schallert.
