BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — UPDATE (MAY 2, 2026, 1:35 p.m.): The California Highway Patrol reported both directions on Highway 178 would be closed, so crews could recover the vehicle involved in Friday night’s crash around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Highway 178 reopened in both directions around 1:22 p.m.
A major crash involving a car that struck a utility pole along Highway 178 on Friday night has led to one-way traffic in the Kern Canyon area as crews work to repair the pole, according to authorities.
The California Highway Patrol Incident Page reported the crash first happened on Friday night around 7:20 p.m. in the area northeast of the Kern Hydroelectric Plant…