The tree came down early Friday, blocking part of the road near Worley Drive and damaging power lines. Utility crews spent the morning cutting up the tree and repairing the damage.
Aerial footage from Chopper 11 showed the extent of the closure as crews worked to safely remove the tree and restore service.
For many residents, the outage marked the second power disruption of the week. Earlier this week, strong storms caused an outage that lasted about an hour. Friday's outage was expected to last significantly longer.
Bill Casteen, who was still cleaning up his yard from the previous storm, said he was concerned about the impact of an extended outage on the food in his home.
"I've got a chest freezer in the garage, and that's a little warmer because it's not air-conditioned out there. There's not a whole lot in there, but I'm still concerned about it," Casteen said. "I got milk out of the refrigerator this morning to eat my cereal before I came out to work, and it wasn't as cold as it normally is."
Duke Energy's latest estimate projected power would be restored around 2 p.m. Friday.
Until repairs are completed, drivers are being advised to avoid the affected section of Leesville Road and expect detours in the area.