Getting lights turned on I-75 (Atlanta, Boston: how much, home, maintenance)

[fleetfeet9]

On monday night I drove south on I-75 from Cumberland Blvd to 14th st. around 6 pm. It was rainy and there were at least 3 accidents on the drive. I noticed that not one street light over I-75 was on. Who needs to be contacted to get these highway lights turned on? I can only imagine how much they would help reduce the chance of accidents if the highway was lit!

[PKCorey]

Pretty sure, City of Atlanta turned them off during the downturn to save money or a dispute between them, GDOT and GA Power.

[ATLTJL]

Don't know how I-75 works, but a few years ago we had the lights turned back on on I-85 in Gwinnett county.

The county had turned them off as a cost saving measure to save money on electricity. We complained and they turned them back on.

I was one of the complainers. I called the county and complained. I e-mailed the Gwinnett editor of the AJC and he wrote up a story on it. A couple of weeks later, the lights were back on, so I can't really say what actually did it. However, it can't hurt to contact the local media.

There isn't that much documentation on how lights reduce accidents. This is the most definitive study that I was able to find, and it will probably be enough to get the county to turn the lights back on if you threaten to go public with it and start a grassroots campaign: https://www.transportationresearch.g...20Lighting.pdf

It is truly amazing how inexpensive the lighting is. The AJC found out that it costs Gwinnett $100k a year to keep the lights on. The lights only have to prevent a handful of accidents to make that money back. It's truly one of the cheapest and easiest things to do to make roads safer, so be vigilant in getting it done.

[billl]

Maybe the lights are still set for daylight savings time.

[Big L]

The rain probably contributed more to the accidents than the lack of lighting. If you are speeding on a wet roadway, then you could potentially get into an accident even in a well-lit area.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Don't know how I-75 works, but a few years ago we had the lights turned back on on I-85 in Gwinnett county.

The county had turned them off as a cost saving measure to save money on electricity. We complained and they turned them back on.

I was one of the complainers. I called the county and complained. I e-mailed the Gwinnett editor of the AJC and he wrote up a story on it. A couple of weeks later, the lights were back on, so I can't really say what actually did it. However, it can't hurt to contact the local media. . It's truly one of the cheapest and easiest things to do to make roads safer, so be vigilant in getting it done.

Way to go, ATLTJL! Seriously good whip cracking!

[fleetfeet9]

Thanks ATLTJL! I've already contacted GAPower and GDOT but I will look into contacting the media outlets. I'd rather feel safe on my drive home then worry about hardly being able to see the road!

[wxjay]

I drove many-a-time on I-75 back and forth from Georgia Tech at night - in the rain and not. Now, I drive on 95/128 in metro Boston and Rte 3 with no streetlights - in the rain, snow, and not. Bottom line - it comes down to weather conditions and the driving capabilities of the other drivers on the road, not a few street lamps along the highway.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by fleetfeet9

Thanks ATLTJL! I've already contacted GAPower and GDOT but I will look into contacting the media outlets. I'd rather feel safe on my drive home then worry about hardly being able to see the road!

Nice. If you find you could use more voices, post back here. I am sure you can find some more people willing to get behind this (including me).

[devin1229]

I saw a story on the news a while ago about this -- from what was reported, many of the lights are out because of either lack of maintenance or the cost to repair/replace bulbs/lamps. From what I remember, an audit was done and the cost to fix all the lamps in the area was something in the millions of dollars.

Aside from safety (which apparently can be argued here), I'm also concerned about the appearance it gives the city. Coming in from out of town and seeing a bunch of lights turned off or half-lit would give me the impression that the city (or state) is pretty shabby. Although that's just me...