Contractors miss deadline to upgrade NC freeway lights, including 1000s in Charlotte
Contractors want another four months to finish a statewide upgrade of freeway lights, including nearly 3,000 in the Charlotte area, that was due to be finished in November.
The $30.8 million contract announced in July 2017 would upgrade more than 10,600 light fixtures along interstates and major highways in North Carolina. Mecklenburg County has the state’s largest share of roadway lighting.
Work was to be finished by Nov. 11. But contractors Trane U.S. and J. Brady Contracting missed the the deadline, N.C. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jen Thompson said, largely because of weather delays including the effects of two hurricanes that hit the state.
Trane and Brady have asked for a four-month contract extension at no cost to the state, Thompson said. DOT is assessing the request, she said, as well as whether to fine the contractors for missing the deadline.
Still, most of the fixture upgrades in the Charlotte area have been completed. Of the 2,920 fixtures to be upgraded, 2,657 have been installed, Thompson said.
“That number does include installed fixtures, but there may be some ongoing repairs, so not all may be actively working at this time,” she said by email.
New fixtures were to be installed along interstates 77 and 85, which intersect in Charlotte, and along the I-485 and I-277 beltways.
Charlotte drivers have long complained about dimly-lit freeways and interchanges, a problem exacerbated by construction projects.
Most lights were out in some stretches of freeway, DOT records show, the Observer reported in April 2017. The department replaced nearly 200 light clusters at interchanges outside of construction zones last year.
But DOT touted cost savings in announcing the lighting upgrades last year.
By switching from high-intensity roadway lights to LED lights that last longer and need less maintenance, the department said it would save $56 million in reduced electrical and maintenance costs over 15 years.