Solar power lights to be put up along I-277 (Charlotte NC)

[jpak]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16407850.htm

Solar power lights to be put up along I-277

$1 million cost is far less than $6 million to fix existing wiring

Here's to a brighter 2007 for drivers on Interstate 277.

After years of delays and budget shortages, the state is poised to fix the burned-out lights that line the uptown highway by installing solar-powered bulbs.

Building the new system later this year would cost between $1 million and $1.2 million, said Barry Moose, the top engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation in the Charlotte region. That's a bargain compared with the estimated $6 million price tag for fixing the badly damaged wiring that connects the existing poles, plus a regular power bill.

<snip>

The state tested solar-powered streetlights on Interstate 77 near LaSalle Street and found that they met minimum brightness requirements.

"It will be a third as bright as what was out there 20 years ago when it worked," said Pat Mumford, who chairs the City Council's transportation committee and praised the solar project as a creative solution. "It will be exponentially brighter than what we have now, which is darkness."

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[Kookaburra]

1. About damn time!!!

I have complained repeatedly to the city/county/state about this dangerous road. Practically everyone I know who drives in Charlotte has had at least one close call on 277 because it was dark/rainy/foggy. It's a horrible stretch of road.

[wildhorses]

2. good news

:applause: