In early April, a WTOP staffer noticed an unusual number of streetlights were out along the Capital Beltway in Maryland, with more than 60 spotted between Interstate 95 and the exit to Connecticut Avenue. This left large sections of the interstate where streetlights exist, in the dark.
Was it just one section of highway being plagued by the outages?
On April 15, WTOP decided to drive only the Outer Loop from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the American Legion Bridge — and discovered the 60 lights that were not functioning just scratched the surface for the total number of lights out.
In all, as part of this exclusive report, WTOP tallied at least 300 lights that were dark on both sides of the Beltway that were visible from the Outer Loop.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, the nighttime fatality rate during crashes is three times higher than during daylight hours. The FHA also said that adequate lighting along roads can reduce crashes by 42%.
The drive illustrated the issue is more widespread than initially thought. But even prior to the April 15 drive, WTOP had reached out to the Maryland State Highway Administration about the lights out on the Beltway.
Derek Gunn, an MDOT SHA transportation engineer who oversees the area that includes the Capital Beltway, told WTOP while lighting is seen as a “critical part of our infrastructure,” one big problem remains: The system is old.
“It’s an aging infrastructure,” Gunn said. “It’s approaching, if not well over, 60 years old.”
Gunn named other issues that affect lighting: “For example, rodents and vermin. You’re dealing with environmental issues. And it’s just tougher to maintain an underground system.”
He said work continues to not only repair the downed lights, but also convert them to newer, longer-lasting LED technology.
Gunn also said the state conducts monthly surveys to see if any of the lights are down.
“I would say that our inspectors and our crews, they’re working around the clock,” Gunn said. “They’re working day and night, to get all our lights up and running as quickly as possible.”
After first speaking with WTOP, the SHA investigated the number of lights that were out and provided a response.
“In the month of March, we had 90% of the highway lighting systems operational on highways in Montgomery and Prince George’s (counties),” spokesperson Shanteé Felix said in an email to WTOP prior to the April drive.
After the nighttime drive along the Outer Loop, it appeared the problem was bigger than state officials realized. With 1,600 total lights, it appears that more than 18% of the road’s streetlights are not turning on at night. It’s not clear if those lights quit working since the March tally.
When questioned, the state provided another statement which spoke only of the initially reported outages.
“We received a recent report the Beltway outages from (Maryland Route) 185 to MD 650 were addressed,” Felix wrote.
This isn’t the first time WTOP has reported streetlight outages along Beltway. Just last year, a three-mile stretch between Connecticut Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue had malfunctioning lights.
The state urges anyone who sees a streetlight out to report it on the Maryland Department of Transportation’s website.
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