- To save money, the City cut back on street lighting on the stretch of East Michigan Avenue from Page Avenue to Horton Street some time ago.
- Some worry about safety, others say it's not a concern.
- Video shows the affected stretch of East Michigan Avenue in Jackson.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
With daylight slowly disappearing as we go further into fall, and clocks turning back this weekend, it'll be dark by closing time for many local businesses before you know it.
Last Friday, we looked into a tip from a neighbor who works at Andy's Pizza here on East Michigan Avenue. She says street lights were out when she got off work, and this had her worried about safety.
We took her concerns to the City. We found out from City Engineer Troy White that street lights on this stretch of East Michigan Avenue had indeed been off for a few weeks for wire repair. But he said they were back on as of early last week.
After that story on Friday, I came back here after dark and took a look for myself. I found the streetlights were back on…but only every other one. All the way from Horton Street to Page Avenue. I wondered why, so I reached out to City Spokesperson Aaron Dimick.
Dimick tells me, quoting the City Engineer, that it's been this way for 14 years on this section of East Michigan Avenue to save money. He says the City hasn't gotten any complaints about the reduced lighting, and that nobody had noticed it until the lights were turned off entirely for a few weeks.
Other businesses I talked to on East Michigan Avenue tell me street lighting hasn't been a concern. Many businesses have their own outdoor lighting and said employees tend to walk straight to their cars.
We will continue to follow up on stories like these.
If you have an issue you'd like me to look into, send an email to darius.udrys@fox47news.com, or send me a note using the QR code below.
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