In early April, a WTOP staffer noticed an unusual number of streetlights were out along the 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 downed lights just scratched the surface for the total number of lights out.
In all, we 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%.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Mike Murillo over at WTOP
