[AntonioR]

A while ago I mentioned that in Scalzi Park (Stamford) the light fixtures on the inside of the circle were not turning on. That meant in the walking trail in most areas it was very dark at night. I couldn’t figure out if that was done on purpose as a way for the city to save on the electricity bill given these were light fixtures that belong to the city instead of a company, a private home, etc. Those light fixtures now turn on again, so whatever was keeping them off is no longer taking place.

A similar occurrence I have also seen on stretches of I-95 regardless it it’s northbound or southbound and regardless ir it’s passing through Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, Norwalk or Westport. It could be an issue beyond Westport along the Connecticut coast, but I don’t go beyond Westport at night unless I’m going to a specific place beyond there into Connecticut (the Peabody Museum in New Haven, Mohegan Sun, etc.) or I was in Fairfield or Milford and the night caught me there.

The Merritt Parkway is almost entirely devoid of street lighting. I think if the on/off ramps to/from Route 7 in Norwalk were off at night I might notice from the Merritt Parkway. The ramps have street lights, not the parkway although it does gets the externality from the lights. I don’t remember ever passing along there on the Merritt Parkway and the street lights of the on/off ramps were off.

I noticed that in Darien there is a stretch on the downtown area on the Boston Post Road where the street lights are all off. This is near Cafe Nero and that area all the way to the Darien Sport Shop. I can’t think that Darien is attempting that to save on the electricity bill considering most streets in Darien don’t have any street lights. There is the construction across the street, though I doubt that is the reason the lights were off.

Is the area suffering from wire theft that has been kept on the hush?

In some areas there is a serious problem with wire theft when underground wiring is stolen by criminals to use the copper on the wires for scrap. The result of that is what I have seen in the Stamford area, long stretches (or the entire road) with street lights that remain off during the night! If the issue happens enough, they combat it by simply putting the wires over the ground. That’s when you see aluminium light fixtures which are suppose to have the wiring underground are all connected by an overhead wire.

[JayCT]

I can’t speak to the lights in parks but the problem on state roads like I-95 and Route 7 is usually a severed or damaged power line. The lights are powered by a direct buried cable and since there are literally hundreds of miles of it, they are vulnerable to occasional damage that causes the lights go out. For someone to steal the cable would require excavation which I doubt would go unnoticed.

[SteveM85]

The new catalytic converters?

[AntonioR]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I can’t speak to the lights in parks but the problem on state roads like I-95 and Route 7 is usually a severed or damaged power line. The lights are powered by a direct buried cable and since there are literally hundreds of miles of it, they are vulnerable to occasional damage that causes the lights go out. For someone to steal the cable would require excavation which I doubt would go unnoticed.

Are you sure about that?

From what I can tell in this article, the street lights wires theft didn’t involve digging. Simply opening the “door thing” on the actual light fixture and ripping out the wires.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/0...hts-in-st-paul

Do light fixtures on the interstate have these “door things?”

[SteveM85]

Hopefully the thieves call before they dig or consult an electrician before they start cutting wires to steal, you don’t want up like a steak at Sizzlers.

[AntonioR]

That is if street lights remain on 24/7. When they are off it’s safe to assume no juice is going through the electric wires. If they’re going to steal them, that’s when they cut them and probably finish the work late at night.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by AntonioR

That is if street lights remain on 24/7. When they are off it’s safe to assume no juice is going through the electric wires. If they’re going to steal them, that’s when they cut them and probably finish the work late at night.

Street lights have sensors in the light assembly or on the pole to turn on and off. The wires going to the light itself it always hot.

[mdovell]

From what I get on wire thefts is it is most likely empty/abandoned places. Way back when supposedly in Detroit if people left a home it would be totally stripped in 36 hours. I don't see anything even remotely close here. As mentioned these days there are sensors to have lights turn on and off. Is it perfectly timed? Maybe not but consider what happens when things don't turn off. Higher bills

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...turn-rcna65611

[Stylo]

I think someone would notice on our busy highways, even late at night. It's probably just a maintenance issue.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by AntonioR

That is if street lights remain on 24/7. When they are off it’s safe to assume no juice is going through the electric wires. If they’re going to steal them, that’s when they cut them and probably finish the work late at night.

Ant, I seriously hope you aren’t doing DIY electrical projects in the house.