What’s the status of Greene Street’s lighting issue?

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The lights are still out on Greene Street, and now we’re learning why they were turned off in the first place.

Officials say there were safety concerns with electricity from the streetlamps harming people and pets.

To solve it, they turned off the lights, but this has caused several issues. City leaders are saying a solution is in the works.

“It’s really scary not having lighting here and just waiting so long for someone to do something about it,” said one mom who lives on Greene Street.

She has become more afraid of the dark since this summer. After the lights went out, someone broke into her car that sits just outside her front step.

“And what’s next? Houses. Because there’s no lighting, you can’t really see. I’ve been having to keep my porch light on, running up the electric bill because of this issue,” she said.

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It turns out that despite these concerns, this part of Greene Street is in the dark on purpose.

Assistant Director of Traffic Engineering, Augusta Engineering Department John Ussery said: “The wire that is buried in the dirt to power the system had degraded to the point that it was a safety issue. So, we were afraid that someone from the general public may be harmed if we kept it on.”

Commissioner for District 1 Jordan Johnson said: “We received word from residents that when they were out walking their dogs that they were being shocked and that their dogs were being shocked as well when they got too close to some of the light poles.”

They’re now working on solar lighting as a temporary replacement coming in 2023.

The resident said: “We really enjoy the neighborhood, and we want to feel safe in our neighborhood. If you could really speed up the process and find a way to help our community.”

Engineering is still negotiating with developers on this new lighting, but Johnson says we can look to the first quarter of next year to get more light for Olde Town.

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