As the San Diego City Council debated whether to activate so-called “Smart Streetlights” throughout the city, Mayor Todd Gloria Tuesday announced that more than 700 broken or vandalized streetlights in the downtown area have been repaired ahead of schedule.
The effort was part of a partnership between the city and the Downtown San Diego Partnership. The project launched in May and focused on the East Village and Gaslamp Quarter using “data-driven analysis to prioritize repairs by geographical location,” officials said.
“Functioning streetlights are crucial for safe, vibrant and thriving communities,” Gloria said. “That’s why we have dedicated new resources to repairing streetlights in neighborhoods across San Diego. We are continuing to work to repair streetlights across the city — and we will get it done.”
City crews and contractors also installed 129 anti-theft covers to prevent future outages, as “many of the broken lights were caused by vandals who broke into the light poles and damaged or removed the wiring,” a city statement read. A total of 710 streetlights were repaired.
Repairs included replacing fuses, fuse holders, photocells and cabling to circuits.
“Repairing more than 700 broken and vandalized streetlights in downtown is a significant milestone, making downtown San Diego safer for everyone,” said Councilman Stephen Whitburn, who represents the downtown area. “Let this project stand as a testament to our commitment to improving safety conditions. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of city crews and contractors, we are not just fixing lights, but also securing them against future vandalism.”
The city’s transportation department maintains more than 60,000 streetlights and is working on the backlog of approximately 6,000 lights in need of repair and replacement.
According to city documents, to continue making progress in reducing the repair backlog, the fiscal year 2024 budget includes an additional $2.3 million for supplemental work and will introduce a streetlight safety priority score criteria.
In April, Gloria also announced that $3.5 million in federal funding had been secured to repair streetlights in the communities of Pacific Beach and Logan Heights.
City News Service contributed to this article.
