Nighttime stretches of road across the USA are being left dark by the theft of copper wiring from streetlights, and police are investigating whether the darkness contributed to some crashes.
Copper thieves also are hitting traffic lights. The problem is particularly acute for localities where the sour economy has already left coffers bare and officials cannot afford to replace the wiring.
Among the places hit:
In Kentucky, copper thieves have left about 450 highway lights dark in the Lexington area, many of them located at ramps for Interstates 64 and 75. Damage could total $500,000. "These copper thieves are victimizing Kentucky taxpayers taking hard-earned money out of their pockets in the form of costly damages and making it difficult to navigate some heavily traveled roadways and interchanges at night," state Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock says.
Hawaii will spend more than $3 million next year to repair lights on the H-1 and H-2 freeways that have been dark for several years. The state had replaced wiring in those lights, but it was promptly stolen again, says Dan Meisenzahl, a state transportation department spokesman.
Police in Colorado Springs are investigating the 4 a.m. crash of a milk tanker that overturned on a stretch of Interstate 25 that was darkened because copper wiring had been stolen from streetlights. The truck driver was critically injured, and police are looking into whether darkness was a factor.
In Vallejo, Calif., thieves stripped copper wiring from nearly 80 streetlights and from traffic lights at five intersections. The city couldn't afford to replace some of the wiring, and some intersections were turned into four-way stops; the city posted signs warning: "Signal Lights Are Non-Functioning Due To Copper Wire Theft."
Lacy Love of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials says several states are asking the public for help, urging motorists to report suspicious activity.
A nearly 50% increase in the value of copper over the past five years makes it "an exceptionally attractive target" for thieves, according to the Department of Energy. The cost to repair damage from copper thefts is usually much greater than the value of the copper stolen, says Jeremy Schoenfelder, who studied copper thefts from streetlights and anti-theft measures in Arizona for that state's Department of Transportation.
Although petty thieves have long targeted air-conditioning compressors and vacant houses, thieves sometimes use trucks and heavy equipment to steal hundreds of feet of copper wiring, he says.
"The knee-jerk reaction is thinking they're drug addicts trying to find a quick buck to make it to their next fix, or homeless people, or whatever," says Schoenfelder of the Mid-Atlantic Innovative Technology Center. "People are involved in this because it's a smart business. It's an illegal business, but it's a smart business."
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