Crews have spent months upgrading lighting along Charlotte's interstates and state routes, but there are still plenty of lights that remain knocked over or missing altogether on some of the city's busiest roads.
Louis Terrell knows that all too well. He drives a Greyhound bus.
"It's bad man. It has to improve," he said. "Going to other cities and coming to my city and seeing it, it's very discouraging."
Terrell said he's reported several busted light poles, including two on Independence Boulevard and two on Interstate 85, but they've yet to be fixed. He said at least one of them has remained on the side of the road for almost a year.
NCDOT is urging drivers to report similar problems, estimating there are likely about 100 light poles down in the Charlotte area, but the state said finding out about them is only part of the battle.
Communications Officer Jen Thompson said funding is a challenge too. In fact, she said money is the reason you also see several bases on the side of the road that are missing light poles.
North Carolina started investing money in its interstate lights last year, moving forward with a massive upgrade of more than 10,000 lights. An estimated 30% of them were previously burned out.
According to Thompson, the project's still in progress. The deadline to complete the contract was November 11.
“Brady/Trane has not met the deadline due in large part to weather delays, including the two recent hurricanes,” she said. “Brady/Trane has requested a no-cost (to the state) four-month contract extension. NCDOT will assess whether a fine should be issued, but by law any fines assessed for a fixed price contract would have to be approved by the Council of State.”
The contract is now extended through March, Thompson said.
NCDOT isn't the only one that maintains lights along some of Charlotte's most heavily traveled state routes. Duke Energy does too. We've reported the downed poles we found to both agencies, along with pictures.
"I want it to stop being a second-grade situation or priority to them and I want them to stop putting it on the back burner and actually maintain the lights as they see it go down," Terrell said.