City of Houston to discuss spending nearly $3M to fix lights on Southwest Freeway bridge

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The city of Houston is exploring the possibility of spending nearly $3 million on the bridge lights over I-69 in the Montrose neighborhood.

The city is proposing to use $2.66 million from its general fund toward fixing the lights. This is in an ordinance that will be discussed at city council on Wednesday morning.

The estimated overall cost to fix this is $4 million, so Houston First, which currently oversees the lights, would be on the hook for the rest of the money.

The lighting system has been described as "complicated" in reporting from our partners from the Houston Chronicle, and has had a rocky history since its unveiling before Super Bowl LI in February 2017.

The Montrose Management District was responsible for keeping them on at that time.

They came back a week later thanks to community support and donations, and in 2019 they were taken over by Houston First - the organization responsible for promoting the city and bringing in tourism.

Mayor Sylvester Turner mentioned that corporation on April 6, 2022, when ABC13 asked him why the lights hadn't been working.

"Houston First has been charged with getting those lights back on," he said during the interview that took place 531 days ago. "Trust me - they will be coming back on."

Houston First provided this statement:

A design team has been selected through a formal proposal process and will likely begin work by mid-October. The design work, permitting and bid solicitation will take approximately eight months. This is a complex project so it is safe to say that after due diligence and approvals from appropriate agencies, construction would likely not begin for at least a year. Simultaneously Houston First is working through a long-term capital plan for both construction and maintenance to ensure longevity.

Eyewitness News reached out to Mayor Turner's Office for newer comments, but we were referred to Houston First.

Editor's note: A previous edition of this story mistakenly reported that the Montrose Management District was dissolved in 2018. That detail is adjusted in this story.

UPDATED STORY: Only 1 'no' logged in vote to commit $2.6M to reviving Montrose bridge lights

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