Are the Montrose bridge colorful lights back on? Not quite, but it won't be dark for pedestrians
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Montrose bridge is getting new lights, but the iconic, rainbow decorative lights are not making a comeback.
Drivers may have already noticed the new lights on the Hazard Street Bridge above the I-69 Southwest Freeway near downtown. It is the first bridge to get new lights in years.
Councilwoman Abbie Kamin sent out a news release on Wednesday, saying the city teamed up with Houston First, the organization responsible for promoting the city and bringing in tourism, to get the bridge lit up.
On Thursday, Houston First clarified that the colorful bridge lights are not returning. Instead, safety lighting for pedestrians is undergoing $49,000 worth of repairs and will be working again soon.
Kamin said the new lighting on the other bridges will be rolled out in phases.
The colorful lights were installed in 2017 and were a hit with Houstonians. But they were unreliable and soon became an eyesore. Eventually, they went dark because they lost funding to other projects.
RELATED: City of Houston to discuss spending nearly $3M to fix lights on Southwest Freeway bridge
At one point, the city offered to help Houston First repair the colorful lights but Mayor John Whitmire pulled the funding, saying the lights were not a priority.
"Due to Houston First's previous role with the decorative lights over the Montrose bridges, we were asked to investigate why separate pedestrian safety lighting over several of the bridges was not functioning. In collaboration with City of Houston Public Works, we had a team with Prism Electric look into the cause and they were able to identify several instances of malfunctioning equipment and connection issues. Houston First offered to pay for the necessary repairs, which we understand from our contractor should be complete by next week. Moving forward, the maintenance of those lights is the purview of Public Works. We want to thank Council Member Abbie Kamin for bringing this important issue to our attention and Public Works for their partnership," Houston First said in a statement.
Editor's note: A previous version of this report stated that the colorful lights on the Montrose bridges were returning before the organization clarified the new lights are only for safety purposes.
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