Highway lights turned back on

TULSA - City crews flipped the switch 105 times Wednesday, that's how many boxes there are that control expressway lights.

It comes after ten months of being left in the dark.

"We actually would sometimes avoid the highway because there's also the pothole issue. It was dangerous out there," said Leecy Schwing, a driver.

But getting to this bright point took months of debate over whether the city could actually afford to do it.

"The council worked very hard, had countless meetings, talked to several people to make sure the numbers were there," said Tulsa City Council Chris Trail.

So in June, the council voted to have the lights turned on, but the mayor vetoed it, saying the city was short on cash at the time.

"By approaching this project in a good, conservative manner, that does allow the city to manage its resources better, live within our own means, if we do it properly and we don't get too worried over things, eventually we take a couple deep breathes, things work their way out," said Mayor Dewey Bartlett, (R)-Tulsa.

The mayor says part of the reason the money is there now has to do with a more energy efficent city hall. Plus, there are plans to make downtown traffic signals energy efficent too.

"We're putting in lights that are much more efficient and so the expense of operating them is a lot less than what it has been presently," said Bartlett.

Some stretches of highways in work zones could still be in the dark at the request of the contractors.