Interstate lights being turned back on in Louisville after copper wire was stolen

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Drivers soon won't be in the dark on parts of Interstate 64 in Louisville after crews complete work to fix lights along a stretch of the busy interstate.

In the last several months, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet representatives have found eight main areas in town that have been hit, including parts of Interstates 64, 65 and 264.

More than 66,000 feet of copper wire was stolen.

Since then, most of the lights are back on along the Shawnee Expressway. KYTC said it is slowly but surely repairing the lights on I-64 near 22nd street.

But workers said they can't just splice some copper wire in. The whole thing needs to be replaced, so it could take a while depending on how much else was damaged.

The cost of the wire alone is about $45,000. And that doesn't include labor.

"That's theft of taxpayers money," said Jim Hannah, a spokesman for KYTC District 5. "Those are very expensive and very time consuming to replace, and it causes a safety issue for every motorist that drives up and down the road."

There is still a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest of the person or people responsible.

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