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Council urged to fund security and repairs after massive interstate outages and copper theft
Summary
MLGW told the council theft of wiring and a fused underground cable near Airways interchange caused hundreds of streetlights out on interstate ramps; crews restored most lights overnight, will implement temporary overhead fixes and design permanent underground replacement; council members pressed for more enforcement and staffing for sign and right-of-way issues.
MLGW officials described an uptick in outages on interstate interchanges after a lightning storm and repeated theft of wiring from small power centers. Crews traced a root cause at the Airways interchange to a fused 2,500-foot underground cable that cannot be pulled and therefore requires a new run; teams have begun design of a temporary overhead feed to restore lights quickly while planning a permanent underground replacement. Field crews reportedly restored about 270 of roughly 330 lights in one night and worked south toward the airport.
Council members pressed for stronger security to prevent repeated theft (power centers are often small chain-link enclosures at interchanges), discussed replacing copper with aluminum to reduce resale value, and asked administration for staffing and operational plans; MLGW said it has tested automatic outage detection (Terrago) in Bartlett and plans citywide rollout this summer to generate work orders automatically. The briefing also touched on broader right-of-way maintenance and a planned sign sweep. The administration agreed to return with a detailed enforcement and operations plan.
Provenance: MLGW briefing on outages, theft and Terrago outage-detection (SEG 363–SEG 474, SEG 447–SEG 472).
