What’s causing the delay in replacing Baton Rouge interstate lights?


Entergy is trying to replace about 60 interstate lights in Baton Rouge and is ready to schedule the work, but supply chain issues are delaying the fixtures, a utility spokesperson says. 

East Baton Rouge Parish government spends about $6 million per year from the general fund for lighting within Baton Rouge, which doesn’t include the $700,000 or so raised by lighting districts outside the city, city-parish officials say. 

The interstate issues are on top of the regular work of maintaining street lighting. Entergy crews and contractors have completed almost 2,000 lighting-related requests and work orders, including about 110 underground wire repair or replacement cases, across East Baton Rouge Parish since the beginning of the year, according to Entergy. That’s an average of 27 cases a day and doesn’t include about 85 streetlight poles that have been replaced since the beginning of the year, the company says. 

“We understand the importance of lighting in our communities and will continue working to repair or replace lighting-related equipment as materials come in and weather allows,” Entergy spokesperson David Freese says by email.

Residents can report lighting outages online here.