Valley drivers have been finding out the hard way that it is a lot darker out there than it used to be. Stretches of Phoenix-area freeways keep going black at night as copper thieves rip wiring out of the electrical boxes that power overhead lights. The Arizona Department of Transportation says repairs are coming and new tech is being tested to catch the culprits, but warns that flipping all the lights back on will not be quick.
From January 2024 through March 2025, wire-theft repair costs soared past $700,000, according to ABC15. The station reported that ADOT crews have already tackled targeted repairs on problem spots including the Loop 202 near 44th Street and I‑10, and that the agency expects an expanded schedule of repair work this year. Even so, ADOT told the outlet that fully restoring all affected lighting could take several months.
To stop thieves before they can strip more wire, ADOT has started putting sensors on light-control boxes that send alarms if the power is cut, a move officials say should help speed up the response from staff and law enforcement, KJZZ reported. ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel told the station the sensors “are an effort to spot the criminal activity of wire theft,” and said those alarms let crews use freeway cameras to confirm what is happening in real time…