ST. LOUIS – City officials say copper wire thefts have escalated in recent months; hitting the riverfront, the Eads Bridge, and other locations.
They’re after copper, but city leaders say what thieves are leaving behind is a much bigger problem — darkened lights, damaged infrastructure and a growing bill for St. Louis taxpayers.
The riverfront and Eads Bridge are among the targets. The city says wire on the bridge was replaced and the lighting fully restored in May. Thieves struck again within weeks, ripping out that wire with significant equipment to tear through what we had done to try to protect that wire…