Dear editor,

For the past four months, I have noticed that the lights on I-20 at the  Clay Street exit have been out, also many other locations.  It is extremely hard to see where to exit. Even knowing where the exit is located I have a difficult time and I have had many complaints from tourists driving in at night who find it very difficult.

I kept thinking that the interstate lights would be repaired any day but to my dismay, it is still dark.

I called Vicksburg’s Action line to turn in numbers from two street lights out downtown and also asked if the city would address the interstate lighting problem.

The Action Line employee said that the interstate lights were not the city’s responsibility and therefore could not do anything about them. I requested that she inform MDOT of the problem and she said no. I asked her if she had a phone number and I was given a number that was for getting permits for oversized truck loads.

I find it hard to believe that private citizens have to call in the numbers off the light poles when we have city and county employees driving around at our expense day and night, who I think should be responsible for this task. Also, I believe that the city should report the interstate lights outages to the responsible party when they have not been repaired in a timely manner.

I have noticed that Madison, Clinton, Brandon and Jackson have their lights welcoming people into their city and so should Vicksburg.

Your assistance is needed in not only getting the lights on but to continue helping Vicksburg see the light.

Sincerely,
Karen Allred
Vicksburg