Decorative lights for Emerson Bridge return in late April

Lights illuminating the cables and towers of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge will remain dark probably until the end of April.

Hubbell Lighting of Christiansburg, Va., has a branch location that is remaking the trim that holds the lens in place, said Keith Robinson, project manager for the contractor, Sachs Electric. Delivery of the new parts may take up to two weeks, he said.

The lights were turned off March 11 because water had seeped into the fixtures and was accumulating. The Missouri Department of Transportation was afraid the lights would short out and create a hazardous situation.

Robinson said the fixtures are marine-rated, but the design had been changed slightly over the last few years. Also the lights were not normally used pointing straight up as they are on the Emerson Bridge.

Some residents who live within sight of the bridge are somewhat baffled that "weep holes" in the fixtures to allow the water to escape weren't even considered, said Tom Neumeyer, who lives on South Lorimier Street. He said he hoped the lights will be back on soon. He misses them.

"It was pretty while it lasted," he said, "but beauty is a fleeting thing. Hopefully this will be back to being a landmark for downtown, the east side area, as well as the rest of the city."

Sachs took delivery of the light fixtures last summer, Robinson said. Hubbell changed its design shortly after that, incorporating the trim that is supposed to keep the water out. Apparently Hubbell did not realize the parts it had shipped to Sachs were not the updated versions.

"It's their fault, and they acknowledge that," Robinson said.

Hubbell will absorb the costs of remanufacturing the parts for the lights.

Robinson said Sachs expects to receive the new parts for the lights within the next two weeks. Then it will take Sachs about a week to install them.

"Sachs will immediately install them once we get them from the manufacturer," he said.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160