The lights are still out on the R. Kelly Bryant Pedestrian Bridge across the Durham Freeway, but the problem is no longer technical.

It's a matter of who pays to fix them.

The contractor, S.T. Wooten, and the designer, Stewart Engineering, "are deliberating" about who's responsible for picking up the tab, or how to split it, according to city public works engineer Michael Hughes. "

They are at an impasse," Hughes said.

The blue lights are supposed to outline the bridge at night and provide a glowing gateway to Durham — as in Stewart Engineering's photo illustration above. But the lights went out not long after the bridge was opened in 2009 and have never worked reliably, Hughes said.

That's in spite of one try after another to fix them. Now, everything is lined up to take care (one hopes) of the situation and brighten up the bridge once and for all.

The electrical situation, that is. As for the money part, well, the lawyers are involved. ...

Remember those lights on the R. Kelly Bryant Jr. Pedestrian Bridge that were supposed to be all fixed last month?

Well, guess what. But City Hall is on the job.

Some of the lights went out, yet again, on Sept. 7, according to correspondence among city engineers and principals of the bridge's contractiors.  Investigation found four circuit breakers tripped and the threads stripped in their sockets.
 
Resetting the breakers got the lights working again, and city crews installed video cameras to take pictures once every hour when the lights are supposed to be on. Meanwhile, an electrical contractor is working on cost estimates for some re-wiring suggested as a remedy.

The warranty on the bridge, which spans the Durham Freeway just east of Alston Avenue, is in effect through February 2012. Originally for one year after completion last September, the warranty was extended after problems with the lights appeared in October and have recurred several times since despite repeated analyses and repairs.

S.T. Wooten, general contractor for the R. Kelly Bryant Jr. Pedestrian ridge, informed City Hall last week that final repairs on the bridge lights had been completed.

Finally.

The bridge, spanning the Durham Freeway near Alston Avenue, was dedicated last September. Within a month, the blue lights that are supposed to outline the bridge structure after dark (as shown above) were malfunctioning.

Ever since then, through one repair job and problem analysis after another, the lights have been on again, off again, on again, off again ...

Now, maybe, the lights are on for good.

Maybe so, but just in case, the warranty’s been extended through February next year.
 

The pretty blue lights supposed to give a nighttime glow to the R. Kelly Bryant Jr. Pedestrian Bridge over the Durham Freeway are out again.

But "We're Working On It" is the word from City Hall.

"We are actively pursuing the problem resolution," wrote Ed Venable, the city's engineering manager for public works, in response to a citizen's enquiry.

So it has gone almost since the bridge was dedicated last September.

The lights were installed to outline the bridge (as in the picture at right) for motorists' aesthetic pleasure, and looked great in the pre-construction renderings. For months now, repairs have been attempted, even to the extent of closing freeway lanes a night or two in December, but to little avail.

Here's Venable's update:

• "Initially the entire system failed, and we think it was a lighting strike.  We have looked into the lighting protection system to see if it needs any changes."
• "That was followed by the system kicking out a breaker when it tried to illuminate in the evenings.  The electricians traced the problem to a faulty wire in one of the lighting poles."
• "Next was a few burned out point lights that are along the bottom of the bridge.  Those lights were replaced.  We are awaiting a report from the lighting manufacturer on the cause."
• "Now one of the sections of the arc light has burned out.  The replacement was not immediately available and the electrician is awaiting the parts.  The burned out section will be sent to the manufacturer for analysis."

Fortunately for Durham taxpayers, the bridge is still under warranty and City Hall is on top of the situation.

"The bridge," Venable wrote, "continues to be monitored daily."

DURHAM One lane each way on the Durham Freeway will be closed between Briggs and Alston avenues Sunday night for repairs on the R. Kelly Bryant Jr. Pedestrian Bridge.

Lane closing is at 5 and work on the bridge's decorative lighting should be finished by 9 a.m. Monday, according to a city release.

The city just opened the bridge in September, but the blue lights supposed to turn its arch aglow at night (as in the picture) have been out for more than a month. The city public-works department said in October the outage was due to an "unknown malfunction."

The malfunction remains unknown, engineering manager Ed Venable said today, but lightning is suspected. Fortunately, the lighting is still under warranty.