Nearly 50 missing light poles, at least five on the ground on DuSable Lake Shore Drive
CHICAGO (CBS) -- CBS 2's cameras on Thursday captured the city finally picking up downed light poles along DuSable Lake Shore Drive – including one we showed you a day earlier.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot first exposed the danger, which left a couple with more than $4,000 in damage after their car hit a light pole that was lying across the Drive.
On Thursday, an outline along the grass remained from where a light pole about 25 feet long had been lying on the ground on DuSable Lake Shore Drive just north of 31st Street the day before. We saw Chicago Department of Transportation crews at the scene around 12:45 p.m. Thursday, and shot video of them as they left and took the wrecked lamppost with them.
A total of four old light poles were later seen on top of a CDOT truck - two had been on that stretch of the Drive. A large amount of rust was seen on two of the poles.
We spoke to a woman named Stacy Sweat on Wednesday. She told us she was with her husband in their Lexus on the Drive when he ran over a pole on the night of Saturday, July 30.
"We look over and there's a light pole laying across Lake Shore Drive - like all the northbound lanes - and then our indicator light comes on and says that we have two flat tires and our car is riding disabled," Sweat said.
When we spoke to Sweat on Wednesday, it wasn't clear if the pole fell onto the Drive because of its rusted condition, or if someone hit it with a car. CDOT told us Thursday that it appears the light pole was hit by a vehicle.
After speaking to Sweat about her experience and receiving a viewer email this morning, we decided to drive from Hollywood Avenue to Jeffery Boulevard, both north and south on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. We counted nearly 50 missing light poles and at least five poles that were on the ground.
Many of the missing poles were marked by orange traffic cones. Others were not, making exposed wires visible.
An expert who has worked with the CBS 2 Investigators extensively about light pole dangers says exposed wiring can pose a problem.
"If the wires are live, yes, that would definitely be a huge safety concern for the general public," said Sammy Tin, the department head of the Materials Science and Engineering Program at the University of Arizona.
In a statement, CDOT told us they "regularly assess the condition of streetlight poles and wiring to make targeted repairs and replacements. This includes ongoing assessments on DuSable Lake Shore Drive by CDOT's Division of Electrical Operations."