An eerie scene on the streets around the Lincoln metro area. Those streetlights you may have seen around town in different shades of blue, purple, and indigo are on their way out. In fact, the City of Lincoln is working feverishly to replace them. 
 

"They've been popping up down the streets around here for about the past few months,” said James Cocktail.

James Cocktail, who's lived in Lincoln for the past three years, said the blue and purple lights in his area are really distracting and he worries they might cause problems for drivers.

"I don't think it gives a very clear vision, you know,” said Cocktail. "And people possibly for people who have light sensitivity because they are very, very bright."

Other homeowners in the Lincoln area say they thought the lights were meant to be blue because of the sheer number of them.

The question is, how did the purple lights get here?

The Lincoln LED streetlight conversion project ran from 2018 to 2019. Since that time, some of the lights have quickly gone bad, all because of a manufacturing defect. That’s left them spitting out blue light, rather than the bright white they ought to shine.

It’s not just Lincoln facing this problem. Cities all around America are shining a little bluer than usual. What we do know here is that they won’t be around forever. According to a statement, “LTU has been in communication with the manufacturer and is working to replace the lights as quickly as possible”.

There are still a few months to go in that process. Luckily, taxpayers and ratepayers aren’t on the hook for this. The light manufacturer is footing the bill for the replacement units. 

In the meantime, we are left with lights that are producing less light than they’re supposed to. While some people say this is a bit easier on the eyes, it does create a visibility problem for others. Local officials say they aren’t aware of any additional accidents caused by the lower visibility.

Ultimately, if you like the lights, enjoy them while you still can, and if you’re not a fan, you’ll be pleased to know the lights will be back to normal before long.