More than 200 streetlights are in need of repair in the city of Portland, and officials are blaming a staffing shortage, supply chain issues and faulty parts.

About 180 decorative post lights need to be repaired as well as about 50 more modern-looking cobrahead streetlights. The city also is waiting for Central Maine Power to fix about 30 underground cable outages, which can put either a single light or an entire street of lights out of service.

Overall, the city has about 6,500 streetlights and 600 traffic signals. Fixes to cobrahead lights require a special license and must be outsourced. Repairs to the decorative lights can be made by qualified city staff.

But right now, the city has only one qualified person to maintain the streetlight system, though a second qualified technician is expected to join the staff in two weeks, city spokesperson Jessica Grondin said. “We plan to make significant headway in the backlog of repairs at that time,” Grondin said in an email.

Grondin said faulty parts have also been a problem with the lights. “They are under warranty and the manufacturer is cooperating,” she said. “Unfortunately, supply chain shortages have added to the delays as we have received some shipments and are waiting for additional parts.”

“All that being said, we strive to be responsive and to maintain infrastructure as best we can,” she added.

Some residents have been raising concerns about dark streets and sidewalks. Since January, the city has received more than 250 requests for streetlight repairs through its online See Click Fix portal. Some complaints have been about wires that are down, leaning poles or other issues, though the majority are about lights that are out.

“There are MULTIPLE street lights out on Continental Drive,” reads one complaint filed last week. “It makes it very dangerous to walk after dark. Almost the entire street is completely black after dark. It’s been this way for almost a year. PLEASE fix these street lights!!”

“The light on Cumberland Avenue directly outside of my apartment building … is pitch black,” reads another, filed two months ago. “I actually work for the city and come home very late at night. This neighborhood is rough enough but walking in the dark is just an added layer of concern.”

Those complaints are among many that have been acknowledged but not addressed.

At a City Council meeting last week, West Bayside resident George Rheault said he had heard from people in the Back Bay Tower, near the intersection of Cumberland Avenue and Mechanic Street, about streetlights that have been out for an extended period of time.

“That makes them very nervous when they’re out at night, when their dog needs to be outside and they’re wandering around the neighborhood,” Rheault said.

Amy Winn, the building manager, said the light at the corner of Cumberland and Mechanic has been out for about a year. “People have mentioned it’s dark at night in that corner,” Winn said. “The city is well aware. We’ve called several times, myself and several residents, and they just keep telling us it’s on the list.”

David Singer, spokesperson for the Portland Police Department, said that, according to the traffic sergeant, no incident reports have ever noted dark streetlights as a factor in a crash or public safety incident. “As stated in our Safety Tips section of the Portland Police (webpage), police advise pedestrians to stay in well-lit areas when possible,” Singer said in an email.

Acting Director of Public Works Mike Murray said some of the equipment that was installed after the city acquired its downtown streetlights from CMP in 2017 was found to be defective, so the city is working with the manufacturer on obtaining replacement parts. He also pointed to staffing shortages, as Grondin did.

“We’ve had a severe shortage of staff in our traffic division,” Murray said at last week’s council meeting. “There are three slotted positions that are qualified to be able to work on streetlights as well as the traffic signals, and since last September we’ve only had one of those filled.”

The outages are not concentrated in one place, but Grondin said there is probably a higher percentage of lights out around the North Deering neighborhood. District 5 Councilor Mark Dion, who represents that area, said at the meeting that he shares residents’ concerns.

Dion said he has been fielding complaints for months about “the public safety (issues) these pockets of darkness are presenting to our residents,” especially in more residential areas like North Deering.

“I’m well aware that the city has been taking significant steps to address that, but even I was taken aback that the last time I asked for the number of streetlights that were out, that it numbered near 200,” Dion said.

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