You may have noticed some highway lights are out across the Lowcountry.
It's an issue ABC News 4 has been reporting on since August of 2020, but the issue has not been resolved.
On Thursday morning we saw highway lights out on I-26, I-526, The Ravanel Bridge and the James Island Connector.
"One thing that was a cause for concern was the long stretch on 526 between I-26 and Daniel Island. There's over 70 lights out in that area," said ABC News Traffic Expert Trooper Bob.
Trooper Bob said he has seen the issue grow over the last year and it's a danger for drivers during their morning and late night commutes.
"What if your family member was broken down at night time, raining and someone is approaching them at interstate speeds in an area that shout be lit, but it's not lit up," said Trooper Bob.
SCDOT said electrical components fail over time, and the SCDOT signal shop engineering handles all of the outages.
"Maintaining our highway lighting is a continuous effort, so those lights may go out from time to time due to the fact that it's outdoors and it varies by weather," said Brittany Harrior, Public Information Coordinator SCDOT.
SCDOT said electrical components fail over time, and the SCDOT signal shop engineering handles all of the outages.
They take all maintenance issues seriously, but sometimes there isn't a fast fix, SCDOT said.
"Time frames for repairs vary on each location. Median barrier light or bridge lighting requires more complex traffic control then shoulder mounted lighting," said Harrior.
Money also plays a factor.
"Therefore repairs are strategically targeted to balance cost effectiveness, and time effectiveness of the repair," said Harrior.
SCDOT said repairs come from the general maintenance fund and typically projects are grouped together.
"Repair work is usually balanced with other work that needs to be done. Like pothole patching, drainage maintenance, sign replacements and traffic signal repair. If lighting needs to be repaired, it is typically packaged in with another bigger project to encompass it all at once," said Harrior.
ABC News 4 asked SCDOT when the lights we reported out could be repaired. We are still waiting for answers.