Created: 6/10/2009 11:08:25 PM 
Triad, NC -- North Carolina is so broke... the state is turning out the lights on drivers.
From Mebane to the Forsyth county line, interstate lights have been shut off. State traffic engineers say their budget crunch left them no choice. They've taken those drastic measures on nearly 45-miles of interstate. Turning the lights out could save the state as much as $100,000 a year. But the lights will stay on in places where engineers say drivers need it most. "We maintained the interchange lighting, that's the key, that allows them to identify... their location," says Department of Transportation division engineer Kelvin Jordan. A trucker tells WFMY News 2 shutting the lights off is a big mistake, and dangerous for any driver. The DOT reports seven more wrecks on the dark stretch this year compared to when it was lighted last year. Jordan says the lights could stay off for an entire year.
WFMY News 2
