SAN DIEGO — Residents of San Diego neighborhoods are expressing growing concerns about safety as the Vermont Street Pedestrian Bridge remains in darkness due to non-functioning lights for several months.
The bridge, which connects University Heights and Hillcrest, has been without adequate lighting since August 2024, as reported by community leaders.
This situation has forced many locals to avoid crossing the bridge after dark, significantly disrupting their access to nearby shopping and dining options.
One resident, who regularly uses the bridge, described the situation by stating, ‘It’s pitch black at night, and it’s a death call, for sure.’
The lack of lighting is heightening existing safety concerns, particularly as unsheltered individuals can sometimes be found on the bridge during the day.
Recent visits by CBS 8 have highlighted the presence of police and fire department personnel responding to incidents involving unhoused people on the bridge.
Deborah Morrison, secretary on the University Heights Community Association (UHCA), voiced her alarm about the safety risks, saying, ‘The danger is there because sometimes when you can’t see from one end of the bridge to the other and you get halfway across, and somebody is laying there, and you don’t know what kind of mental condition they’re in. It’s frightening.’
City records indicate that over 30 maintenance reports for the bridge’s street lights have been filed in just this year through the city’s “Get It Done” initiative.
However, residents are frustrated by the repeated missed deadlines for repairs, with Morrison noting, ‘Twice, they said they would be out in November. Then they said it was going to be the end of April, and now they said it’s undetermined.’
Anthony Santacroce, a spokesperson for the city transportation department, confirmed the ongoing issues with the lighting.
Despite repairs completed last fall, continuous vandalism and tampering have led to recurring failures of the lights.
Santacroce elaborated that the anti-theft light boxes cost around $400 each and could take up to two months to deliver.
This scenario at the Vermont Street Pedestrian Bridge is part of a larger issue in San Diego, where more than 5,000 street light maintenance requests are pending and repairs are taking an average of 500 days.
The city has cited budget constraints as a significant contributing factor to these delays.
In a statement, city officials said, ‘Unfortunately, due to current budget constraints, all general fund overtime has been suspended and our streetlight electricians are currently fully committed to meeting legally mandated underground utility locate requests, which limits our ability to perform routine streetlight maintenance. At this time, we are only able to respond to emergencies such as pole knockdowns or hazardous electrical conditions.’
Marc Johnson, president of the UHCA, emphasized the need for prioritizing bridges like Vermont Street due to their importance for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
He argued, ‘When you look at prioritization, something like this, where it’s a lifeline and supports the city’s climate action programs, encouraging biking and walking, this kind of major throughway should be prioritized higher than others.’
The office of Councilmember Stephen Whitburn has labeled the lighting issues as urgent and is working with city officials to ensure that repairs are given priority.
Originally built and rededicated in 1994 to replace a wooden trestle bridge demolished in 1979 due to safety concerns, the Vermont Street Pedestrian Bridge is crucial for connecting the residential University Heights community with the commercial district of Hillcrest.
image source from：https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/working-for-you/broken-lights-vermont-street-bridge/509-cbf61032-1631-4538-9a4d-ef438f18d006
