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Neighbors light dark stretch of College Avenue

Posted at 9:32 PM, Sep 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-19 21:32:22-04

INDIANAPOLIS — People who live in a north side neighborhood, along College Avenue, have been waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel seems endless.

They're fed up with waiting, so they are taking it upon themselves to light up their dark city blocks.

RTV6 told you about this stretch of College, between 38th and 42nd Streets, along the new IndyGo Red Line route, where the street lamps haven't worked in months.

The leader of the neighborhood association said they were told some cables may have been severed during red line construction.

Now, with the help of IPL, the Indianapolis Fire Chief and several IMPD officers, the neighborhood association delivered more than 500 small, solar-powered garden lights to residents in that neighborhood.

It's their quick-fix to light the area and address safety concerns until the overhead street lights are fixed.

Volunteers left about four or five lights at each home and a note explaining the reason behind the effort.

"They see it as an appropriate stop gap. It's an interim solution,” Chelsea Marburger said. “We don’t think yard lamps are going to prevent street violence. We are not that naive. We do understand that shedding light to provide safety to see bumps and cracks in the sidewalks."

The neighborhood association says they've been told IPL has ordered materials to start the necessary repairs.