Buckhead tunnel lights fail after $2.7 million upgrade; Georgia Power responds

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The new LED lighting system in the Georgia 400 tunnel was repaired over the weekend after Georgia Power was forced to turn it off.

It’s the first prolonged outage in two years following a $2.7 million replacement project completed in 2023.

The tunnel’s northbound and southbound lights were turned off in early September after the new electrical panel burned out, according to internal Georgia Department of Transportation emails obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates. The emails reveal that a blown breaker, a damaged conductor, and burned wiring were the causes of the outage.

A lighting engineer acknowledged that the incident occurred after repairs were approved for a damaged contactor, but the repairs weren’t completed in time, resulting in another major outage in the tunnel, also known as the Atlanta Financial Center Tunnel and the Justus C. Martin Jr. Tunnel.

Drivers weren’t warned about the outage, despite Georgia DOT design plans requiring daytime lighting in tunnels longer than 410 feet. The sudden transition from bright daylight to darkness poses significant safety risks, particularly for older drivers and those with vision conditions.

“If people have cataracts or macular degeneration, they may not adapt at all,” Dr. Wesley Hansen, an optometrist, said in 2023. Eyes can take up to 15 minutes to adjust to the contrast from bright to dark conditions, and for some drivers, the adjustment may never occur.

Following investigative reports and growing driver frustration, GDOT and Georgia Power agreed to the $2.7 million replacement project in 2023. Crews installed more than 700 new LED lights and relocated the electrical panel to prevent future flooding issues.

“Georgia Power repair crews worked closely with our partners to repair the tunnel lighting after electrical issues developed, causing a partial lighting outage,” Southern Company spokesperson John Kraft said. “To prevent further damage, the full system was deenergized until repairs could be made.”

Kraft said the work had been scheduled for some time, but crews had to wait for the necessary parts to arrive. One additional part will be installed this week, and the lights should remain on during the work, he said.

Georgia Power offered a maintenance contract when it proposed the new lighting system. However, GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said, “The financial tunnel is one of the very limited locations statewide that GDOT maintains lighting authority.”

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