WACO, Texas — With power outages continuing throughout Central Texas into Wednesday, residents are noticing the areas that still have plenty of lights on amid calls of conservation by energy officials.
6 News received messages from residents concerned about the lights at McLane Stadium and the Brazos River bridges remaining turned on while residents are now going on multiple days without power.
"Wow, Baylor's football stadium is lit up, but I have family, friends that were chosen to be a victim of Oncor load shedding, for up going on 6 days," Chris Jones said in part on the 6 News Facebook page. "This is unethical, immoral and disgusting. No sense for this! Pure negligence!"
In response to questions about why lights remained on, a Baylor spokesperson clarified that some lights were on for security purposes. She added that the university does not control the bridge lighting.
“The main stadium lights at McLane Stadium are not on at this time," the university spokeswoman said Tuesday night. "The lights that are on currently are for security purposes. Given the power situation, we are working to reduce the lighting further. Baylor does not control the lighting for the bridges.”
Meanwhile, a Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson told 6 News that the lights at Brazos River bridges were turned off early Wednesday morning after the situation was brought to their attention. TxDOT cameras still showed the bridge lights on around 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
"For more than a week, TxDOT has been focused on responding to the historic, extreme weather conditions and working continuously to provide for the safety of the traveling public," the department said in a statement. "TxDOT strives to be sensitive to the power needs facing Texans and the department will do its part to conserve energy where possible. We appreciate Wacoans and the residents we serve bringing an issue to our attention."
The department noted the lights are operated in collaboration with the City of Waco.
"The aesthetic bridge lighting on the I-35 Brazos River Bridge is operated in a collaborative effort with the City of Waco," the statement said. "As soon as the continued operation of these lights was brought to our attention, TxDOT and the city worked together to resolve the issue, and the lights were turned off Wednesday morning."