Turnpike woes extinguish lights on Zakim Bridge

How about just shutting off the lights after 11 pm (or midnight) from now until they resolve the deficit. (basically forever) We finally get something good out of the turnpike and the big dig and they cut it....

Billions in dept and they are coming up with ideas like "turn the lights off at night" to save a few thousand.

Well now I feel better...apparently we are working with great minds here.

Give me a break. If it wasn't so pathetic it would be funny.

wow... that really stinks! yes, we have to cut costs i guess, but it's such a nice looking bridge when lit.. it's become a staple in the city. :-(

awww that's so sad, but I understand the reasoning

makes a lot of sence - shut off the lights in a tunnel and save $5k a month versus letting go some useless top heavy brass of the MTA raking in over $100k - yup, makes a lot of sense

Glad to hear the authority is doing this - both from a monetary and environmental perspective, including the forgotten pollution: light pollution.

Are you kidding me. Is this the best they can do. They are going to save $120k per year for what. To hire another hack to the Turnpike. The bridge was built to have the lights turned on all the time. It cost millions to design and implement the lights. Now they are saying they can't pay for them. Cut the crap and put in lower use light bulbs. this is how stupid the state is. Pennywise and Dollar Foolish. Again we have a bunch of losers running the Turnpike. VOTE OUT ALL CURRENT HACKS in NOV 09!!!

I'm really getting tired of this city going "dark"...

This is a joke, the city should be ashamed of itself for this one. billions of dollars in debt and you need to extinguish one of the ONLY aesthetically pleasing things this city has. Get real Boston. Maybe if you didnt waste so much money on the over-budgeted big dig you could afford to give back to your citizens a little bit....

Maybe Duval Patrick should sell a few Cadilacs and stop giving his buddies pretend jobs with six figure incomes, then we could leave the lights on.

And that, my dear granchildren, was the end of civilization as we knew it in Boston...

$60,000 it saves a year.... come on!

What does the excise tax we pay go towards?

this is just ridiculous!! save some real money getting rid of the toll takers and all the do-nothing state troopers.

Maybe they should get rid of the over paid hacks at the authority.

Maybe they should get rid of the over paid hacks at the authority.

It sounds like the lights will be out tonight. That sucks! I'd love to at least photograph it one more night with the lights on. Guess I'll wait for better times to come when they turn'em back on again

You have got to be kidding me. They could lay off one deadbeat hack toll collector and pay to keep the lights on permanently.
This is obviously a move to shock the public into accepting toll increases.
It's time for a revolution with regard to the MTA. Someone needs to step up.

"Since it opened in 2002, the electric blue lights on the towering bridge have been nearly as identifiable with Boston as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris"

are you serious! lol, lol

You have got to be kidding me!!!!!!

How about eliminating one of the hacks at the MTA instead? We get more value out of that approach and still get to enjoy the skyline.

One laid off patronage hire would save more than 60 grand. If this is the turnpikes version of austerity measures it amounts to nothing more than an insult to the taxpayers. The Turnpike Authority needs go. Period.

LAME! This is exactly why Boston never registers with people the same way cities of similar size like Sydney or Berlin do (both cities with roughly 4.5 million metro). We don't showcase our city symbols.

If the TA is so desperate to save $60,000 maybe they could not hire another "administrative assistant".

The lights on the bridge are a bright little sign that Boston still has some life in it. Keep the lights and can a $60K tolltaker at the Pike.

I actually wish they turned them up a lot. Can hardly see the blue when the white lights are on. It was cool when the bridge was first done, it was just he blue lights. So with them shutting them off, you're not gonna notice a difference really.

Keep the lights on this iconic image of Boston

They should use the money they save to hire a couple of more cash collectors at the Allston tolls. Open up more lanes already!!!!!!

Totally agree, DG. When are joke public agencies like this going to be held to the same standards as the private sector? You *know there are a couple of total moron employees making $50-80K a year and do NOTHING.

Fire one of them, and keep the lights on forever...

While I applaud the soon-defunct Turnpike Authority's desire to save money, this is not the right solution. The Zakim Bridge is now a symbol of our city, and I venture that most Bostonians are proud of the way the bridge is illuminated at night. You want to save $5K a month? Eliminate one toll-collector position. It's laughable to begin with that many collectors are pulling in $60K annually. There's a year of illumination right there.

how did they justify spending that much on lights they don't need anyway?

Light it up!

Turning off the lights will also have environmental benefits. There are so many buildings (icons or not) that have meaningless external decorative lights blazing away at night.

Gotta be some do-nothing at the MTA we can fire instead...

If a cop sits in the break-down lane during rush hour on Rt 93 for no apparent reason, perhaps 1,000 drivers get to work 15 minutes late. If these 1,000 people make $25/hr, that is $6,250 of lost productivity a day. If that is done 10 weekdays a month, that is $62,500 of lost productivity a month.

Why not remove that cop? Seems a better solution that reducing the beauty of Boston, which will ultimately result in fewer paintings, book covers, etc, that feature our beautiful city. And that will lead to some level of fewer tourists. And the tourists feed the revenue of this city.

This makes no sense. Decisions made in a vacuum.....

They probably paid a consultant $100,000 to figure that out.

Right on DG. Its a publicity stunt, nothing more. One deadbeat toll collector, or 1/2 day's worth of corrupt police detail pay on the pike, or 3 hours work of attorney fees paid by the MTA to hide other big dig secretes. Wake up citizens, our wallets are being looted by the political/government worker class.

The MTA is saving a total of $60,000 a year by turning the decorative lights off at night. Aside from this being a complete PR move, I hate to see the lights go off. As the article said, night shots of the city usually display the bridge in all its glory; lit up in the forefront of the skyline. Try trimming $5,000 off the salary of 12 MTA officials, that would also cut costs. Or maybe get rid of the coffee makers in the offices. Honestly, there are so many different ways to trim $5,000 a month off their books, why do this?

I agree with DG. One toll collector would allow the lights to stay on. Besides, that's less than 1/30,000 of their fiscal problem (assuming $1.8 billion in debt!)

Give me a break. What about the guy the Globe ran a story on a few days ago who "works" in an abandoned bus depot in Dudley Square for $51K per year? What about the countless other useless MBTA employees (who get paid maybe more, maybe less, but still get paid entirely too much for their "work")? Ridiculous.

Ridiculous. I think we're all mostly in agreement here. Now how do we get them turned back on? Maybe I'll go create a Facebook fan page, "I be I can find 100,000 people who want the Zakim lights kept on at night".

Shouldn't the lights be on, on the bridge, for safety reasons?? Also, people drive bad enough through the tunnels, so lets turn off every 4th light... It all makes sense. NOT! Someone is trying to "think" and it just isn't working. Thank goodness the Governor is going to run again...Makes me feel better...NOT!

Are you kidding me? This bridge has become so closely identified with the city, and we are going to put it into darkness for $5,000 per month? Isn't there a point where the psychological effect outweighs the savings, especially when the savings are so miniscule? The dark bridge will be a constant reminder of the current financial climate, which is exactly what we don't need. Simliar to the mayor's decision to not fund security for the Tall Ships, aren't we doing more harm than good by missing opportunities to lift spirits and simply coming up with knee-jerk reactions. My doesn't the Pike Authority start by paring the ridiculous and outrageous salaries paid out to people who take tolls? Awful, awful decision - but what do you expect in the land of backwards thinking and corrupt government?

Im so happy those ugly blue lights are going off, hopefully for good! The blue looks so cheap and low class, hardly a step above lighting vomit.

What a joke -- people from the west are paying for this too. Get rid of the tolls on the Mass Pike or put the tolls on 93 right at the bridge

Boston is turning into a two dollar city, with all the buildings dark and not the bridge. If it saved 600,000 dollars, fine. But 60,000? COME ON. The MTA has millions of dollars of pork up and down the Mass Pike - but they think saving $60,000 is a big deal?

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON DONKEYS.

As long as toll-takers can keep raking in $100,000 a year. That's the important thing.

"Glad to hear the authority is doing this - both from a monetary and environmental perspective, including the forgotten pollution: light pollution."

Light pollution? Are you serious?

You know, while I realize there are a lot of overpaid people working at the Turnpike Authority, I wonder how many of you consider the ramifications for the families if those people get tossed out on their rear as many of you suggest. I guess you don't see a problem with taking away a family's livelihood (in the middle of an awful recession) in order to keep a few decorative lights on. Strange priorities.

They could save twice as much by laying off one of the useless management people who made this decision. It would not affect operations one bit. Shutting off the lights affects the moral of a whole city.

Now if Tom Bodet for Motel 6 worked for the Turnpike....this would never be happening!

A real loser move from the higher-up running the show!

This has to be a joke, right? Seriously. This is the turnpikes 'pity-party' attempt to say 'look, we're going to cut something so flagrant and public-facing, so it makes it look like we are really trying to cut costs'. We can see right through it, MTA. TERRIBLE.

$60,000 a year savings what a joke!!!! Once again proving that there is no leadership at the MTA or Beacon Hill for that matter or so called political leaders come up with shutting off the lights to save a few bucks...I have an idea close the whole agency One Term Deval, fold it into the Mass Highway System lay-off all the politically appointed do nothing hacks and save some real Money. What an absolute slap in the face to the tax payers of Massahusetts

The kicker is they probably hired someone to do an investigation on “how can we save money” and they came up with this gem. We probably paid them like $200k for the report. I love MA.

Here's an idea...and it's FREE!
Sell naming rights to all major roads, bridges, highways, tunnels, etc. Let companies do whatever they hell they want with them as far as advertising goes and THE COMPANIES can pay to maintain the area they "buy". Let's start thinking outside of the box people.

How symbolic.

How about a 5% cut in pensions received by all the retired Mass Pike hacks?How much would that save every year? $20 million?

Is this a joke?

Terribly dissapointing and short-sighted - but that has been the hallmark of the Turnpike Authority. Boston garners millions of dollars every month from tourists attracted to the Hub, and $5,000 is a drop in the bucket to light a landmark like the Zakim. sadly this is the type of decision making that brought us here.

ANGER!!!

"the towering bridge have been nearly as identifiable with Boston as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris"

What crack is this guy smoking?

I admit it's the green and economical thing to do - but reducing the time they are on (dark to midnite?) would still help and Boston gets to retain it's LOOK.

Wow, looks like they have finally done it 15 billion dollars later they will dim the only bright spot. What a disgrace, I will donate the first $5000.00 to keep the lights on. The Globe can reach me they know how.

The lights are useless and they dont even look that nice. Do you know how many hungry children you can feed with that money? We need to look at the big picture and stop complaining about some lights.

I sincerely hope they do not go through with this. This beautiful, iconic bridge is the jewel on the crown of the big dig and when the blue lights come on at night, it's spectacular. I never get tired of seeing it. MTA, please reconsider, please find another way to save $5k per month!

I love that iconic reminder of mass state excess

Save money? Ha-ha! Why don't they fire the lazy workers who sit in their trucks and do nothing during the day! Maybe they could use the money they'd save to actually clean up the highways and make them safer to drive on. Right now, 93 is a disaster! The worst highway in North America

You're comparing to Boston to Berlin? Berlin's city pop is roughly 3.5 million. Boston is what - 600,000? Boston is a tiny village compared to Berlin in terms of area as well (and in many, many other respects as well). The reason people don't equate Boston with Berlin isn't because of bridge lights....

It's a strange, wide, little spiky concrete brutalist double-wishbone, squat, high tension, concrete overpass that was bathed in a purplish light.

How about shutting the lights off at Boston City Parks. Driving home from the Celtics game last after 10:30 PM coming through the Tunnel near the Airport the nice new park was all lit up it is like this every day of the week. Turn them off

The Y Y Z bridge.

Stepping over dollars to pick up pennies

How about fixing the rest of the lights on I-93?! Instead they waste time putting up mesh walls next to the red line.

Rental- post #7- You may want to re check your math. It's 60K, not 120K. Good thing you don't work for the Turnpike...

The state is in fiscal chaos and this is the plan, give me a freakin break. As many have said the salary of one do nothing hack, never mind their bennies and lifetime pension would cover the cost of the lights. This story will be the joke of the day news story around the country. This is symbolism that is sure to backfire, I wouldn't want to be the hack Einstein who thought of this crazy idea tomorrow.

How about LIGHTS OUT BOSTON GLOBE!

Change your ideological entrenchment or change your job.

The lights should be turned off - and not because it will save $60,000 a year - instead they should be shut off because it reduces fossil fuel use to create electricity, reduces light pollution, and even saves the lives of hundreds of birds that would have otherwise become disoriented and killed by the bridge lights.

If your happiness and sense of "worth" revolves around the lights in the city - PLEASE MOVE TO LAS VEGAS!

Saving 5K a month? Really? How about shutting them off after midnight or something? This is like turning off the lights on the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, or the Space Needle. Other than the Customs Tower and Pru- there is no other iconic lighting in Boston. I think this is worth a call...

I agree with all of the points made about cutting top level hacks and their relatives working in the toll booths. I also think that the lights should be kept on. How about installing solar panels to help power them? It creates jobs and will eventually pay for itself.

Please keep the lights on this beautiful bridge. It is such an important symbol to so many! I'm sure a review of the MTA budget would identify alternative cost saving measures that would reduce the deficit without eliminating a Boston landmark! I'll volunteer to review and make recommendations! Does this represent the best thinking at the MTA?

What kind of weak-minded, selfish, hack bureaucrat would suggest that $60 measly grand is justification for erasing what has quickly become one of the most beloved, recognizable, and reproduced symbols of 21st century Boston? This is the final insult.

It is funny how the state has funds to support Obama's illegal immigrant aunt by providing her with city housing, but can't afford lights on the bridge.

Right now I can't seem to find decent solar 'white' lights - just the blue & yellow ones. I've no idea if there's a solar answer for the Z but it would be worth $60K (the amount saved in just 1 year) if some decent visible blue lighting could be installed. My $15 floodlight puts out pretty decent blue light that's bright most of the night. Is there an industrial solar option?

Small minds think small; $60K and Boston's image goes dark. With a little effort I bet 60,000 citizens would give a dollar each, or 120,000 would give fifty cents each. c'mon

shut off the lights and figure out how much they really NET in profit from having the toll collectors working through the night - how many cars going through the tunnels/turnpike after 11 or on Sundays? They pay double pay on holidays - how many cars actually going through the tunnels/turnpike to make it worth it? There are a lot of cuts they can make to save real money. Get rid of the high paying MTA workers and their high priced benefits.

Boston has definitely turned into a 3rd world city, starting with our illustrious mayor and the stalwart of honor and decency that is the MTA.

Evidently, Executive Director Alan LeBovidge does not understand the concept of materiality when it comes to cutting costs. Now I understand why the MTA has been unable to rescue itself from its financial mess with someone as clueless as he at the helm. Next thing you know, he'll start suggesting a bake sale for fundraising purposes.

Be thankful you at least have structurally sound bridges. Where I live, politicians dither over who is responsible for code inspections while the bridges fall into the river. From afar this looks like exactly what it is -- cover. It is a highly visible token gesture that will save next to nothing. Most all the commenters here seem to agree that larger and more effective savings could be had by jettisoning a few of the nieces and nephews on the payroll. With virtually every city and state in the same boat financially I have to believe that sooner or later the bueraucracies are going to have to start eating themselves.

Now THAT would be change I could believe in.

"Electric blue lights"?? Maybe when the bridge first opened, but you can barely see a tinge of blue when you're driving over the bridge these days. The lights have been white for several years because the agency hasn't been willing to spend the money to keep up the gels on the lights. It's a beautiful bridge; it can't be that expensive (compared with all those hefty salaries!) to do the job right. Keep the lights on--and make them blue again!

Totally!!! You mean to tell me they can't eliminate one slacker position that someones brother in law is doing and save just as much- if not more.
What a phony front this is to show how dedicated they are! Make everyone else suffer ... typical. This state is run by idiots and I hate to break it to all you Dems but Deval Patrick is idiot #1.

Identity goes out with our tax dollars...or is it our tax dollars bought a new identity? We spend more to get less.

Wow, you people will complain about everything. If the headline was "Study Finds Mass Spends $60k/ year to Light Zakim Bridge" everyone would be complaining that we shouldn't be spending so much to light a bridge. The fact is that the pretty blue lights on the bridge are not a necessity. They do make the bridge look nice, but the state needs to cut costs, even if it's lots of little costs. The article does not say that this is the ONLY thing they are doing to cut costs, but of course people will complain when they don't cut costs, and then complain when they do cut costs.
This is comparable to things people do in their own budgets to cut costs: Not going out to eat as often, dropping the extra channels from cable, shutting off lights in rooms you are not using, turning down the heat, etc. One of those things alone will not balance your budget, but the little things add up. Of course they need to make some other big cuts, but this is one of many steps they need to take.
Maybe a solution is to light the bridge for special events only.

Stupidest idea yet from the most incompetent public authority in the nation.

I agree with another poster's idea of keeping them on until midnight -- that would save $2,500 a month -- the salary of an unnecessary lower-level patronage employee.

Turnpike Authority has the highest number of employees per road-mile in the country. Fire some of those do-nothings already!

perhaps they should shut the lights all over the city which would save untold amounts of money and also increase the job security of muggers...

The lights inside the tunnels ARE safety measures. How does decreasing the amount of light inside the tunnel (by shutting off every fourth one) not decrease safety? One successful lawsuit (or settlement) based on poor lighting contributing to an accident will knock out any savings this harebrained scheme would create.

There's no need for this deadbeat agency to even exist. It should have been dissolved after the central artery was finished. The DPW can do what the LOSERS at the TA do. Disband it & look at the dough saved...needless salaries, pensions, & healthcare costs. & the lights on that bridge are not light pollution, idiot.

$5k a month is worth having millions of visitors admire Boston's architectural gems. There are dozens of other areas the MBTA can cut costs by 10x that don't negatively affect the city.

What a scam. How much did it cost for the installation of those lights to begin with? Now that cost is wasted because of the corruption & complete ineptitude of the Turnpike Authority. Who the hell handed over the reigns of this to them to begin with? Get rid of the Turnpike Authority, Then the voters need to start voting every single one of the State Legislators out. Not one of them is worth the bile they emit. The sorry fact is that even eliminating the MTA & voting out the current Legislators will do very little to cut the budget, because almost every one of them could live comfortably off the perks & benefits provided by the Mass Taxpayers. This state is getting more & more Rotten by the Day

Pathetic.
Bean counters not seeing the forest for the trees.
World class-less.

Unbelievable. The dumb decisions keep on coming.

How stooooopid is this? I agree with Thomas Edison Jr. - if you must shut the lights out how about after midnight. It's a magnificent structure and should be celebrated. It's Boston's version of the Eiffel Tower (besides the Citgo sign near Fenway).

Debbie in Chicago

This is the level of critical thinking that takes place at the Turnpike Authority? What's next on their agenda: Switching from 2-Ply to 1-Ply TP in the ladies room? Come to think of it., those urinal cakes in the men's room seem like an un-needed expense too...put that on the agenda.

In all seriousness, the lights on the bridge do have a function: To remind people that Boston is (or is supposed to be) a world class city. Maybe this decision is an indication that it isn't..
MGKDBA

Why are the lights so expensive in the first place? What kind are they? How about a short term investment in some solar panels on the bridge to power batteries which will light some blue LEDs? Built in energy source to power a low-wattage light. Short term investment, long term gain with low or nill electric bills with some nice lighting proudly showing off our new bridge. Is there some common sense here???

Pathetic. That bridge has become arguably the city's signature structure. They'll lose more in tourist revenue than they save in electricity. I sincerely hope this is temporary.

Rediculous!! Stupid!! And I bet they leave all the lights on those new eyesore billboards on. =-P

i agree with first comment lights should go off at 11pm or switch to LED's

I would like it to be LIGHTS OUT for the thieves on the turnpike who stole all that money (what happened to that?), the cops who got paid to drive their cars when they weren't driving their cars (don't worry, we know nothing will happen to them, nothing ever does), Matt Amorello's pension and all the other total ripoffs that they have perpetrated over the past 20 - 30 years.

There's no way those cost $5k a month to light up, LOL. Why not just stick some LED lighting in there to save money?

Idiotic. One of the most talked about features of driving into the city with the kids....

I'm from Wichita, Kansas. I say, layoff 2 hacks at the MTA, keep the bridge lights on and still save around 60K =P

I'm from Wichita, Kansas. I say, layoff 2 hacks at the MTA, keep the bridge lights on and still save around 60K =P

That photo is misleading. The blue lights on the bridge have not been that bright since at least two years ago. The lights are barely visible nowadays. Makes no difference.

Fire anybody making over $60k per year, and turn off the bridge lights at midnight.

An Engineer was paid $10's of thousands to design the lighting system. A Contractor was paid $100's of thousands to install the lighting system. $10's of millions were spent to make the bridge attractive. Now MTA claim's poor mouth. Turn the lights on! If MTA wants to save energy costs, fix the tunnel lighting systems so that the portal lighting (at the entrance to every tunnel) will operate only during the day as designed. This would save thousands of dollars per month. City Square Tunnel for example is way too bright at night because the MTA would rather just leave everything on then figure out how to fix it.

You have to laugh. Boston - far and away the least attractive "big city" in America, decides to save sixty grand by shutting down about the only thing it has done in 30 years to give it's sad life a face-lift. Smart move at a time the city is trying to attract new businesses and residents.

R4NGER
THANK YOU. You are right on.
I'm from Boston, was going to suggest something similar.

There are so many places in MA to choose from.
So much corruption, so little time.

If we're going to turn lights off, how about turning the office lighting off after-hours in all those government buildings around the city? Invest in the most energy-efficient lighting and occupancy sensors. There's certainly over $5K/month opportunity there. Whether you like the bridge or not, it's become a landmark monument for the city and its lighting differentiates it from any other urban jungle.

Mybe this is a good time for the brightest and greenest of Boston's minds to come forward with an alternative energy plan to light these lights.

And where would these solar panels go, exactly?? :sigh:

I love all the people from the PRC (People's Republic of Cambridge) whining about poor birds getting disoriented and light pollution (and I'm ignoring the idiotic "how many kids could that feed" comment - mainly because it has nothing to do with lighting the bridge). Look - like the bridge or not, it's a city icon now, like the Pru and the Hancock. They spent the money to install the lights. They have run the lights since the bridge was opened. The lights are part of the bridge, now. That's just the way it is. Let them run. $5K a month is a lot of money for most people. For a city it's, it's a drop in the bucket. The Pike Authority has a lot more problems that $60K a year for bridge lights. They're billions in debt. That's BILLIONS, with a "B", people - thousands of millions. Yes, I'm sure there (at least, i hope) there are more cuts coming to help balance it, but $60K is so small an amount in the face of the debt that it's almost nonexistent. Think about it: in 10 years, they "save" $600,000 (assuming the "saved" money doesn't go into someone's pocket). That's not even 1% of ONE billion dollars, never mind multiple billions. Short version - it doesn't do ANYTHING to help erase the debt. It's a silly idea, meant to cry poor mouth. I'm not buying it.

Oh - and to the poster who asked us to think of the poor toll worker's families: They make a huge amount of money to sit on their asses and take your $1.25 - usually they're rude, and slow. I have no sympathy for someone like that. Especially since I'm laid off right now. You think they're worried about MY family?

Only let the hacks turn the lights in the State House when work that will benefit the taxpayers of Mass. is being done. The State House electric bill will faul 90%. Now they go all hours of the night when the voters are sleeping and they sneak vote on their own raises. Once in awhile someone will get up and ask What about the voters in my District? Let them sleep it's only their Millions being spent on us they'll get over it don't worry..

I am sure someone else said it aready but I am sure there is at least one hack they could get rid of and save the lights.

They have enough hacks to fire that we could light up all the fire houses in Boston so none of the firefighters trip over a toothpick and claim a full disability.

That is crazy ridiculous! I agree with Tommy Edison. Shut the lights off after 11pm.

How about having Alan LeBovidge take one week off a month without pay instead of deilluminating the bridge. I am sure we would notice that a lot less and that would save the $5000.00 per month.

This aesthetic landmark is a monument to several ideals consistently and tirelessly espoused by Lenny Zakim. Mr. Zakim worked very hard to bridge the differences among those of different faiths within the Boston area. He did this by encouraging dialogue among the Jews, Catholics and Blacks regarding interfaith issues. Lenny Zakim (of blessed memory) prepared and shared materials to better enlighten non-Jews about Jewish customs and traditions, such as the week-long Jewish Holiday of Passover - which ironically began last evening. To diminish the Zakim Bridge's splendor, especially on this, the second evening of Passover when most Jews and many others will be enjoying the customary Seder meal with friends and family, is a thoughtless decision and a fiscal farce. Shame on you. "Chag Sameach."

Lehman Brothers CEO wanted to do the same thing with there Time Square sign....... Man if he had just turned off the lights the mess we had avoided......

almost EXACTLY ONCE CENT per MA resident .... I'll pay my family's 5 cents to preserve a unique landmark ... SOMEONE SPONSOR IT !!

Definitely makes sense.

Way too many useless lights in every city in the USA.

Makes economic and environmental sense.

Most of you people have no idea how wasteful we are in America because we have so much; it is time we turn out a few lights and save tax dollars, remember it is coming out of each of our pockets. Do you keep the lights on in your house all night, I think not. Should we then keep the lights on at Zakim Bridge because it looks pretty, no or maybe we should have Obama spot the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority a few billion dollars to waste power or just bail them out of debt with more taxpayer dollars? I wish people would use their heads to think instead of it being a hat rack.

This is just amazing. I can hear the fat cats at the Pike slapping each other on the back saying, "We showed them!" Sure cut the lights off - I mean after all why build such a great structure that has quickly become a symbol of Boston - that is not how a World-class city does things. But again this is the Turnpike Authority. Take away all the take home vehicles and pay mileage on official business - stop employee free tolls -- that will save far more than $5,000 a month. But the MTA has ZERO interest in saving money and running an efficient organization. They are laughing at us - screaming, "Patsys!!!'

Mickey Mouse response

HACKS!

are we going to shut off street lights next?

wow Dont think I have been THIS UPSET with my State in a long time.
I AM INSULTED, 5K COME ON

MONEY NEEDS TO BE TAKEN AWAY IN BONUSES AND ANNUAL SALARIES. NOT A PROJECT THAT TAX PAYERS PAID OUT THE ASS FOR . I WANT TO SEE THE BRIDGE I PAID FOR..

THE LIGHTS ARE BEAUTIFUL.
******** IS THERE ANYWAY TO PROTEST THIS, NOT FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE---- BUT RATHER DEDUCT STATE OFFICAL SALARIES 5 K A MONTH-------*****************
?????

**********

I know times are tough, but this doesn't seem to be the area to be cutting back. It was like the time they tried to take the Citgo sign away...bad idea. Then they told us we couldn't go to the top of the Hancock...

Would NYC turn off the lights in Times Square?

One of the nicest things to look at in the city and they want to take it away. How about shut off the lights on the 93 instead?

One of the most absurd attempts at saving. Use the money they were going to pay for the Governor's patronage jobs.

As the saying goes Massachusetts, "Last one to leave shut of the lights." I think it is happening....

The Authority has chosen to show that it does not matter what we think by doing it this way. This is a unilateral edict.

Shutting off the lights saves $60K/year?! This meaningless action by the Mass Pike doesn't even warrant an article. Write an article when they start cutting some true fat (headcount reductions + making remaining workers work past the age of 50). And possibly shutting off every fourth light in the Tip O'Neill Tunnel? Say it isn't so! This will no doubt be a Sunday/evening project with top $$$ paid to workers and the omnipresent police detail. Cha-ching! This state is a JOKE!

Losing Boston's most beautiful nighttime landmark to save $164 a day doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

Horrible idea. The bridge has become a landmark and $60,000 is nothing in the scheme of things. The beautiful bridge is one of the few rewards for years of big dig mess. This is absurd and makes Boston appear like a second rate city. This would not happen in Chicago or New York.

I'm glad I'm paying tolls on I90 to light a bridge on the other side of the city! It is two miles from the turnpike and not even visible from the pike.
What a symbol of misappropriation and taxation without representation. Stop kidding yourself if you think this is a little isolated example.
Our legistators don't get it. Every single legislator pretending to represent communities along I90 should be recalled.

UNBELIEVABLE! So now we can appreciate how cheap and lifeless the bridge is without the ambience of the lighting?! Count me as another tax payer fed up with bureaucracy cutting the wrong corners.

this is simply the stupidest idea i have ever read. someone needs to step in and reverse this.

They should never have built that financial extravagance in the first place, but it was just a few hundred million more in a $15B project. Shut the friggin lights off. Then try trimming staff and bringin benefits and workloads in line with the private sector. That's a strt.

It seems quite humorous on how foolish the turnpike can be. On a consistent basis the turnpike authority continues to increase tolls to offset current expenses and continue to reduce services they provide on these roadways with lack of maintenance etc. Has anyone at the turnpike authority heard of living within your means and get a grip on reality of the true issues?? I think at this point the tunpike should pull over and let someone else drive the real cost down that are significant cuts and not appease us with a petty $60K a year savings. The sad part is we paid someone over a $150K year to come up with this??

ATTENTION MASS HIGHWAY!
Here's another cost savings idea. You may want to check the switch on
the I-93 North Sullivan Square/Somerville exit street lights there always on. Night and Day!

Turning off the lights is a great idea!
But turn them off from 1:00 AM. This town goes to sleep early. No need to keep the candles burning when everyone has gone to bed. But leave the lights on in the evening. The Bridge, all lit up, makes for a great showcase shot of the city during major sporting events.

In fact, the entire city could cut electrical cost if every 4th street light was turned off at 2 PM, and how much electricity could be saved if the entire state followed suit?

i say we dump 6 million pennies on the state house steps and tell them to turn the lights back on

Only backward places go dark.

This sucks. We spend billions of dollars on a project way over budget, and when it is finally finished and looks nice....................We turn off the lights to save a few bucks?? What are we Detroit? How about we keep the lights on and stop giving govt workers millions in overtime.

Why not shut off the Citgo sign and the beacon on top of the Hancock Tower too?

I agree this is not the place to save money for the MTA. The Zakim Bridge is one of the not to many, bright sites in the city. I wonder how much they're going to pay the hack to make sure the lights stay off... $60k to start maybe!?

Why isn't this being lit with solar power? It's not like anything would be in the way...and it would demonstrate the city is committed to using alternative energy!

Public administrators always cut where it hurts the most or is most visible.

Usually it's town dump hours or high school sports.

Turning off the lights on a nice looking multi-billion dollar bridge is so freaking petty. It's what public administrator do. An good example of public administrator decision-making.

This is a great way to save money, and the environment. There's no need to keep the lights on at all, except maybe for holidays. And even when the good times return, why do the lights need to be on any later than 11 pm?

This also begs the question, could the bridge be outfitted with solar panels, modest sized wind turbines, or perhaps even tidal turbines to create sufficient energy for the lights so the bridge would be self-sustaining in terms of its energy consumption? If the energy used to burn the lights could be produced on-site, then the bridge would be a beautiful thing to behold in more than just the obvious sense. It would also be a beacon for sensible energy use.

Please.....This is nothing more than a political stunt by Turnpike hacks. Oh my! They must really be desperate! Someone please save the Turnpike!

If there was ever a good place to add wind turbines the top of each tower would be it. Wake up people!!!! There should be wind turbines everywhere! Newburyport just put in a massive one. People complain about price of this or the management of that but never do anything about it.

How about losing the it is going to ruin my view and start with it is going to improve everyone's lives!

1) No one outside of the 128 belt recognizes this bridge. It is not an iconic image of Boston. To think that tourists other than structural engineers care about this bridge is insane. As a cable stayed bridge it is extremely short, being notable only for being (a) the widest, (b) having a cantilevered lane, and (c) having a south approach span that is far too steep. That is it.

2) Yes. Light pollution. You know that in most parts of the world that you can actually see stars in the sky at night?

3) The attitude displayed on this board is the entire reason expenses are so high. It all starts with "it is only $64,00 a year! Leave them on". Do that enough times, and you start spending real money.

How about retrofitting the bridge with solar panels to light them

Unbelilevable! The bridge is so symbolic of Boston and one of the most photographed new archecture. I enjoy driving over the birdge at night as it is lit. I think this idea will darken the city and provide only provide a sober mood.
I can't believe that this solution to save money. I'm outraged.

Ridiculous indeed. Fire some overpaid crony who does nothing and turn the lights back on (and, yes, powered by *solar panels*; excellent idea, mike)

Aren't there ways to save money without detracting from the city's look? I would think there are numerous ways to save money better than this.

No matter what the government tries to do to save money people complain. Do you want a higher gasoline tax? This is a recession, big time. Tourists come to Boston to see the historic sites. They did so long before that bridge was built.

Ridiculous. Get rid of a single no-show hack job and fund the lighting forever.

Or how about the sweet construction detail gig that the police unions won't let go of? This happens nowhere but in our corrupt state. It's criminal.

That's what they mean by "Last one to leave the state please shut off the lights"

As to the prior comment:
1) No one outside of the 128 belt recognizes this bridge. WRONG.
-It is not an iconic image of Boston. WRONG AGAIN.
-To think that tourists other than structural engineers care about this bridge is insane. As a cable stayed bridge it is extremely short, being notable only for being (a) the widest, (b) having a cantilevered lane, and (c) having a south approach span that is far too steep. That is it. LOOK GYRO....there are plenty of people that care about that bridge and the structural engineers that are vested with an opinion on this are minimal. We drive on it and look at it daily.

2) Yes. Light pollution. You know that in most parts of the world that you can actually see stars in the sky at night? MOVE to North Dakota. This is the CITY.

3) The attitude displayed on this board is the entire reason expenses are so high. It all starts with "it is only $64,00 a year! Leave them on". Do that enough times, and you start spending real money. GO TELL IT to AIG. Did you send THEM a warning?? We ARE talking minimal expense which can be offset by cutting all the pork in the MTA budget. Those lights better be shining!

In these times of sucking it up -- making sacrifices at work and at home -- it's a gift to have one's breath taken away at the site of the Zakim Bridge at night.

60k a year saved... if we had another 1000 bridges we could save $60 million .... still a coupla billion short... way to go, MassPike!

Awful decision!! Horrible! This is a ridiculous way to "save" money . Ironically, I'm SURE the Mass Turnpike Authority will find MANY other ways to spend that same money (like hiring their friends and relatives into cushy jobs)! It's an outrage. A completely manipulative Public Relations tactic.

Maybe they should stop filling in all of the potholes in order to save money.

Hook up a few bikes to a generator and have the Mass Turnpike brass peddle to keep the lights operating.

Glow in the dark paint.
Solar lights.
Torches.

Thank you Bostonians for your passion. Anyone see the lighting festival during the Rose Kennedy Greenway inauguration last year? Oct 1st- 5th.
go to google : illuminaleboston ( they have a website too/ click on projects)- before + after- truly seeing Boston in a different light.
All the lighting designers in area donated their time- and MFRS donated their energy efficient LED's - they banded together without City support and made a huge visual difference- night time photgraphers were out in force...even latin
dancing on Northern Ave bridge- BRAVO! come back, we need you

It always made me proud to bring a friend from out of town in from Logan, across that gorgeous bridge all lit up. Now it's just gunna be another mass of dark concrete. Dear whoever made this decision: YOU SUCK.

Turn it back on!

At least they were honest and said it was to save money, instead of blathering about "carbon footprint." I give them a lot of credit for that. It's so easy to lie nowadays when you're a bureaucrat or politician.

Instead of turning off the juice, they should put a $10 toll on the bridge for every single occupancy car and a discount $8 toll on HOVs.

Why not get rid of the bloated salaries of the turnpike authority. What a bunch of nitwits, shutting the lights off. Must be one of Deval's pals who came up with that idea..bunch of fools.

Pathetic publicity stunt.

A cynical and mean-spirited move. The Zakim Bridge is like a blue beacon and it is beautiful when you see it from the Redline subway going over the river. I would rather see the CITGO sign go dark than have the Zakim bridge go dark. Let's fight this stupid and cynical gesture from the Turnpike Authority.

Time to cancel the fireworks.....Is this really going to make a difference??

I question the $5000 per month figure. That works out to about $1700 per night. At 20 cents per kwh that is 8500 kwh per night or about 850,000 watts for a 10 hour night They might be using that much with a lot of other stuff thrown in but there is no way those blue lights are using that much electricity. My 20 cents per kwh comes from my bill. Large institutions typically pay a lot less wh.ich means they would be using even more electricity

I have been hearing the $5000 a month figure on all the news outlets and everyone is repeating it without any critical thinking. This is very weak journalism. I think the true motives have a lot more to do with symbolism than anything else.

I'm surprised it hasn't collapsed yet. It was built by amphetamean jacked union morons who built it with old concrete and silly putty.

When lighting with colored light, LEDs are by far the best solution. Look at the Garden next door. Extremely energy efficient. Minimal maintenance. No gels filters, etc. Get with the program like other first class cities...

2 Observations:

1. Can naming rights to the bridge be put out to bid to pay for the blue lights? Sorry Zakim!

2. Can the Globe require all respondents to these blogs pass a 10-question intelligence test. The majority of the responses here are embarrassingly ignorant.

Aside from the real problem that this could be perceived as a gross insult to our local Jewish community...sigh...here's my solution. Dismiss the employee who made this poor decision, and contribute their salary to keeping one of Boston's city symbols illuminated. Do, or just turn the lights back on, or so help me you'll see ten thousand citizens of Red Sox Nation in a nocturnal demonstration on the that bridge, with flashlights! Don't think we can't, or won't...

This state is a joke! complete idiots are ruining this state!
Wake up America - this is what happens when democrats are in control!!!

This reminds a lot of 1973. That year Nixon had everyone turn down or turn off Christmas light displays to save energy because of the oil embargo..never admitting that his taking us of the gold standard and opting out the Bretton Woods agreement in mid-1971 was the culprit for destablizing the dollar and sending our oil bills soaring from having to start importing oil for the first time. Boston did its share by lowering the lights on all public displays. Buildings that had been brightly lit before had no or very little lighting that Christmas. And you know, I really don't think we really ever recovered from that. A lot of other things began to happen after that in our economy that were not good.
The Zakin lighting is a metaphor for our times as well, like the dimming the Christmas lights in the winter of 1973.

other t

Another stupid ass decision made by a stupid ass administration.

It's a beautiful Boston landmark named after a beautiful man.

It's very sad indeed.

Mike #178, your calculations are off. $5000 / 30 is about $170 a night, not $1700. Those high intensity lights do draw a LOT of current. Maybe a solution is to replace them with more efficient lighting, but of course the up front cost of them would be a problem when they are already having money issues.

That's why cars have headlights !!
Use them !!

Shut off the Zakim Bridge Blue-Lens Lights. We will all get through this tragedy....and wake to a new dawn; I promise.

Yawn....

I'm betting that the $5,000 per month is overstated substantially, but every bit saved helps. I would prefer to read about a few hacks gertting cut. Instead I hear of new programs in the bloated education system - how many of our tax dollars are going towards measuring BMIs for students in the new program?" I didn't see that little detail in the Globe article. How much impact do you think the measurment of BMI will have on the behaviour of children and their parents? Just another unfunded entitlement program to steal from hard working citizens.

Joe #184 -- What are you Walt Whitman??

First of all; if you are looking for someone to pin the blame on about destabilizing the American Dollar; you need look no further than the paper-machete American-apologist Obama. The mass-production of money without a Gold Standard under Obama since January is the highest in American History; projected to leave over $1.7 Trillion in Deficit as a debt for our children.
Way to go Obama; you liberal loser....Socialist Anti-America Apologist !!!!

Oh, and the bridge-lights: "It's a bridge, not your porch". Shut 'em off....who cares"? You sit up staring at the bridge all night? You zip across the Zakim going about 80mph with your headlights on.... It's over in under 1 minute....

I think everyone will live through this !!

Oy vey! First the pretty bridge lights... what's next in this time of economic turmoil and collapse! Will that fat cat lard arses at the Globe lose their big houses in Lincoln?! ohs nos!

first we can't walk on it, now we can't look at it after sunset.

unnecessary, decorative lights shouldn't be on in the first place. turn off the pru, the citgo, and the rest of them! save some energy and reduce carbon emissions!

I am amazed at how this angered many for some idiot's short-coming ill-advised thought to do something like this. Not too many shining stars in this city's landscape and they decided to shut the lights on the showcase piece.

It's like going to a museum to see the crown jewel, but ooops, sorry - they have it covered. Get real - when do we get to vote these idiots out of office? I am starting to agree - the democrats are ruining this state; and I'm a democrat. God save Boston from these morons - SOON!

Oh no! I'm a Boston native, who is living in Utah at the moment, and moving BACK TO BOSTON this Summer. I LOVE the feel of driving on the bridge with lights. Would be nice to leave them on until 11PM or so, as someone stated in one of the comments. Understandable......Money! However, it HAS become a Landmark!

How bout the corrupt National Grid pay for this service for free as it is an iconic Boston landmark. They would get recognition and hey maybe we can call it the "Leonard P Zakim Bunker Hill National Grid Electric Dot Com Backslash Bridge"

Berlin and Boston are about the same size Central Squared, if you measure by Metropolitan Area or not city limits. Your right about city population with Boston at 680,000 and Berlin at 3,400,000, but the The Metro area for both is around 5,000,000 - the total square mileage for both Metro areas is about the same size. And Rick Racki - "Boston is the least-attractive big city in America?" Are you serious? BTW, the decision to turn the lights off is ridiculous.

In its own way, it's one of the tourist attractions to Boston. I agree, no one comes just to see the Zakim bridge lights (maybe some do, I'm just spoiled because I live here and enjoy them every time I drive by at night), but the beauty of them on tourist info brochures certainly helps makes Boston an appealing destination for those people and families that need places to stay, places to eat, places to shop, and places to visit.. Turn them off after midnight
If the 16,000,000 tourists we (according to an AOL site) kick in a dime apiece, its paid for...and they shouldn't have to, so if we're all charged a Zakim surcharge of 2 cents per year somewhere, I'll pony up right away.

$5,000 a month for lights??? What kind of shady electric bill markup is this?

It's about time this town started saving money & resources instead of consuming it for the sake of "it looks nice". People who think it's a minor savings need a little more education.

Shut off for a month or two ... Save a lot of money. Can they think twice spending too much money on this foolish thing?

Oops ... Why not shut off for 6 months or longer -- save $$ Foolish to spend too much money on this. The recession is bad.

I think it's a great idea to turn off unnecessary electric lights.

To me, there is no question the bridge should be lit. The dusk photo of the unlit bridge looks depressing. Switch to LEDs and save $$ that way. I can't imagine the folks in NY and NJ turning off the lights of the George Washington Bridge. MassPike, you are a bunch of fools.

Very sad, TPA remember we are just entering the tourist season, people from all over the world will be visiting the amazing "City of Boston". To shut the lights out on them seems unwelcoming. The bridge offers such a unique and memorable impact when entering Boston, perhaps this decision can be revisited

Jasonos # 178 you are correct it was a long day for me yesterday. I was off by a decimal point. It is $170 per night which comes out to about 85,000 watts to light the bridge at residential power rates. My point still stands. There is no way those blue lights are using 85 thousand watts of power. Instead they are probably talking about the power bill for the entire bridge.

here we go again. another moron doing something. to save some chump change. at least the toll taker earned there my with there heads high. maybe the gov. of this state .wil find some good jobs for these hard working toll takers. like did for for the higher ups......

Who is paying for the CITGO Sign in Kenmore Square?

Light the bridge from dusk to midnight

Another stupid plan.

The MTA is a joke - the whole lot of the idiot crooks running the show over there should be tarred, feathered and run out of town. I've never heard of such bold fiscal abuse and financial squandering go unpunished for so long. And Deval Patrick is just a buffoon; he has no clue. He'll lead this state into absolute despair.
Light the bridge - get rid of the real waste: those 'running the show'. People need to get out and vote.

P.S. This is the MTA and the State trying to coerce us into agreeing to pay more in tolls and increase taxes. It's blackmail, pure and simple.

Leave the lights alone for goodness sakes..............a pittance compared to lots of real waste in budgets ....

I think America is in for a very rude awakening. We have not even begun to see the economic devastation awaiting us. Maybe liberal democrats will now have some understanding that the 'tax and spend' philosophy of the Left DOES NOT WORK! The government was not created to solve our problems, it was created to oversee our liberties. We are now at a critical point in this country's young history where the concept of 'land of the free' will become fodder for future history buffs and tales for the young.

Leave the lights alone for goodness sakes..............a pittance compared to lots of real waste in budgets ....

It seems absurd to be worried about saving pennies when billions of dollars are at issue? Please leave the bridge lights on. It is a gorgeous structure and illuminates the city in many ways. Why don't we try to recoup the millions lost, according to the State Auditor, by the T on the Charlie Card system? This small effort regarding bridge lighting is clearly not the best way to solve any financial crisis.

So the lights being out is the fault of liberal Democrats? I seem to recall a Republican run House, Senate, and White House spending like there was no tomorrow, running up quite a messy deficit. Remember when Bush told all Americans to tighten their belts, to sacrifice for the good of country and the war effort, to do without one of your two SUV's so that we would have enough resources to protect our soldiers? No? Yeah, me neither. I guess the economy is a mess because of the liberal Democrats. Well, stock up on guns and ammo because the government is coming after our liberties. Oh, and turn the lights back on.

The pathetic trio (Boston Mayor, State DA and current Governor ) should be working 24/7 to get the money back from the horrible job done on the Big Dig first and foremost.

Caring for 1 second about lights on a bridge is moronic.

How about shedding some of the ridiculous pension and health care expenses (way above what private contractrors earn) that are paid to Turnpike employees?
How about seeking bids from "market rate" contractors, instead of always using the "prevailing" (i.e., highest union) wage?
How about charging tolls on some of the currently free, connector roads that benefit from the bridge or central artery?
Ok, congratulations, you got everyone's attention -- now balance the budget the old fashioned way -- by cutting spending

What highly paid lacky came up with this asinine idea? How about laying him/her off, save the money that way. It's an icon. Would they shut the lights off on Bunker Hill or the State House? I doubt it.

Horrible idea. I look forward to seeing the blue lights whenever I come back to the Boston area for a visit.
It is one of the best known and loved landmarks in Boston now. Should not turn off the lights. No way.

The Zakim Bridge lights are absolutely beautiful. At least half the year I'm driving over the bridge before the sun comes up, and the sight of the bridge lights, as well as the lights of the beautiful old buildings, is breathtaking. Totally makes the pre-dawn drive worth every minute.

I agree that shutting off the bridge lights but keeping the huge salaries and bonuses of useless government employees is ludicrous. Just think of the millions wasted in the dubious construction and accounting practices of the Big Leaky Dig! And now they're crying about the bridge's electric bill!