Family Reacts as Baton Rouge Overpass Lights Remain Dark After Fatal Hit-and-Run

Three months after a hit-and-run collision left a 39-year-old man dead on a pitch-black Baton Rouge overpass, the tower lights remain unlit and city officials say a permanent fix is years away. “He’s not just another number. He’s a human being,” Martina Brooks said of her late brother, John Le Nguyen, speaking to WBRZ.

The Greenwell Springs Road Overpass Remains Dark

Back in July, a vehicle struck Nguyen on the Greenwell Springs Road overpass where it crosses Airline Highway. When WBRZ reporters visited the scene three months ago, crews found only a single half-lit tower operational. City-parish officials indicated at the time that replacement parts had been ordered through Entergy.

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Last week, however, a follow-up check revealed that none of the tower lights functioned on the overpass. EBR Transportation and Drainage Director Fred Raiford explained that repairing the lighting grid involves far more logistical complexity than residents might expect. The city wants to pivot toward solar-powered infrastructure at key intersections across Baton Rouge, but the financial hurdle remains steep at roughly $10,000 just to replace a single tower and its associated fixtures.

“Once we make the commitment to solar, then everything that would be on Airline Highway, even lights that are on local roadways, we would look at using solar for the future,” Raiford told WBRZ.

Current civic priorities focus primarily on the Interstate 110 corridor stretching from US 61 to the I-10 interchange. Raiford noted that if that major interstate initiative moves forward, he would consider ordering five additional lights specifically to address the Greenwell Springs and Airline Highway overpass. Even under an optimistic timeline, that overarching infrastructure overhaul sits a couple of years away.

That leaves the stretch of roadway in complete darkness while families continue to demand accountability. “It’s still pitch black over there. It is just so unfair,” Brooks said. Beyond pressing for infrastructure repairs, Nguyen’s family continues to urge anyone with information regarding the driver who struck him to come forward.