Streetlight bids ‘good’

Bids for the streetlight upgrade along Prospect Street were opened last week and look good, said the city’s senior traffic engineer.

The project involves installing new circuitry for 81 lights in the gutters along Prospect between Genter Street and Torrey Pines Road. The new system will replace the aging one that has been compared to a string of Christmas lights where when one light bulb goes out they all go out.

In addition, the historic light poles will be upgraded to allow Christmas lights to be plugged into the poles instead of into nearby buildings.

Ahmed Aburahmah, who recently attended a Promote La Jolla meeting with Patti Boekamp, deputy director of the city’s transportation department, said it would be at least two months before the bid is awarded and construction can begin.

As posted on the city’s Web site, the bids ranged from $675,580 to $899,120. The posted estimate was $848,000

Promote La Jolla has been working with the city to get the project moving for several years.