Q. Why aren't there any streetlights along two stretches of the H-2 Freeway? It's very dark and dangerous for drivers, and I'm surprised the state hasn't done something to replace lighting in the area. What's the delay?

A. State Transportation Department spokesman Scott Ishikawa said he's familiar with both areas mentioned by you and other readers. He said one is near the H-1/H-2 split and another is between Waipi'o-Gentry and Mililani.

But he doesn't yet have an answer for when the problem will be fixed.

That's because both areas were plunged into darkness by the recent thefts of copper wiring by vandals, Ishikawa said. He said it's not as simple as just putting in new copper wires, because the state would like to think of a way to secure them so they won't have to keep replacing them every time someone steals the wire.

Ishikawa said the state faces a related dilemma because the electrical code requires that streetlights be accessible immediately for emergency repairs such as when a vehicle accident knocks down a pole. So making them too secure could create other problems, he said.

Ishikawa said contractors actually completed wiring work on the H-2 lights last summer. The thefts of the wires occurred twice in the following months.

And he said the state asked its landscapers to clear the brush along the H-2 as much as possible to create fewer hiding places while they work on other solutions.

Q. Why have the Aloha Stadium lights been on every single night for weeks even though I don't see cars in the parking lot? If they're on a timer, this seems like a big waste of money.

A. Aloha Stadium secretary Susan Bannister said the lights have been on for the Hawai'i Collegiate Baseball League. She said college players from across the nation have been playing three games a day for weeks, with the last one usually starting at 7 p.m. She said you might not see many cars because "it's a small turnout for a free event." The games end Saturday, she said.

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