AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - After almost six months, new solar-powered streetlights are bringing light back to most of Greene Street.

The temporary lights are expected to be in place for two to three years. After that, permanent ones will replace those as part of the downtown revitalization project that’s expected to start after Masters. Solar Led Yard Lights

Temporary solar lamps light up Greene Street in Augusta

But for now, people are just glad there’s something in place.

“I think it’s a great start with the solar panel lights that they have put in. It’s great for the environment,” said Daniel Scheiner, Greene Street neighbor.

Scheiner has been living on Greene Street for five years and says he’s glad he’s no longer living in the dark.

Since last summer, he says everyone on the street has been afraid of the dark.

“I was taking out my trash one night, and it was just dark, and this guy approached me, and he was just being friendly, but it put me on my guard because I didn’t see him coming. It was just entirely too dark,” he said.

His only reservation is the middle sidewalks from Second to Fifth Street going towards downtown are still dark spots. While it may look like it’s still a work in progress, it’s that way on purpose.

John Ussery is the director of traffic engineering. He said, “If you see a gap in the lights or one side has lights and one side doesn’t, that’s because of the trees that are there, we don’t want to cut down trees that we didn’t have to.”

Permanent new lighting for all of Greene Street will be coming in the form of a $50 million revamp of downtown, $13 million of which will go towards Greene Street.

“The Greene Street project should start sometime after Masters of this year, so the entire system will be removed and replaced,” he said.

But for now, Greene Street is looking at this temporary fix for the next few years.

Scheiner said: “I’m slightly excited, a little bit nervous about seeing how they’re going to put it in.”

It needs to be fully approved by the commission, which Ussery expects to happen in February.