Omaha's "String of Pearls"

[iamjacobm]

The hail storm the other night destroyed many of the "String of Pearls" lights.  Apparently it will cost 500K to replace and the WOWT boards are going wild at the thought of replacing them.

[Brad]

String of Pearls to shine on Buffett crowd

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120207/N ... fett-crowd

The damaged fixtures will be replaced with energy-saving LED bulbs — a change that officials say could save up to $150,000 in annual energy costs. The city hopes to replace all the string's bulbs with LED technology within five years.

[Big E]

I laugh every time I see those words...

Laugh.

[nativeomahan]

All snarkiness aside, why has it taken 6 months to repair these light fixtures that line Omaha's front door?

[Brad]

All snarkiness aside, why has it taken 6 months to repair these light fixtures that line Omaha's front door?

If I remember right they were a custom order and they are being upgraded to more energy efficient LED lights.

[Seth]

On my trip to the airport last weekend, they looked just as broken as the day after the storm.  I guess the parts must still be on order?

[nativeomahan]

They are almost all repaired.  I drove the route on April 24 and there were only a few dozen broken fixtures left, and repair crews were at work as I drove by.

[Seth]

Wow, I must have missed that.  I left town on the 22nd and it seemed like quite a few were still broken.  At that rate, they'll be finished pretty soon.

[Brad]

Omaha's 'Pearls' shine again

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120429/N ... hine-again

The “String of Pearls” lining Abbott Drive are glowing again, just in time to welcome Berkshire Hathaway shareholders arriving in Omaha this week.

Finishing touches on the set of lights along Abbott Drive were largely completed last week, said City Traffic Engineer Todd Pfitzer.

[Linkin5]

They have got to stop calling this string of pearls.  They might as well change the name of Gene Leahy Mall to Cream Pie Park.

[Big E]

In Seattle the babe is also lined with a string of pearls.

http://ridetheslut.com/

[Omababe]

I flew in last night and several of them were still dark.

In fact, I considered the streets in the Eppley area to be poorly lit!

[nativeomahan]

Every city should welcome tourists with a pearl necklace...

[cdub]

I flew in last night and several of them were still dark.

In fact, I considered the streets in the Eppley area to be poorly lit!

Thats why we have headlights.  Seriously though Id be curious to know which ones you thought were too dark.  The lighting scheme on Abbott is silly.  Even without any of the globes working the hockey pucks provide continuous light along the stretch.  When you put the two together its so overlit its absurd.  Even without the pucks, the globes are too close together.

[Seth]

The lighting scheme on Abbott is silly.  Even without any of the globes working the hockey pucks provide continuous light along the stretch.  When you put the two together its so overlit its absurd.  Even without the pucks, the globes are too close together.

I agree.  I like the rows of globes, but it just looks silly to have them next to to ordinary streetlights, especially when both of them are spaced so close.

[Omaha_Gabe]

The lighting scheme on Abbott is silly.  Even without any of the globes working the hockey pucks provide continuous light along the stretch.  When you put the two together its so overlit its absurd.  Even without the pucks, the globes are too close together.

I agree.  I like the rows of globes, but it just looks silly to have them next to to ordinary streetlights, especially when both of them are spaced so close.

Agreed.... I have seen them in another city, although i cant think of where at the moment but the string of pearls was more of an accent with blue/purple lighting

[Omababe]

Seriously though Id be curious to know which ones you thought were too dark.

It just seems like whenever I fly in at 0-dark-hundred and eventually get out of the long term lot, it seems DARK along Abbott Drive, particularly the left turn from the south long term lot onto southbound Abbott. I'm always afraid I'm gonna run into a median section or get in the wrong lane.

[iamjacobm]

117 globes broken...again.

[Brad]

117 globes broken...again.

I thought they replaced then with plastic? Do the globes in Dubdee break like this all the time?

[Coyote]

They said it would cost around $200k and not get done before the CWS.

[cdub]

Take em out!!

[skinzfan23]

I like the lights and think they look very nice coming in from Eppley, but maybe they can look to see if there is a light that would better withstand hail. I just can't see how they can keep replacing these every 2-3 years. With all the technology and different styles of lighting fixtures available, there has got to be something that is better.

[Bugeater]

117 globes broken...again.

I thought they replaced then with plastic?  Do the globes in Dubdee break like this all the time?

I rode my bike down Abbott Dr the day after that storm and checked out the debris on the ground from them and they were some type of hard plastic.

[nativeomahan]

Does anyone know if these have been fixed yet? It has been three months.

[Omaha_Gabe]

Nope.... just came from the airport this evening

[2Adam29]

I'll Just leave this here...

[Brad]

City is on the road to a more durable String of Pearls

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/city-is ... d5669.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He expects repairs to begin by late November, and to be completed within 30 days.

Two main decisions have been made about the replacement. After testing multiple products, the city selected polycarbonate material to replace the globes. It’s a material roughly 200 times stronger than glass.

The city also plans to replace all of the bulbs with LED lights. Discussions about LED lights began after a 2011 storm, Koti said. Those damaged lights were replaced with LED bulbs, resulting in a 60 to 70 percent reduction in energy costs.

[skinzfan23]

Good to hear.

[threeoutside]

I'm arriving late to this discussion, but one thing struck me: Why don't they *already* have "hats" over the top - hasn't anyone in this city ever heard of light pollution? Cities all over the globe are capping their street lights to curb light pollution. Seems to me caps would solve two problems - broken "pearls" and light pollution from that set of lights.

[bigredmed]

I'm arriving late to this discussion, but one thing struck me: Why don't they *already* have "hats" over the top - hasn't anyone in this city ever heard of light pollution? Cities all over the globe are capping their street lights to curb light pollution. Seems to me caps would solve two problems - broken "pearls" and light pollution from that set of lights.

They would also make them not look like a string of pearls anymore.

Besides, the photopollution from them is only a small part of the photopollution from Eppley and from the Clink, and the Bob.

[iamjacobm]

Voting on spending a little over $90K for replacement bulbs next week.

[threeoutside]

Besides, the photopollution from them is only a small part of the photopollution from Eppley and from the Clink, and the Bob.

I'm sorry, I'm not in the In Crowd; what are the Clink and the Bob?

[Brad]

I'm sorry, I'm not in the In Crowd; what are the Clink and the Bob?

Clink = CenturyLink Center Omaha
Bob = Bob Kerry Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge.

[GetUrban]

I'm arriving late to this discussion, but one thing struck me: Why don't they *already* have "hats" over the top - hasn't anyone in this city ever heard of light pollution? Cities all over the globe are capping their street lights to curb light pollution. Seems to me caps would solve two problems - broken "pearls" and light pollution from that set of lights.

They would also make them not look like a string of pearls anymore.

Besides, the photopollution from them is only a small part of the photopollution from Eppley and from the Clink, and the Bob.

Unfortunately, people were/are so smitten and bedazzled by the name "String of Pearls" that we're stuck with them now, even though there are many other aesthetically pleasing light fixtures available that don't contribute so much to light pollution. But realistically, I agree it is a small part of the overall problem.

[iamjacobm]

From Mayor Stothert's fb page:

Many of you have asked about replacing the string of pearls along Abbott Drive. Most of the globes shattered during a hail storm earlier this year. The new globes will be delivered and installed in January. The new globes are made of polycarbonate, 200 times stronger than glass.

[Louie]

Anybody know if 200x is enough? I am no physics major, so this is purely out of curiosity.

[iamjacobm]

Kiewit Foundation giving the city a $50K grant for the repairs.

[Seth]

After a long break from air travel, I few out of Eppley last weekend and on the drive, my wife noticed all the broken globes. We couldn't remember if they were recent, or leftover from the 2012 storm.

After 5 years here in Omaha, I've kind of become accustomed to seeing the broken globes and malfunctioning lights on the Bob pylons. It's almost part of the city's character

[RNcyanide]

After a long break from air travel, I few out of Eppley last weekend and on the drive, my wife noticed all the broken globes.  We couldn't remember if they were recent, or leftover from the 2012 storm.

After 5 years here in Omaha, I've kind of become accustomed to seeing the broken globes and malfunctioning lights on the Bob pylons.  It's almost part of the city's character  :;):

They look sad during the day when I keep having to drive to the Open Door Mission.

[skinzfan23]

After a long break from air travel, I few out of Eppley last weekend and on the drive, my wife noticed all the broken globes.  We couldn't remember if they were recent, or leftover from the 2012 storm.

After 5 years here in Omaha, I've kind of become accustomed to seeing the broken globes and malfunctioning lights on the Bob pylons.  It's almost part of the city's character  :;):

The current damage is from the 2014 storm in June. They recently had an article in the paper stating that they should be repaired this spring with globes that will be much stronger than glass.