By Brian White / CBS8 / December 19, 2025
Imagine driving across a busy bridge at night with little to no lighting. That’s the concern one CBS 8 viewer is raising after noticing all the streetlights out on the Sunset Cliffs Boulevard bridge near Ocean Beach.
Lifelong San Diegan Carole Otterstad says she first noticed the problem months ago while driving a route she travels often between Point Loma and Pacific Beach.
“I noticed that it was darker, then all of a sudden realized, ‘Gosh, the lights are not on on the bridge,’ and so then I started paying closer attention to it,” Otterstad said.
Otterstad says she’s filed several “Get It Done” reports with the City of San Diego since November. She says all of the streetlights on the Sunset Cliffs Boulevard bridge over the San Diego River are out. In addition, many lights along the approach from Ingraham Street are not working, and several lighted street signs in the area are dark as well.
She believes the lack of lighting creates a dangerous situation, especially at night.
“You can’t see the other vehicles and oncoming traffic in the evening, and so that makes it a very precarious situation,” Otterstad said. “Plus you’re right by a bridge where if there was an accident, you could be over the bridge in no time flat.”
Otterstad says the location makes the issue even more concerning, given its proximity to major attractions.
“We are right across the street from a renowned tourist location, Sea World, and we can’t light up our streets? That’s not good,” she said.
Otterstad says she eventually spoke with a city employee, who explained that the lighting system on the bridge is outdated and difficult to repair.
“He explained that this was old school lighting, and when one light goes out, much like old Christmas trees, when one light goes out you have to find where the source of that is in order to correct it,” she said.
CBS 8 reached out to the City of San Diego for answers about when drivers might see a fix. A city spokesperson said crews have been extremely busy and, despite staffing and budget constraints, have repaired more than 1,200 streetlights citywide since October.
The spokesperson says city crews are expected to be in the area in mid-January to assess the bridge and surrounding lights for future repairs. Once that assessment is complete, the city says it should have a better idea of when the lights could be fixed.
Otterstad says until then, she remains concerned.
“It’s a convoluted intersection over here. There’s lots of twists and turns without adequate lighting,” she said. “The bridges were designed to have lighting. Without the lighting, they’re not operating as designed.”
CBS 8 will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.
I don’t think they’re on now 5:30pm 12/22/25 at least I can’t see them and I usually can. Get in touch with the council woman. That should be an easy thing to get taken care of. Mid January is a ways away.
Really? Loma Portal has not had streetlights ( historic center lights) in over 3.5 years. Could be fixed with solar lights that fit, but city opted 3 years back for strap on lights which are better than nothing., barely
Stu: Time for you to learn about the realities of San Diego’s “Strong Mayor” form of government. The City Departments answer directly to the Mayor’s office. Council representatives have no power to order/request city services in their districts. All they can do is beg the Mayor’s office to take action. This is a big part of why San Diego is so f*#ked up.
I also filed a get it done notice a few days ago. An unlit bridge, full of traffic during a dark rush hour is a safety hazard.
Agreed!
In my humble opinion the City should earmark this as a top priority. The bridge lights are out. Heading from ob towards sea world there is at least one more street light out and in addition to the street lights there is signage in that immediate and adjacent area which is not lit. The first set of signs which are not illuminated read Sea World Drive (left sign) and Ingraham St. /W Mission Bay Dr. past that at least one single sea world sign on an over pass is out. ( I believe there are more) and then two bridges away on Ingraham St. The signs which I believe read Crown point Dr and Riviera Dr are also not illuminated.
Conversely, as you head from Sea World towards the bridge there is one sign which is lit up with what appears to be new lighting. It’s way way too bright and also as you are heading north east on sea world drive if you look to the left you will see that the backlighting is harsh on the eyes from the opposing lane of traffic. So I hope that they don’t fix it worth that type of lighting.
It’s not just one sign which is in lit It’s a series of signs which are not lit. Including from south/east on Ingraham to the sunset cliffs exit. This is where I first observed the issue and I made a decision to go to midway dr rather than to take that exit during rainfall in November. This area is low lying and you cannot see under the overpass at night. With so much lighting out this indicates a bigger problem and my niece said. Doesn’t the city notice these types of things? I don’t blame them for not noticing. What I cannot and will not accept is apathy. I expect better from our City. I hope that everyone hammers our Mayor and the get it done app. Kudos to CBS – Brian White and his team for reporting this. It’s Christmas. Let There Be Light!
I recently noticed that in Ocean Beach that several of the streetlights are out Newport Avenue and Santa Monica Avenue; I also reported this in the Get It Done and they said this will be resolved in 500 days.
How long have the lights been out on the SSC Bridge? Wasn’t there a hit and run there, was the lighting inadequate then? Could the city bear some responsibility for that incident?
Scary. My teenage daughter recently got her license and drives on the bridge daily. I’m already terrified enough. Do better, San Diego!!
WHY THE F&%k ARE WE WAITING FOR CITY CREWS?! There are plenty of capable CONTRACTORS IN THIS CITY!