I have been told by a city official that the reason these street lamps have not been working for 4 years now, is that the wiring somewhere- under the sidewalk, in the post itself ? - is faulty. It would take some actual work to trace the faults and repair them, and since the city apparently only has two electricians at its disposal, this is not going to happen anytime soon. This is very discouraging, and reveals some serious deficiencies in the city administration.
The area that has been unlit is VERY busy dayand night, with people crossing the street through traffic to make bus connections, children being dropped off for choir practice at the church, people waiting for the bus on a sidewalk that is also two driveways, etc. With the rash of vehicles hitting pedestrians in New Haven lately, you would think that streetlights in busy pedestrian areas downtown would be a priority.