Highway street lights

[ClevePVU]

Most urban/suburban highways in Texas are fully lit, I believe.  In the rural areas, you'll get a few lights if the exit is in the middle of "town."

[JMAN_WiS&S]

Wisconsin Specifically:
Ramp entrances and ends lit, sometimes full length lit, usually with full cutoff cobra heads, I now see WISDOT is using LED on newer installations.
I-94 & WI-37 @ Eau Claire: LED ramp entrance lighting, and then the signalized intersections at the end are full LED.
I-94 & WI-93 @ Eau Claire: 93 Is fully lit from just south of I-94 through to US-53, one intersection has LED even though the intersection was not redone. Experimenting perhaps?
US-53, BUS 53, WI-93 @ Eau Claire: High Mast
U.S. 12 & US- 53 @ Eau Claire: Mix of high mast and Cobra heads as it is a SPUI
US-53 & River Prairie Dr @ Altoona: Full length ramp cobra head
US-53 From WI-93 to Golf Road, maybe all the way to I-94 @ Eau Claire is fully lit with cobra heads on the side.
There's many more, I don't feel like listing all.

[ChiMilNet]

Illinois:
Tollways (ISTHA) - Any new construction/re-construction by the Tollway is guaranteed to have lighting the entire distance. The only sections of tollway in the main Chicago area without lighting are some stretches of I-88 which haven't been rebuilt within the past 10-15 years (though I hear some of this is slated for rebuild within the next several years, so this will likely add lighting), the Edens Spur (also slated for rebuild), and I-90 (will be rebuilt by the end of this year and is having LED lighting installed the entire distance to Rockford). The Tollway has started to use LED lighting, and it honestly is much nicer to drive with. I wish IDOT would adopt the same design and lighting standards. I also like that, unlike IDOT, they can make up their mind on a pole type (aluminum truss, which is honestly a classic Illinois style).

IDOT - Honestly, they do a pretty efficient job of lighting highways, especially in District 1 (Chicago Area). Although, there are some areas where I have to scratch my head that they have a curious lack of lighting (Some of the main roads in Lake County???). Also, pick a lighting style and pole type... seriously, IDOT uses three different pole types and seems to pick which one to use randomly, and often in cases where one doesn't make sense and contrasts with another road in the area (see anything updated by IDOT standards on I-290 within thee past 15 years near Itasca for this example). I would suggest they just do what the tollway does, and preferably use the same design as the tollway (i.e. get away from the bland davit style)! I see where there might be some justification for high mast lighting (Stevenson and Dan Ryan Expressways honestly seem to work OK with it). However, in some places, it seems forced (See I-290 at I-90 interchange in Schaumburg, seriously, just let the Tollway handle the lighting at this interchange). Also, with ISTHA and City of Chicago switching to LED, IDOT's apparent refusal to switch over is mind boggling. For instance, at the I-290 and IL 390 interchange being built between the two agencies. The Tollway is using modern looking LED lighting while IDOT seems to be stuck on its outdated sodium vapor lighting.

City of Chicago - This belongs in a class of its own. The city of Chicago is famous for its "orange glow" due to extensive use of sodium vapor lights everywhere... and I mean EVERYWHERE! No city limit sign is even needed when driving because the sudden barrage of light poles is a dead giveaway... especially at night. Chicago has traditionally been famous for it's green and grey style poles. Also, the luminaries are unique as the GE "crime fighter" which basically is a modified M400 with a cone looking lamp... rather neat actually for those who have never seen one. Though, sadly, like IDOT, they lately can't seem to pick a style of pole as the traditional poles have been replaced in many spots now, and often default to one of IDOT's bland looking davit styles with a standard luminaire. With that, the city has an ambitious program to replace nearly all of the lamps with updated LED lamps as a way to reduce light pollution and eliminate the "orange glow". For someone from Chicago, seeing the orange lighting disappear will be rather odd, but I think much needed.

[epzik8]

I live in a sizeable suburb of Baltimore, so pretty common.

[1995hoo]

I live in a sizeable suburb of Baltimore, so pretty common.

Same here except I live in a suburb of DC. Also the BGSs usually have their own illumination as well.

The odd thing is that it seems like when there's a work zone, the highway lights often don't work there. I don't know whether that's intentional, but I've always thought a work zone is precisely where you DO want good lighting.

[ET21]

Illinois:
Tollways (ISTHA) - Any new construction/re-construction by the Tollway is guaranteed to have lighting the entire distance. The only sections of tollway in the main Chicago area without lighting are some stretches of I-88 which haven't been rebuilt within the past 10-15 years (though I hear some of this is slated for rebuild within the next several years, so this will likely add lighting), the Edens Spur (also slated for rebuild), and I-90 (will be rebuilt by the end of this year and is having LED lighting installed the entire distance to Rockford). The Tollway has started to use LED lighting, and it honestly is much nicer to drive with. I wish IDOT would adopt the same design and lighting standards. I also like that, unlike IDOT, they can make up their mind on a pole type (aluminum truss, which is honestly a classic Illinois style).

IDOT - Honestly, they do a pretty efficient job of lighting highways, especially in District 1 (Chicago Area). Although, there are some areas where I have to scratch my head that they have a curious lack of lighting (Some of the main roads in Lake County???). Also, pick a lighting style and pole type... seriously, IDOT uses three different pole types and seems to pick which one to use randomly, and often in cases where one doesn't make sense and contrasts with another road in the area (see anything updated by IDOT standards on I-290 within thee past 15 years near Itasca for this example). I would suggest they just do what the tollway does, and preferably use the same design as the tollway (i.e. get away from the bland davit style)! I see where there might be some justification for high mast lighting (Stevenson and Dan Ryan Expressways honestly seem to work OK with it). However, in some places, it seems forced (See I-290 at I-90 interchange in Schaumburg, seriously, just let the Tollway handle the lighting at this interchange). Also, with ISTHA and City of Chicago switching to LED, IDOT's apparent refusal to switch over is mind boggling. For instance, at the I-290 and IL 390 interchange being built between the two agencies. The Tollway is using modern looking LED lighting while IDOT seems to be stuck on its outdated sodium vapor lighting.

City of Chicago - This belongs in a class of its own. The city of Chicago is famous for its "orange glow" due to extensive use of sodium vapor lights everywhere... and I mean EVERYWHERE! No city limit sign is even needed when driving because the sudden barrage of light poles is a dead giveaway... especially at night. Chicago has traditionally been famous for it's green and grey style poles. Also, the luminaries are unique as the GE "crime fighter" which basically is a modified M400 with a cone looking lamp... rather neat actually for those who have never seen one. Though, sadly, like IDOT, they lately can't seem to pick a style of pole as the traditional poles have been replaced in many spots now, and often default to one of IDOT's bland looking davit styles with a standard luminaire. With that, the city has an ambitious program to replace nearly all of the lamps with updated LED lamps as a way to reduce light pollution and eliminate the "orange glow". For someone from Chicago, seeing the orange lighting disappear will be rather odd, but I think much needed.

I-88 has no lights in rural areas, only at exits from IL-59 westward. They honestly should do lighting up to IL-47 and give us a full interchange at 47/88. Hopefully the redo of the 59 to 47 section will give us that

[ChiMilNet]

Illinois:
Tollways (ISTHA) - Any new construction/re-construction by the Tollway is guaranteed to have lighting the entire distance. The only sections of tollway in the main Chicago area without lighting are some stretches of I-88 which haven't been rebuilt within the past 10-15 years (though I hear some of this is slated for rebuild within the next several years, so this will likely add lighting), the Edens Spur (also slated for rebuild), and I-90 (will be rebuilt by the end of this year and is having LED lighting installed the entire distance to Rockford). The Tollway has started to use LED lighting, and it honestly is much nicer to drive with. I wish IDOT would adopt the same design and lighting standards. I also like that, unlike IDOT, they can make up their mind on a pole type (aluminum truss, which is honestly a classic Illinois style).

IDOT - Honestly, they do a pretty efficient job of lighting highways, especially in District 1 (Chicago Area). Although, there are some areas where I have to scratch my head that they have a curious lack of lighting (Some of the main roads in Lake County???). Also, pick a lighting style and pole type... seriously, IDOT uses three different pole types and seems to pick which one to use randomly, and often in cases where one doesn't make sense and contrasts with another road in the area (see anything updated by IDOT standards on I-290 within thee past 15 years near Itasca for this example). I would suggest they just do what the tollway does, and preferably use the same design as the tollway (i.e. get away from the bland davit style)! I see where there might be some justification for high mast lighting (Stevenson and Dan Ryan Expressways honestly seem to work OK with it). However, in some places, it seems forced (See I-290 at I-90 interchange in Schaumburg, seriously, just let the Tollway handle the lighting at this interchange). Also, with ISTHA and City of Chicago switching to LED, IDOT's apparent refusal to switch over is mind boggling. For instance, at the I-290 and IL 390 interchange being built between the two agencies. The Tollway is using modern looking LED lighting while IDOT seems to be stuck on its outdated sodium vapor lighting.

City of Chicago - This belongs in a class of its own. The city of Chicago is famous for its "orange glow" due to extensive use of sodium vapor lights everywhere... and I mean EVERYWHERE! No city limit sign is even needed when driving because the sudden barrage of light poles is a dead giveaway... especially at night. Chicago has traditionally been famous for it's green and grey style poles. Also, the luminaries are unique as the GE "crime fighter" which basically is a modified M400 with a cone looking lamp... rather neat actually for those who have never seen one. Though, sadly, like IDOT, they lately can't seem to pick a style of pole as the traditional poles have been replaced in many spots now, and often default to one of IDOT's bland looking davit styles with a standard luminaire. With that, the city has an ambitious program to replace nearly all of the lamps with updated LED lamps as a way to reduce light pollution and eliminate the "orange glow". For someone from Chicago, seeing the orange lighting disappear will be rather odd, but I think much needed.

I-88 has no lights in rural areas, only at exits from IL-59 westward. They honestly should do lighting up to IL-47 and give us a full interchange at 47/88. Hopefully the redo of the 59 to 47 section will give us that

I was rather surprised they didn't extend the ISTHA standard practice "down the middle" lighting to at least the IL-56 West split when the section through Aurora was widened. Agreed that it should go at least to IL-47. I-88 West of there does not get the traffic that I-90 does to Rockford, so I doubt that it will get the same widening anytime in the foreseeable future (let alone lighting).

[slorydn1]

Highway lighting? What's that? The only highway lighting we have in my part of NC are attached to the front of my car, LOL.

In all seriousness, after growing up and learning to drive in the Chicago area it was a real culture shock to move down here and have completely dark highways everywhere.
Every once in a while you may see some lighting through towns on surface streets, but out on the highways, forget it.

[SignBridge]

That's one reason I don't want to move away from the Metro New York City area despite heavy traffic and high taxes. Here in the heavier populated Long Island suburbs we have excellent street lighting.

[cl94]

That's one reason I don't want to move away from the Metro New York City area despite heavy traffic and high taxes. Here in the heavier populated Long Island suburbs we have excellent street lighting.

Can you send some of that lighting Upstate? I'd love any form of lighting on some of the expressways.

[Rothman]

That's one reason I don't want to move away from the Metro New York City area despite heavy traffic and high taxes. Here in the heavier populated Long Island suburbs we have excellent street lighting.

You are the first person I've come across to make street lighting such a prominent factor in staying where they are.

[jwolfer]

That's one reason I don't want to move away from the Metro New York City area despite heavy traffic and high taxes. Here in the heavier populated Long Island suburbs we have excellent street lighting.

You would be scared to move to Seminole County or Clay County FL.. Orlando and Jacksonville suburbs respectively.  Not many streetlights outside incorporated cities

The cities have lots of streetlights. Since Jax and Duval County are consolidated some semi rural roads even have streetlights

LGMS428

[plain]

In the Richmond metro it's not common at all unless you're actually inside the city limits itself, and even that's not a given.

The main highway through the city (I-95) is lit from mm72 to just past mm76 only. The rest is dark (even at Exit 79 which is a major interchange with I-64 west and I-195), which SUCKS given how notoriously dangerous this highway is, especially on the 95/64 overlap. However, the entire length of I-195, VA 195 (Downtown Expwy) and most of the city portion of VA 76 (Powhite Pkwy) are well lit.

In the Hampton Roads region the highways are very well lit. Basically every expressway is lit except for the Chesapeake Expwy (VA 168), a very brief portion of I-664 south of the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-Tunnel and the Suffolk Bypass, as none of those three segments really needs it at all

[coatimundi]

Caltrans has an interesting study on various states' lighting policies:

http://www.dot.ca.gov/newtech/researchreports/preliminary_investigations/docs/highway_lighting_practices_and_policies_preliminary_investigation.pdf

A lot of the rural and coastal routes in the state are either not well-lit or are just not lit at all, and I believe that's mostly due to light pollution concerns.

[myosh_tino]

A lot of the rural and coastal routes in the state are either not well-lit or are just not lit at all, and I believe that's mostly due to light pollution concerns.

I blame the copper wire thieves. 

[coatimundi]

A lot of the rural and coastal routes in the state are either not well-lit or are just not lit at all, and I believe that's mostly due to light pollution concerns.

I blame the copper wire thieves. 

That was a big problem in Tucson during the copper boom about ten years ago. It cost the local agencies something like $5,000 each time they had to fix one. But Tucson had a huge meth problem at that time, so I would expect that, in California, Indio and Redding had similar issues.