(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Transportation says they’re seeing an uptick in calls about the color of the streetlights on Interstate 380 in Cedar Rapids. The D-O-T says the lights are unintentionally purple — the result of the deterioration of the L-E-D lights. The Assistant Director for the DOT’s Maintenance Bureau, Mohamed Mohamed, , says the L-E-D lights initially are blue-ish purple in color before a paint gets put over them to give the white light look. He tells K-C-R-G T-V that in the five years since the lights have been installed, the paint has flaked away, causing the lights to shine purple.

“The biggest thing is some people had the misconception that you know the D-O-T is changing the light colors, and you know that we’re actually in a transition phase. We are not,” he says. “it’s actually a flaw. It’s not the way that it’s supposed to be.” Mohamed says the company that distributes the lights is replacing them under the warranty, so there is no cost for the replacement. Around half the 800 lights that turned purple have been replaced and they will continue to replace the lights as needed.