BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Roughly 300 light poles that the New York State Thruway Authority recently installed along I-190 are being demounted by crews after two fell earlier this month. One of the poles had struck a vehicle.

A spokesman for the Thruway Authority said most of the poles have already been demounted.

All last week motorists were directed to one or two lanes in both directions as crews began demounting the poles from Grand Island heading south toward I-90.

Jonathan Dougherty, spokesman for the Thruway Authority, said crews were immediately sent out to inspect all the poles on the 190 after the two fell about a week prior to this past weekend’s windstorm. That’s when crews discovered deficiencies with some of the poles, so the decision was made to dismount all 300 poles “out of an abundance of caution.”

The poles were installed between 2018 and 2020, Doughtery said.

“For the continued safety of our motorists, we are expediting the removal all remaining light poles in the median of the 190 within the next two weeks,” Doughtery said. “We are working closely with Nova Pole Industries, the manufacturer of the light poles, to provide the Thruway with potential remedies and replacement plan.”

The Thruway Authority did not have specific details on the pole that fell on a vehicle earlier this month. The New York State Police’s Thruway division was unable to provide information on the incident.

Dougherty said the Thruway Authority is working with Nova Pole Industries to determine what is behind the defective poles, but he said the actual lights did work.

The Thruway Authority was unable to put a price tag on the 300 light poles, but said they were part of two separate projects that totaled $31 million, that included road resurfacing and safety improvements on both the 190 and the 90.