Mayfly hatch imminent; bridge lights shut off
The mayflies are expected to hatch soon, and as a precaution, the lights on the Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River were turned off starting on Tuesday night, Wrightsville Mayor Neil Habecker said.
"The decision has been made to be proactive rather than wait for a problem to occur," he wrote in an email.
Columbia Borough maintains the lights on the bridge. Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz, who has been monitoring the hatch of the mayflies, believes the hatch is about to occur.
The situation will continue to be monitored, and the lights will be turned back on when it is safe, Habecker said.
Piles of dead mayflies covered the bridge during the hatch last year, blocking sidewalks and spilling into the roads near the lights.
Allison Snavely, a Wrightsville resident riding her bike across the bridge from Columbia on Tuesday night said "having the lights off has helped" the mayfly issue at night.