JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been dealing with the theft of copper wiring in their interchanges yet again.

On the Pearl Street exit on I-55, thousands of feet of copper wiring was stolen that will cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace. According to MDOT Executive Director Brad White, this frequent crime issues has not only brought frustration to the department, but also drivers in the metro area.

“We had about 2,500 feet worth of copper wiring that was stolen, valued about $13,000 that it will cost to replace. That’s before you add in the cost of taking our maintenance crews and some contractors to come back and do that,” said White. “We get a lot of complaints sometimes wondering why of the lighting on the interstate and these areas are out is simply because we have a criminal element that is intent on stealing the copper wire, and we’ve been unable to positively be able to address that.”

White said that the department has begun working with Capitol police to develop possible deterrents to these crimes.