An explosion of lights is brightening Coolidge Park and the Walnut Street Bridge.
Twenty lights have been installed under the bridge and 325 existing lights in Coolidge Park are being retrofitted with higher-wattage bulbs.
“You can increase the lighting to where it’s almost daylight,” said Larry Zehnder, the city’s parks and recreation director.
The city began installing brighter lighting in early June to help alleviate problems at Coolidge Park. In April, a group of 300 teens and young people gathered at the park and shots were fired. A year earlier, almost 225 young people gathered and several people were injured from shots being fired.
The Chattanooga City Council passed an ordinance in March that barred anyone under age 18 in the park between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult over the age of 21.