LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Swinging overhead on a windy day, the last few lane lights on Bardstown guide the way while others sway dormant. As they fade from relevancy, a few collectors can still preserve the square relics since the city put some up for auction.
The Kleins got theirs for around $400 and rigged it up in their own backyard.
"These, to me, are just iconic," Angie Klein said.
She remembers them from her middle school years, when she was digging through record stores.
"Ear-X-tacy, Electric Ladyland, Twice Told," she listed.
With her husband Jamie's wiring, bringing those memories back is as simple as flicking a switch. When he turned on the blue wire, it revealed a never-before-seen color in Louisville.
"Amber," he said, "that's an exclusive for WHAS."
Jamie also showed WHAS11 inside the light, the metal scraping on concrete blocks. The tag inside showed a 2007 ship date—meaning the fixture was old enough to drive on the roads it used to hang over.
The lane lights came down in 2022 as part of a Bardstown Road redesign. Angie approved of those changes, but I wondered if she'd feel the same about the change on her back patio.
"Depends on how many times we move," she answered, laughing. "I may come to hate it. No—I think I will love it. I think wherever we move, it's gonna find a spot. I think it'll be a great conversation piece. My daughter's gonna get it, you know, when we're gone. I don't know how she'll feel about that. I think I'm always gonna enjoy it and be glad we purchased it."
It's their own slice of their neighborhood's history to enjoy further down the road.
If you want a piece of Bardstown Road history, you have until March 19 to bid on your own traffic light.
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