VERONA ISLAND – There may be some light at the end of the tunnel – or bridge.

Crews have begun reinstalling some of the lighting along the deck of the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge and the Maine Department of Transportation could begin testing some lighting patterns by sometime next week.

Local residents have registered concerns about the lack of lighting on the new bridge, particularly after crews installed and later removed the so-called necklace lighting along the deck.

DOT spokeswoman Carol Morris had indicated that the original deck lights posed several problems once they were installed. In addition to being susceptible to damage from snowplows and vandalism, their location on the bridge rails created the possibility that they would shine directly into motorists’ eyes.

The lights were removed earlier this month, with the idea of redesigning their placement. At that time, Morris said the department also would experiment with different lighting schemes to see if one is better than another.

“We’ve started installing test lighting, that is, just part of the necklace lighting,” Morris said Friday. “We may be testing it as early as next week.”

The lights will be placed only in one section of the bridge, Morris explained.

“One lane will be lit partially, just to see how it looks and if it alleviates the concerns,” she said. “If the response is positive, we’ll go ahead and install the rest of the lights.”

The department also is investigating the possibility of installing streetlights along the Verona Island approach to the bridge. Light already exists on the road cut and the new intersection of Routes 1 and 174 on the Prospect side of the bridge.

The architectural lighting designed to highlight the cable stays on the bridge will not be turned on until later this year when the observatory is opened.