A DC-9-50 PIC EXPERIENCES A TXWY EXCURSION WHEN BECOMING DISORIENTATED DURING NIGHT OP AT DTW; MI.

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ACFT PUSHED OFF GATE ABC TAIL S. AN AIRBUS PUSHED OFF APPROX CDE AT THE SAME TIME TAIL N. ATC INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO TURN L ON K TO Y TO RWY 22L. THE AIRBUS CONTINUED TO PUSH BACK FURTHER TO THE N EXPOSING WHAT APPEARED TO BE K-12. WE MADE THE L TURN PER ATC WITH THE TAXI LIGHTS INITIALLY OFF AS A COURTESY TO THE OTHER ACFT. AS THE TURN WAS MADE THE TAXI LIGHT WAS TURNED ON REVEALING THAT WE WERE HEADING TOWARDS THE CLOSED HARD SURFACE TXWY BTWN K-11 AND K-12. THE BLUE TAXI LIGHT/REFLECTOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE WAS MISSING MAKING IT APPEAR TO BE AN ENTRY ONTO THE TXWY. THE ACFT WAS BROUGHT TO A STOP SO AS TO NOT DISTURB THE PASSENGERS OR THE FA'S. WE NOTIFIED GND CTL OF OUR POSITION AND CALLED OPS FOR A MARSHALLER/TUG TO ENSURE CLRNC FROM ANY POTENTIAL OBSTACLES. THE ACFT WAS PUSHED BACK ONTO K TXWY; TAIL S. MAINT VERIFIED THAT THE ACFT WAS GOOD TO GO AND THAT NOTHING WAS DAMAGED ON THE TXWY OR ACFT. DISPATCH WAS CONSULTED VIA RADIO TO UPDATE FUEL STATUS AND THE FLT CONTINUED ONTO MKE. PASSENGERS WERE BRIEFED DURING THE ENTIRE DELAY WHICH RESULTED IN A 39 MIN LATE ARR IN MKE. BETTER LIGHTING AND/OR MARKINGS IN THAT AREA FOR NIGHT OPS WOULD HELP ELIMINATE THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. THE TUG DRIVER INDICATED TO US THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED A NUMBER OF TIMES BEFORE. DTW NOTAMS DID NOT INDICATE TAXI LIGHTS/REFLECTOR OUTAGES IN THE VICINITY OF K-11 OR K-12. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PIC REMARKED THAT THE AIRBUS BLOCKED HIS VIEW OF THE K-12 TXWY SIGN. THAT; ALONG WITH THE MISSING REFLECTOR TO THE R OF THE TXWY CENTER LINE AT K-12 LED HIS ACFT TO BE STEERED TOO FAR TO THE LEFT; ENCROACHING UPON THE NON-TAXI AREA LEFT OF K-12. HE HAD HIS TAXI LIGHTS OFF SO AS NOT TO BLIND OTHER TFC AND DID NOT GET THEM ON UNTIL TURNING TOO FAR TO THE LEFT. THE PIC HAD NOTIFIED HIS COMPANY; WHO SAID THEY WILL NOW KEEP TRACK OF ANY EVENTS PARALLEL TO THIS ONE. HE HAD ALSO NOTIFIED HIS UNION. SO FAR AS ARPT REACTIONS; HE SAID THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER REFLECTOR PLACED BY K-12; BUT THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. HE SAYS A LIGHT IS NEEDED THERE TO KEEP THIS FROM BEING ANOTHER 'SUCKER HOLE.' HE ALSO RECOMMENDED A SERIES OF MARKINGS ON THE TXWY FOR IMPROVED GUIDANCE.