1,077 New LED street lights in Downtown Detroit

[French777]

http://blog.thedetroithub.com/2011/1...s-lighting-up/

Anyone know of a timeline for this implementation? Nonetheless, sounds like an excellent idea to save the city money in the long run, and keep the power grid from going over capacity.

[Scottathew]

We are starting to get these in Warren, and M-DOT is starting to use them on freeway projects.

They look different, but not bad or anything. The light is acceptable.

They use less electricity and require far less maintenance because the LED lights last much longer.

As far as I'm concerned, every new light should be one of these, and we should start converting everything over!

[lilpup]

Ann Arbor has some of them. They're very bright and white/blue compared to the old lamps. I've seen a couple installed where it looks like they'd annoy homeowners, though, because the house fronts are really lit up.

[JBMcB]

I've seen them on some exit ramps along I-94. It's kind of disconcerting, since they are so light the poles holding them up look almost flimsy. They throw out a ton of light, though, since LEDs are pretty directional they light up the freeway nicely.

The only problem I've heard is that they tend to ice up in the winter, since they run so cool they don't melt ice off like incandescent lights. Then you need electrical heating elements to melt the ice off, and at that point the energy savings is a wash. It isn't a huge issue for streetlights, but it's a problem for traffic signals.

[lilpup]

The streetlights in Ann Arbor aren't heated. There's really no reason to heat the streetlights, they shed snow just like tree limbs do. Stoplights are where snow pileup is a problem.

[JBMcB]

The streetlights in Ann Arbor aren't heated. There's really no reason to heat the streetlights, they shed snow just like tree limbs do. Stoplights are where snow pileup is a problem.

You're right, I forgot to clarify that the icing issue is only with stoplights. I think it makes sense to replace the streetlights and wait until the stoplight issue is worked out.

[French777]

They have already converted several along Beaubien and around the BCBSM Campus Downtown to new LED Lights. I will say they do not provide as much light as I would have thought, but they most certainly look good, and it is nice to know that that corridor will always be lit. I can't wait till they do the Jefferson Avenue or Woodward Avenue street lights!

[MSUguy]

I've seen them on some exit ramps along I-94. It's kind of disconcerting, since they are so light the poles holding them up look almost flimsy. They throw out a ton of light, though, since LEDs are pretty directional they light up the freeway nicely.

The only problem I've heard is that they tend to ice up in the winter, since they run so cool they don't melt ice off like incandescent lights. Then you need electrical heating elements to melt the ice off, and at that point the energy savings is a wash. It isn't a huge issue for streetlights, but it's a problem for traffic signals.

The lights along 94 aren't LED. I did see driving 696 west of 75 tonight, a lot of new lights that look to be LED

[Parkguy]

The new lights on the Southfield Expressway are all LED.

[Hypestyles]

what are the roadblocks in michigan for more municipalities to incorporate LEDs in public lighting? Lobbying?

[DetroitPlanner]

what are the roadblocks in michigan for more municipalities to incorporate LEDs in public lighting? Lobbying?

Capital costs are very high. Most DPWs can't afford to patch potholes. The irony is that this type of lighting would save a ton in operational costs, freeing up money but the capital dollars are not there due to massive cutbacks at the local, state, and federal levels.

[Gistok]

The LED lighting of I-94 in SCS and Roseville last summer took forever to complete... nearly 6 months. They removed every freeway streetlight, put new ones [[single lamp instead of the older double lamp) and relocated them to about 10 ft. from the existing ones, rebuilt part of the median barriers, and used an enormous amount of MDOT trucks [[at least 2 dozen) to just sit parked in basically the same spot all summer long last year.

They spent so much time and resources, that any savings they would get from the new will likely take them many years to recoup. It wasn't so much "what" they were doing... it was how long it took, and how many trucks and people were dedicated to the project that seemed puzzling.