City officials announced on Wednesday afternoon that an effort to replace malfunctioning LED streetlights is moving forward. LTU has determined that about 1,500 of the more than 26,000 LED lights installed during the LED Streetlight Conversion Project completed in 2019 have turned from white to purple.
“Because the purple hue is a manufacturing defect, these LED light replacements will come at no charge to our taxpayers,” LTU Director Liz Elliott says. “What has happened to our streetlights has happened to cities across the country, including several in the Midwest.”
Elliott said that about 40% of the defective lights have been replaced, and crews are scheduled to continue replacing the remaining lights beginning October 31. She says crews will be able to work throughout the winter. “Properly functioning LEDs are already installed in 95% of our city’s streetlights,” says Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. “Now, together with our partners, we are ready to finish the job and when we do, Lincoln will have a literally brighter future.”
The City of Lincoln undertook the city-wide streetlight conversion because LED’s save taxpayer dollars, enhance safety of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, reduce the amount and cost of maintenance work, and protect the environment.
The City says LED streetlights save Lincoln an average of $340,000 in energy costs every year. They also last 10 to 15 years longer than their older fixtures. The new lights protect the environment by reducing Lincoln’s carbon emissions by over 9,000 tons every year , an amount equivalent to the annual energy use of over 1,000 homes.
(Photo: LTU )