Lincoln Transportation Provides Progress Report On Streetlight Project

(KFOR January 28, 2023) Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott Friday provided an update on a project that began last October to replace 1,000 malfunctioning LED streetlights. The streetlights are being replaced due to a manufacturing defect that causes them to turn from white to purple.

“Our crews have been working diligently through the winter weather to replace the defective lights,” Elliott said. “We are proud of their work to replace 624 lights in just 90 days through tough conditions and that work will continue for the next few months.”

In October 2022, the City announced that about 1,500 of the more than 26,000 LED lights installed during the LED Streetlight Conversion Project completed in 2019 turned from white to purple. At that time, 40% of the malfunctioning lights had been replaced. The manufacturer is covering replacement costs.

Lincoln has a total of 32,423 LED streetlights.

The City of Lincoln undertook the city-wide streetlight conversion because LEDs save taxpayer dollars, enhance safety of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, reduce the amount and cost of maintenance work, and protect the environment. Some of the benefits to the community include:

• Compared to the older light fixtures, LED streetlights save Lincoln an average of $340,000 in energy costs every year.
• LED streetlights 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.