Public Lighting Authority of Detroit passes 20,000 mark in installation of new street lights

September 18, 2014

Public Lighting Authority of Detroit passes 20,000 mark in installation of new street lights

DETROIT – The Public Lighting Authority of Detroit (PLA) has just installed the 20,000th light in its program to install new LED street lights throughout the city of Detroit.

“Last year, only 500 new street lights were installed in our city,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Under the new leadership at the PLA, we are now installing an average of 500 new LED lights every week as we relight neighborhoods across Detroit.”

PLA CEO Odis Jones said that crews have been doing a fantastic job installing the lights, all while maintaining a rapid rate that is ahead of the PLA’s original schedule. Because crews are moving at a good pace, the PLA is more than 4,000 lights ahead of its original schedule and is able to report that 20,169 new LED street lights have been put in since January.

As the PLA rebuilds the city’s street lighting system, it has a goal of completing all neighborhoods by the end of 2015. The installation, which began in January, is significantly ahead of schedule. Work on major thoroughfares, which use underground wiring, will be completed by the end of 2016. Approximately 65,000 new LED lights will be installed in the city during the next two years.

The installation process begins with an engineering survey of the neighborhood, followed by the preparation of engineering plans to install and operate the lights, followed by the actual installation of the street lights.

The LED lights being installed in neighborhoods are the lighting equivalent of 150 watt High Pressure Sodium lights, twice as bright as the 75 watt High Pressure Sodium lights that have been the standard in the past.

About the Public Lighting Authority of Detroit

The PLA was authorized by the Michigan Legislature in December 2012 and approved by Detroit City Council in 2013 to design and implement a plan to improve Detroit’s public lighting system. The PLA is governed by a five-member board, all Detroit residents, appointed by the Mayor and the City Council.

Discover our Mission

The Public Lighting Authority (PLA) is a state-created authority whose mission is to improve, modernize and maintain all street lights in the City of Detroit with brighter, more reliable, more energy efficient lights. The new lights in neighborhoods are 150-watt equivalent LED lights, twice as bright as the 75-watt equivalent High Pressure Sodium Lights that were the standard under the old system. The LED lights are also much more energy efficient than the High Pressure Sodium lights.