About LED Technology

The PLA has made several changes including doing away with the previous, defective lighting system. We made this transition to maintain the enhancement, renovation, and reliability of Detroit’s streetlights.

First, the city’s series circuit lighting system had to be replaced. The initial type of wiring, commonly referred to as “Christmas tree lighting,” made it so if one light went down, so did the entire circuit. With our new system, if one light goes down, the rest stay on.

Second, we have installed state of the art Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights which replaced the old system’s high-pressure sodium lights. The new lights shine twice as bright and require less energy than the old ones, saving Detroit taxpayers money.

Third, the PLA switched from the commonly stolen copper wiring to aluminum wiring, which is worth only a fraction of copper. Additionally, the new LED lights do not require copper coil at the base of each lamp. The new copper-free wiring deters scrap metal thieves and helps keep the lights on.

Finally, we implemented a new system for repairs to address lighting issues in a timely manner. This was a massive shift from the old repair operation. In the old system, residents would often wait years for an issue to be dealt with, if at all. Today, members of the PLA team respond to problems within three to five days.

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.