Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell

Joint Press Release issued (8/05/2010):

Pilot Project to test LED effectiveness on arterials

Seattle – Councilmember Bruce Harrell today announced the next steps of Seattle’s transition to Light Emitting Diode (LED) streetlights with installations completed on arterials in Belltown and the Central District. LED streetlights last three times longer than the currently used high pressure sodium lights and use approximately 40 percent less energy. These are the first arterials in the city to be tested for LEDs and will provide the information necessary to move forward with future arterial installation.

In Belltown, LEDs will be installed on Second Avenue between Wall and Lenora Streets and in the Central District, on Cherry Street between 23rd Avenue E and Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.

“I am extremely pleased to see our city’s transition to LED streetlighting take the next step to full implementation,” said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Chair of the Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee. “The truer and brighter light from LEDs will greatly enhance our public safety efforts by creating a safer environment for people when they are out at night.”

“It’s the responsibility of every City Department to do everything we can to ensure the safety of the public. I commend City Light for seeing the installation of LED streetlights as an opportunity to improve public safety in Belltown and the Central District, and I appreciate the leadership of Councilmember Harrell in bringing this new technology to Seattle. These five thousand lights will help save the City over three hundred thousand dollars in energy costs next year, in addition to their public safety benefits. This is a big win for Seattle, and I look forward to seeing them installed in more neighborhoods,” said Mayor Mike McGinn.

Previous LED pilot projects in Capitol Hill, South Park and West Seattle were widely supported by the community. City Light is in the process of installing 5,000 LED streetlights on residential streets between the Ship Canal and 65th street. Over the next five years, 40,000 LED streetlights will be installed on residential streets. Once all 40,000 are installed, City light expects savings of $2.4 million per year.