The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) approved money to improve lighting in the downtown area. The first section to be approved is from the railroad track viaduct to Vreeland. This area currently has lighting on only on one side of the street. The new street lights will be on both sides and the new style LED fixtures. The poles are all black with the LED fixture on top.
DTE Electric is in the process of installing that section of lights. The new fixtures are expected to be operating by the end of March. The next section to be done will be
from Vreeland to the north city limits. The DDA will be looking at adding those during the 2016-2017 budget year. Mayor Dropiewski said he was excited to see the new lighting on Telegraph. The new LED fixture will give out a white light at less cost to the city and DDA. Once the new fixtures are operating, all of the old wood post that are supporting lighting only, will be removed.
Over the next few years, all of the lights in the downtown area will consist of LED fixtures.
HISTORY OF STREET LIGHTING IN THE US
The use of street lighting was first recorded in the city of Antioch from the 4th century.[1] It was introduced to the US by inventor Benjamin Franklin, who was the postmaster of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For this reason, many regard Philadelphia as the birthplace of street lighting in the US.
The colonial-era streetlights were lit by candles placed inside a glass vessel, which kept the candle from being blown out by wind. Franklin’s design was four-sided, with four separate panes of glass, so that if one pane of glass was broken, the lamp did not need to be entirely replaced, and might not even blow out.
After the invention of gas lighting by William Murdoch in 1792, cities in Britain began to light their streets using gas. The United States followed suit shortly afterwards with the introduction of gas lighting to Pelham Street in Newport, Rhode Island in 1803.[4] Throughout the 19th century, the use of gas lighting increased. Some locations in the US still use gas lights.
After Thomas Edison pioneered electric use, light bulbs were developed for the streetlights as well. The first city to use electric street lights was Wabash, Indiana.
For more information on Street Lighting go to click here.