Posted Jul 27, 2009, 9:56 PM
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amateur urbanite
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Mobile
Posts: 269
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on the brighter side...
Quote:
Bright lights in the city
Stimulus money buys Mobile new LED traffic signals
Sunday, July 26, 2009
By MIKE BRANTLEY
Staff Reporter
The city of Mobile is spending $911,000 in federal economic stimulus money to replace all its incandescent traffic signal lights with new, more efficient LED lights.
Approximately 3,000 traffic signal heads at about 300 intersections are being replaced this year, said Bill Metzger, the city's traffic engineering director.
"We had 150-watt incandescent bulbs," Metzger said. "These new LED ones are about 12 watts. They are actually brighter, and they last so much longer."
Brighter means safer, as motorists will be able to more easily see the traffic signals that rely on LEDs, or light emitting diodes, that signal when to stop, go, slow or turn.
The lower wattage means a real savings in power bills, Metzger said.
Each replaced red light, for example, will save the city about $29 a year in electricity, Metzger said.
"It's using stimulus money, and then we are turning around and getting money back on it," he said. "Rather than using the money one time, we are also getting the power savings. Plus, these things will last about 10 years before they start dimming out."
The old incandescent bulbs were replaced every two years, by comparison, Metzger pointed out.
The city first began trying LED lamps in traffic signals eight years ago, when some of the red bulbs were replaced with the new style. In about six months, every red, yellow and green light will feature the LED technology, Metzger said.
The city also is using some of the federal stimulus money to replace 482 pedestrian crossing signals with new LED models of an improved design. The new signals feature a countdown, telling pedestrians exactly how long they have to cross a street.
"We are doing the pedestrian signals to try and make it a little clearer to people when they are supposed to cross the street," Metzger said. "With the countdown, it's a little more obvious when they can go and how long they have to cross the street."
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http://www.al.com/news/press-register/press.ssf?/base/community/1248599799297870.xml&coll=3
That's too bad about our unemployment rate. We'll get through it, though. 
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