MDOT installs LED streetlights along I-94 on east side

One of the most-traveled stretches of road in Detroit is about to become more sustainable.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is installing 308 new LED streetlights along I-94 on the city’s east side. LED lights are the poster child for energy-efficient lighting technology, consuming far less than half of the energy of traditional street lights.

“The lights that currently there were put in during the early 1970s,” says Rob Morosi, a spokesman for Michigan Department of Transportation. “You can expect a lifetime for the lights of about 30-40 years.”

The lights are going in on a five mile stretch of I-94 between French and 8 Mile roads. Of the 308 new LED street lights, 244 will illuminate the main section of the freeway. Another 64 LED street lights will light the on- and off-ramps along the freeway. The lights along the main trunk of the freeway will be mounted along the sides of the road, instead of in the middle of the expressway.

“That way they are much easier for maintenance crews to access and its safer for motorists,” Morosi says.

Work is set to begin this month and wrap up by next spring.

Source: Rob Morosi, a spokesman for Michigan Dept of Transportation
Writer: Jon Zemke

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