Ed Brown of Mukilteo writes: I remember reading in “Street Smarts” a couple or more years ago about street lights on Chennault Beach Drive in Mukilteo and how dark it was way back then. The answer was they were the old type of lights that go on and off. It was stated that they were in the process of changing them all out with a new type. I walk a portion of Chennault Beach Drive every morning and it is still dark. … Can’t something be done to improve the lighting on this very busy street?
Robert McGaughey is Public Works director for the city of Mukilteo and responds: The city of Mukilteo is moving ahead with the conversion of city-owned high-pressure sodium (HPS) street lights to energy-efficient LEDs. The LED lights provide better lighting, use one-third the energy and have a service life two to three times longer than HPS lamps. The LED lights will be much brighter than the old yellow halide lamps. An additional benefit of LED lighting is improved light quality. LED lights produce a whiter, more diffused light than the yellow HPS lamps. LED lights also provide better color recognition and control of light patterns.
In 2013, the city converted 77 decorative HPS street lights to LED lights in the Harbour Village neighborhood off of Possession Way. This year we plan to convert 50 decorative street light fixtures in the Crown Park neighborhood to LED lights. The street lights along Harbour Point Boulevard are scheduled to be retro-fitted with LED lights in 2015.
Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your name and city of residence. Look for updates on our Street Smarts blog.
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