Over the next two months, the city of Pendleton will convert 1,005 existing public street lights from High Pressure Sodium fixtures to light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures. Work begins on June 20.
The new LED light fixtures will reduce the city’s energy costs, reduce maintenance, and reduce carbon emissions by 310 tons per year. The new lights use up to 50 percent less energy and have a longer lifespan than the traditional lights currently being used. The new LED lights will have a slightly different color, appearing more white than yellow, and direct light differently, enhancing visibility for drivers.
This project is budget-neutral for the city. Energy Trust of Oregon has provided an incentive of about $70,000 to be applied to project cost in the first year. The projected energy and maintenance savings will fully fund the project, resulting in no cost to taxpayers.
The project will replace current light fixtures on existing poles. No new streetlights will be installed, and no poles are being relocated
The LED Streetlight Conversion project will run from June to August. The project will cause limited traffic impacts while crews are site. Work will be performed in a moving operation that may require temporary traffic lane restrictions, and the sidewalk, bike lane, or curbside parking spaces located adjacent to the work site will be temporarily restricted while crews are actively working on a specific fixture. Most work will happen between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. with arterial and collector streets targeted for late evening hours. Crews will complete up to 40 fixture conversions per day, taking 20 to 30 minutes per light.
The city is also releasing multiple tools to answer questions and help individuals follow the project:
- The LED Streetlight Conversion Project Fact Sheet and LED Streetlight Conversion General FAQ documents are included in the city’s Project page.
- A map and detail of weekly traffic updates are available online.
- A visual high-level view of the overall project is also available online.
