Metro Detroit's New LED Streetlights Not Only Look Great, They Will Save Taxpayers Money

DETROIT (WWJ) -- Let there be light!

MDOT and DTE Energy say their unique public-private partnership has led to the installation of nearly 13,000 new energy-efficient LED street lights throughout Metro Detroit highways.

MDOT Director Kirk Steudle said the transformation took place over the course of the past year and that the change is striking.

"I flew in within the last month on an airplane at night and you can see the difference," Steudle said. "The freeways used to be orange and now they're white."

You can even see the difference from space. Astronaut Shane Kimbrough tweeted a photo from the International Space Station last week of the Metro Detroit area sporting the new look.

The upgraded LED lights -- which are 70 percent more efficient than the high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor lights they replaced -- are expected to save $2 million in energy costs in the coming year.

"There's more than just changing out light bulbs," Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley said. "There are a lot of places where the wiring was gone, polls themselves that were just too far gone to save and had to be replaced. There was a lot of infrastructure replacement that had to happen."

The cost of installing LED lighting does cost more up front, but the newer bulbs are cheaper to operate and last longer.

"This lighting system is going to be at 98 percent on for the next 14 years," Steudle said.