Decatur has approved an agreement with Georgia Power to upgrade most of the city’s streetlights, excluding the decorative fixtures downtown. About 1,379 LED lights will replace the current high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor fixtures, with work scheduled to begin sometime in May.
Assistant City Manager David Junger said the replacements produce a broader light spectrum providing better illumination of street signs, bicyclists and pedestrians. They will be more reliable, he said, without any flickering and will have a longer life.
With the lights recessed in the head they will project mostly downward (and therefore shouldn’t affect sleep) with minimal horizontal spread and no upwards leakage.
The city’s energy costs will be $17,774.67 monthly or about $80 a month more than it’s now paying.
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