DETROIT (WWJ) -- The Detroit Public Lighting Authority says it is on track to replace about 25,000 faulty streetlights by the end of the year.
The PLA filed a lawusit last month against Leotek Electronics USA LLC, the company that manufactured about 1/3 of all of Detroit's LED streetlights. The authority says there were defects that caused the lights, all of which were installed in the last few years, to fail far sooner than their 10-year life expectancy.
Officials say they have already replaced 1,000 lights in the last two weeks and they expect to hit their goal of completing the project by the end of the year.
"A stretch goal that I want to meet is by the end of October, beginning of November," PLA executive director Beau Taylor told WWJ. "Because that's when Daylight Saving Time rolls back and kids are starting to walk home from school, after practice and it can be dark on the sidewalks at that point. So I want to ensure that we're getting as much of the city lit by that point as we can."
Taylor says there seems to be issues with the way the defective lights dissipate heat.
"That's burning through the lens, so that's affecting the color temperature, as well as the intensity of the light," Taylor said. "They gradually dim to a point where they're rendered obsolete. You can see it still, but you have to look up to tell that they're on. That's providing really no benefit for the citizens."
In an attempt to maintain "the nation's most modern and efficient streetlight system," PLA officials said in a press release they opted to begin the replacement effort immediately, rather than wait for a resolution of the lawsuit.
Most of the faulty lights are in neighborhoods, but there are some along main streets as well. The PLA began replacing the lights on the most heavily trafficked thoroughfares first and are then moving into neighborhoods. Having replaced all the in-stock higher-wattage lights for thoroughfares, and while they wait for more to be delivered from manufacturers, they have started replacing lights in the neighborhoods.
Detroiters can report issues with streetlights on the Public Lighting Authority website or by calling (313)-324-8290.
