The Virginia Department of Transportation is contracting with Trane Commercial to replace more than 9,600 highway lights with light-emitting diode or LED technology, which are expected to reduce energy consumption by more than 50 percent while tripling expected lifetime for those lights from five to 15 or more years.
[Above photo by the Virginia DOT.]
The agency said on December 18 that it expects to begin replacing lights in the spring of 2020 on limited-access highways and associated interchanges, as well as VDOT-owned park-and-ride lots, rest areas, and weigh stations in the Richmond, Fredericksburg, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia districts.
It noted that this lighting replacement project is expected to result in a cumulative net savings of $4.6 million by 2036 due to lower energy bills and reduced operations and maintenance costs for future light replacement.
“This lighting modernization project will reduce energy use and increase road safety,” noted Governor Ralph Northam (D) in a statement. “It’s an important step forward as we work to make Virginia a leader in clean energy, and I commend VDOT and Trane on their work to improve our roadways, our communities, and our environment.”
VDOT added that this project is aligned with the clean energy goals laid out in the 2018 Virginia Energy Plan and in Executive Order Forty-Three signed by Gov. Northam in September.
The agency added that funding for this lighting upgrade project comes from the Virginia Energy Management Program’s energy performance contract option, which allows VDOT to finance infrastructure improvements using future energy and operational savings.
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