Information Request # 762
Pilot Project in Washington State Retrofts
with LEDs to Save Energy, Money
Washington state is replacing some outdated highway lighting on US 101 with LEDs, joining California and
Massachusetts in initiatives to save thousands in energy and maintenance costs. Drivers should notice a
significant change, as the LEDs produce a whiter, brighter light than the previous high-pressure sodium
highway lights. Lighting crews can even remotely adjust the light levels to suit the traffic levels.
As part of its sustainability efforts, the Washington State Department of Transportation
(WSDOT) has begun installing the state���s first light emitting diode (LED) highway lights
in an effort to cut energy use and infrastructure costs.
���Over the next 22 months we will look
at how the lights function and analyze the
cost savings at this location,��� explained
WSDOT traffic engineer John Nisbet. ���That
information will help us build a plan for
more LEDs across the state. We have close
to 60,000 lights on the state highway system;
more LEDs could translate into significant
energy and cost savings.���
The new lighting has been installed on
US 101, just west of Olympia at the Black
Lake Boulevard interchange. WSDOT had
full operation of the new lighting system
by the end of February. The new LED
lighting should last about 15 years, and save
about $75,000 in maintenance and operating
costs. The change from the previous highpressure-sodium (HPS) highway lights to
LEDs allows WSDOT to remotely adjust
light levels and turn off individual lights
when traffic decreases, which is possible
because the LEDs are producing brighter
lighting than the old HPS lighting.
California Department of Transportation
is also using the LED technology. It has
installed 40,000 LED street lights to replace
the older technology over the last two years,
saving about $2 million each of the last two
years in highway lighting energy costs.
Information Request # 613
94 Landscape Architect and Specifier News