Process to replace Columbus street lights underway

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – How many people does it take to change a light bulb?

Quite a few, in fact.

Work on energy-saving LED street lights has been planned for Monday in Columbus

There are 4,000 street lights in the city that will be changed from standard yellow to white LED lights.

The project will take three to four months. That’s with workers managing about 1,000 lights each month.

The cost to brighten things up has been estimated at around $3 million.

But City Public Information Officer Joe Dillion said Columbus will save in the long term.

“The white light is more of what our eyes are built for so its a safety issue. Second of all, it’s going to be big savings in ongoing electrical expenses. The LED lights use about 70% percent less electricity and so that will save us many millions of dollars over the life of the fixtures,” said Dillon.

Changing to the new lights is expected to be completed by June 2020.