Glen Ellyn neighborhood getting lit up

A Glen Ellyn neighborhood will get a little brighter starting early next month.

That’s when crews will begin installing light emitting diode streetlights — commonly known as LED lights — in the village’s Braeside neighborhood, northeast of I-355 and Roosevelt Road.

Approximately 100 new ornamental light poles with LED lights will be spaced at regular intervals to eliminate long stretches of dark zones and provide a reasonable lighting level, according to village engineer Bob Minix. Currently, lights in the area are primarily at street intersections.

It’s the village’s first use of LED lights on streets. The village plans to retrofit some old lights with LED lights in the next few months, Minix said.

The new lights will result in far less energy consumption compared to traditional bulbs, he said. The lights are modeled after the acorn-shaped light poles that illuminate sidewalks on Roosevelt Road.

The new lighting also will promote increased security at night, especially along Brighton Street and near Surrey Park in the northwest section of the subdivision, Minix said.

The village board approved a $522,000 contract last week with Oswego-based Utility Dynamics, which has completed three other street lighting projects in the village since 1996.

Half the construction costs will be covered by a federal community development block grant the village was awarded last year.

The lights should be working by Labor Day.

And next year, Braeside area residents will see more construction with the planned installation of 13 drainage outlets in rear-yard utility easements. The village board approved that project in January.