Carol Stream expands streetlight program
More aging streetlights in two Carol Stream neighborhoods will be replaced under a village program that is switching out existing high-pressure sodium bulbs with longer-lasting LED lights.
Another 54 streetlights will be replaced in the Spring Valley and Western Trails subdivisions, in addition to 47 lights that were already scheduled to be replaced beginning this fall.
The village signed a $289,595 contract in June with Wood Dale-based H&H Electric Company for the initial replacements — and this week, the village board approved a $59,876 add-on to the contract for the additional work.
The village was awarded a $350,000 state grant last year to pay for the LED lights. Since bids came in lower than expected, the village can do more replacements, said Phil Modaff, the village's public works director.
The first 47 replacements not only change out the lights themselves, but also the associated poles, cable and conduit. The other 54 do not require new infrastructure, Modaff said.
“We have good poles and no underground failure history. All you have to do is put a new head on,” he said.
If the village did choose to replace the associated equipment with the lights, it may have only yielded eight additional replacements, Modaff said.
Next year, the village plans to replace about 55 lights and associated equipment in Western Trails, estimated to cost $325,000 and be funded through the village's capital improvement program.
Village crews already have replaced about 30 streetlights throughout town as part of a streetlight replacement program that began three years ago.