Work continues on new LED lighting along busy Tupelo thoroughfare

Reporter

TUPELO — There may have been a bit of flickering along the way, but work on installing brighter, more efficient LED streetlights along bustling McCullough Boulevard is nearing completion.

Workers with Tupelo Water and Light are continuing to install dozens of LED light poles between Mount Vernon Road and Front Street, though officials said there is still no timeline for when the project will be finished and the lights turned on.

Each of the 78 light poles will feature two LED fixtures, which Tupelo Water and Light Director Johnny Timmons said will provide better efficiency to the more traditional high-pressure sodium lights as well as more visibility.

Timmons estimates the change will save the city roughly 122,880 kilowatt hours annually. In dollars and cents, that's about $9,057 each year.

The new lights will also last longer, which means fewer workers spending time changing dead bulbs.

“It is going to be really good savings because there are so many more high-pressure sodium lights compared to LED,” Timmons said. “The other part of this is this lighting is just about maintenance-free.”

Although progressing well now — workers were out installing fixtures on Thursday morning — the project has faced a few dark moments.

Chief Operating Officer Don Lewis noted that the city originally planned to bore the wiring for the streetlights but had to change their plans because of state regulations. Now, workers are digging trenches for conduits that will house the wiring.

Timmons said the project also hit a snag in procuring materials, but the city has been able to receive all the necessary materials now.

Workers will finish installing conduits in about a week, Timmons said, and begin wiring the lights soon, thereafter.

“We are going to keep plugging away at it,” Timmons said.

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