MEMPHIS, Tenn. —
Memphis Lights, Gas and Water (MLGW) celebrated a milestone this week in its ongoing efforts to replace all of its streetlights with new, brighter LED lights, which some Memphians hope will deter criminals.
After 11 months, the utility said the first phase of the LED Streetlight Conversion Project is complete. MLGW installed 77,000 LED streetlights across Memphis.
In a Tuesday City Council committee meeting, Doug McGowen, MLGW President and CEO, said it was done faster than anywhere else in the country.
McGowen said it took over five years to install 280,000 LED streetlights in Chicago and over seven years to install 140,000 streetlights in Los Angeles.
Phase II involves replacing underpass lights and fixing the 3000 lights flickering due to improper voltage. MLGW said voltage issues are widespread but are mainly impacting homeowners.
“I have asked Brad [Gates, MLGW Director of Electric Construction] and his team to prioritize the neighborhoods specifically for that. because I think the neighborhoods suffer the most with that and the business corridor,” said McGowen.
MLGW hopes to finish Phase II by July 2024.
Making the Bluff City brighter and safer at night is a top priority for many Memphians like Cedric Woods, who are fed up with crime.
"I've been here all my life, and it seems like every year it gets worse and worse,” said Woods.
Woods said the lights have already helped his neighborhood feel a little safer. But others, like Darius Cox, said the lights aren’t enough to deter criminals.
"They just need cameras on the lights. Night vision and everything,” said Cox.
The old streetlights that were replaced in Memphis are being recycled through a partnership with the Binghamton Development Corporation.