Duluth Announces LED Streetlight Pilot Project

Project will test 3,000-Kelvin LEDs instead of whiter, harsher 4,000-Kelvin lights

DULUTH, Minn. – The City of Duluth has installed energy-efficient LED streetlights across much of the city, but some citizens and business owners are not happy about the brighter, white lights on their streets.

The city plans to expand the installation of LED streetlights as part of the Superior Street reconstruction, and may install them in other parts of Downtown and Canal Park.

Duluthians against the LED lights want streetlights with lower light temperatures. They say the 4,000-kelvin LEDs now used on Mesaba Avenue and elsewhere have negative consequences for wildlife and nature.

They also believe those street lights destroy natural beauty and ambiance in the city, and make it difficult for residents to sleep.

“It’s so bright that I can’t see the stars, the moon, I have a beautiful view of the city which is pretty much ruined by these white lights,” said Linda Nervick, a hillside resident who is opposed to the bright LEDs.

City officials tell us LED lights are far more efficient and have longer lifespans than the high pressure sodium yellow lights that are currently used downtown.

“We use a lot less electricity to operate them,” said Alex Jackson, the city’s Energy Coordinator. “They provide more light on less wattage so that saves money, saves carbon emissions.”

The city has an upcoming pilot project expected to start in a month or two where they will compare their 4,000-kelvin LED lights with softer, yellower 3,000k LEDs. They say those look a lot more like traditional high pressure sodium lights.

As part of the project, those lights will be installed in a four to five block section of a residential neighborhood. The city will gather public input on how they perform.

Many business owners and residents aren’t satisfied with that. They want even lower temperature LEDs to be included as options in the pilot project.