CHICAGO – Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) crews will install more than 1,200 new energy-efficient streetlights along more than 200 blocks residential streets in neighborhoods across Chicago in 2012.

CDOT’s residential lighting program is part of Building a New Chicago, a comprehensive $7.3 billion infrastructure renewal program created by Mayor Rahm Emanuel that will completely overhaul the City's infrastructure in the next three years.

“Critical infrastructure upgrades such as new street lighting help to secure and strengthen our neighborhoods while encouraging private investment and economic development in our communities,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

It costs approximately $66,000 to retrofit each residential block with new light poles and lights.  The City’s residential lighting program is funded through a number of sources, including General Obligation Bonds and Tax Increment Financing (TIF).

CDOT is currently installing poles and lights that use 33 percent less energy than traditional street lights.  The poles are 18 feet high, and the lights illuminate approximately 50 feet of streetscape.

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