New decorative LED street lights will be installed along several streets in Westwood in 2019 as part of the overall street reconstruction and storm water improvement project.
The city entered into a lighting design & engineering services contract with LightWorks, Inc. to supplement the engineering street design work that was done by Uhl Engineering Inc. The scope of the contract was to develop a Street Lighting Master Plan for all of Westwood, then develop specific street lighting construction plans for different roadway segments.
The Public Works Committee of the Westwood City Council worked through a process to identify a preference on the type and style of street lights for Westwood.
The development of an overall Street Lighting Master Plan for Westwood, and the installation of new decorative street lights strives to satisfy the following community goals:
Create a Sense of Neighborhood.
- establish an identity to the city.
- create a uniform aesthetic.
Create a Welcoming Environment
- illuminate streets to appropriate levels
- minimize light trespass.
Establish City-wide Standard for Street Lighting
- consistent product
- LED sources
- energy efficiency
- guidelines for city wide implementation.
The new decorative LED street lights will have a light color temperature of 3000 Kelvin (K), lower than the current LED street lights that were installed in 2013 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of the Mid-American Regional Council’s Smart Lights Coalition program.
The current LED street lights in Westwood have a light color temperature of about 5000K or higher, meaning they contain more blue wavelengths and emit light that appears whiter than non-LED street lights. The American Medical Association in 2016 issued a recommendation that new street lights have light color temperatures not to exceed 3000K. That recommendation was based on concerns that the whiter color temperatures can disrupt circadian rhythms.