Mayor Anthony A. Williams has launched the second phase of the citywide project to replace old incandescent traffic lights with more efficient traffic LEDs (light emitting diodes) and install countdown pedestrian signals at selected crosswalks. Director of Transportation Dan Tangherlini and Doug Noble, the new associate director for traffic services in the Department of Transportation, joined the Mayor at Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue and Good Hope Road, S.E.
“Intersection-by-intersection, these new traffic light bulbs and countdown signals for pedestrians will benefit all neighborhoods, saving money and improving traffic safety,” said Mayor Williams.
“We are proud of our involvement in Anacostia and all of our city’s neighborhoods with these upgrades to our transportation system,” said Dan Tangherlini. “When this one-year contract is completed, all our 1,500 signalized intersections will have LEDS and 125 intersections will have countdown signals making the city safer for drivers and pedestrians.”
Over the one-year life of the $3.9 million contract, Republic Electric will install about 30,000 LEDs on traffic and pedestrian signal heads and at flashing beacons. LEDs consume an average 80% less energy than their incandescent counterparts and last for 5-7 years compared to one year for the old bulbs, thereby dramatically reducing maintenance costs. The countdown signals are being installed adjacent to subway station entrances and schools, as well as intersections with significant pedestrian volumes with a recent history of pedestrian accidents.
The countdown signals have provoked very favorable public reaction where they are already installed, not only downtown in the Golden Triangle BID area, but also in San Francisco, Montgomery County, Maryland, Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Chicago. However, changes in pedestrian behavior and traffic safety effects have not been measured quantitatively. DDOT has contracted with Howard University to gather these data.
Contacts:
Bill Rice - DDOT: (202)671-2004; Cell: (202)437-7787