Three South Dunedin streets are offering a glimpse of what the city will soon look like at night.
As part of the tender process for the city’s new LED streetlights to replace its ageing and failing 15,000 high-pressure sodium streetlights, the Dunedin City Council is trialling 20 new LED lights in Melbourne, Fawcett and Oxford Sts.
Contractors started installing the 3000-Kelvin lights on Thursday and the trial will run until November 24.
Council transport group manager Richard Saunders said the two-week trial would help staff assess the three different lights which were part of the tender.
The streets were chosen because they were centrally located, had lights on one side instead of two and could be viewed from the surrounding hills, Mr Saunders said.
Selection of the final light supplier was expected to occur in February, he said.As the light from the LEDs was directed downward less light would spill into the night sky.
About 15,000 streetlights will be replaced between July next year and December 2020 at cost of about $12million but the final cost would not be known until a supplier had been chosen.
Up to 85% of the cost would be covered by the NZ Transport Agency, Mr Saunders said.
Public feedback on the trial could be submitted on the council’s website from December 1.
