The Nashville Streetlight Retrofit Project (The Project) is a collaboration between the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metro), Nashville Electric Service (NES), and Tennessee-based Path Company. The project aims to retrofit over 55,000 streetlights across the Music City metropolitan area with the primary project benefits being enhanced driver and pedestrian safety as well as system-wide energy savings.

The new streetlights being installed as part of The Project will improve light levels and distribution along the public roadways. Doing so allows for increased visibility for both drivers and pedestrians. An added benefit is the efficiency with which these new lights operate as compared with the legacy streetlights currently operating within the City. These energy-efficient fixtures significantly reduce the systems strain on our electric grid and provide operational benefits to both the City and NES.

The scope of the Nashville Streetlight Retrofit Project includes the retrofitting of over 55,000 streetlights in multiple phases over the next several years.

The Nashville Streetlight Retrofit Project is financially sustainable through partnerships with Metro, NES, and Path Company. The investment in energy-efficient LED streetlights will result in long-term cost savings due to reduced energy consumption and maintenance costs.

Residents can stay informed about the progress of the Nashville Streetlight Retrofit Project through official communications from Metro, NES, and other involved entities. Updates may be provided through websites (including http://www.nashvillestreetlights.com), social media channels, community meetings, and local news outlets.

The one-to-one replacement with LED lights involves retrofitting traditional streetlights with energy-efficient LED lights. The streetlight types included in this project are roadway fixtures (commonly called “cobra heads”), roadway offset fixtures, interstate high mast fixtures, and other decorative fixtures.

Hypothetically, the conversion process from traditional lighting to LED lighting could cause minor disruptions to traffic, depending on the scale and approach of each fixture being converted. Efficient planning, communication, and coordination with local authorities are vital for this project to have a smooth, safe process during the streetlight conversion.

Multiple factors were considered during the conversion to LED streetlights with priority given to industry standards; Metro’s Vision Zero Action Plan; DarkSky International’s guidance to limit light trespass and uplighting; physical mockup viewing and comparisons of color, glare, and other optics; and photometric analysis of the fixtures considered for replacement.

The Nashville Streetlight Retrofit Project addresses streetlight outages through recognition that LED streetlights stay brighter and last much longer than traditional HID (High-Intensity Discharge) streetlight fixtures. The project improves maintenance efficiency though two major approaches: the new fixtures that are installed have much easier ergonomics for the personnel that will maintain and service them when needed, and the streetlights that are converted will have smart controllers on them that will notify NES when the fixture loses power or requires service.

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The Nashville Streetlight Retrofit Project benefits the local economy through job creation, fixture and glass recycling benefits, and reducing governmental spend on utility costs—allowing funding to be reinvested into other community programs.

The Project will provide Nashville residents with brighter, safer roadways, contributing to the city’s Vision Zero goals.

LED streetlights last much longer than traditional HID streetlights. Traditional streetlights usually last 24,000 to 36,000 hours, while LED streetlights can last 50,000 to 100,000 hours (or more). This longer lifespan greatly reduces maintenance and replacement costs.