The B.C. government says the lighting infrastructure along provincial highways and roads on Vancouver Island will be upgraded to LED fixtures to improve visibility for drivers and benefit the environment.
The province said it has to complete LED upgrades to a remaining 24,000 lighting fixtures. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is already incorporating LEDs into new projects.
According to the government, the Island will be the first region in B.C. to upgrade its lightning infrastructure and provincial energy costs are expected to be reduced by more than $2 million each year.
“Moving to LED lighting on our provincial highways and roads will use less energy, reduce maintenance costs and – most importantly – help drivers to see better, especially at night,” Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, said in the statement. “Our government’s approach helps keep our transportation network running safely, reliably and efficiently, now and into the future.”
The replacement of lighting along provincial highways and roadways with LED fixtures is part of its new and improved electrical maintenance standards, which include:
- replacing all non-LED lighting with the energy-saving LEDs;
- increased routine maintenance to address increased electrical inventory types; and
- streamlined processes for administering non-routine work and new installations.
“Tackling climate change is critically important for all of us, and finding ways – big and small – to lower our energy usage is part and parcel of our vision of a greener tomorrow,” Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources,atement said in a st “Moving to LED lighting on our provincial highways and roadways saves energy, reduces costs and increases safety – a great example of how a green choice can also be the best choice.”
The ministry awards contracts to private companies to maintain electrical infrastructure along approximately 47,000 kilometres of provincial highways and roadways. Each contractor is responsible for repairs and maintenance of overhead/streetlights, traffic and pedestrian signals, and tunnel and snowshed lighting, as well as electronic signs and web cameras.
Raylec Power LP assumed responsibility for electrical maintenance on Vancouver Island as of Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. The electrical maintenance contract will be effective until Aug. 31, 2025, with an option for a five-year extension.
All five regions in B.C. will assume the new and improved electrical maintenance standards by 2022, through a staggered open-bidding process, the B.C. government said.
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