Traffic lights and pedestrian signals at the intersections along College and Gay streets in downtown Auburn will be updated in the coming months.
The Auburn City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to remove the old incandescent halogen bulbs and replace the lights with LEDs.
According to city manager Charles Duggan, the new LEDs will be brighter, help the city conserve energy and will last longer.
Duggan added the pedestrian signals will feature new button fixtures and a countdown sequence to help pedestrians use caution when crossing the street, stressing that safety is the city's main concern.
Stone Electric Company Inc., who supplied the lowest bid, received the contract for the project.
While many cities around the country are switching to LED traffic lights, northern cities have experienced problems with snow accumulating on the lights, making their colors indistinguishable to drivers. The heat produced from the old halogen bulbs melts the snow on contact, but the new LEDs do not generate enough heat to melt snow.
This will generally not be an issue for Auburn; however, as the last few years have yielded some snow accumulation, should a problem arise the city would be at a disadvantage as far as removal is concerned.
Other business resolved at the Council meeting included the unanimous agreement to submit an application to the 2011 Alabama Recycling Grants Program as well as the approval of a liquor license for Heisman's Sports Bar, which recently acquired the space previously filled by Calypso's Sports Bar and Grill on College Street downtown.
The Council also agreed to amend a zoning ordinance for the city, which stipulated the placement and size of signs that can be placed outside shopping centers. The new amendments will allow for bigger signs proportional to the total space occupied by the shopping centers.
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