A section of street lighting on the A4 will be upgraded this summer, as part of the Council’s pioneering project to replace conventional street lights with energy-saving LEDs.
The lighting has proved extremely effective at the Hicks Gate Roundabout
The improvements are being made to streetlights which are nearing the end of their working life along a section of the A4 from the Globe roundabout to the far side of the Corston junction.
The essential maintenance work has been carefully scheduled to minimise disruption. It will be carried out over three weeks in the summer holidays – starting on 5th August – when traffic levels are lower than normal. The work will be limited to week days and take place between 9am and 3.30pm to avoid busier periods. All traffic management measures will be removed outside of these periods.
Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib-Dem, Newbridge), Cabinet Member for Transport, said, “Bath & North East Somerset Council has carefully planned this essential maintenance work on the A4 to minimise disruption to travel. We thank motorists for their patience while the work is being carried out.”
Motorists are advised that there may be some delays while this work is being carried out. The A4 is one of the busiest roads in Bath and North East Somerset and carries in excess of 15,000 vehicle movements a day.
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s LED project won the Public Lighting category of the Local Government News Street Design Awards 2013. It involves the replacement of 4,000 conventional street lights with energy saving LED technology, cutting energy use by more than 1.5 million Kilowatt Hours (Kwh).
The Council anticipates making savings of £200,000 per year and, because LED technology is less costly to maintain, a further £50,000 per year in the future. Carbon emissions will be cut by over 780 tonnes, equivalent to 3% of the Council’s total energy consumption.
The technology includes intelligent lighting which adjusts the power used by the lanterns according to the amount of the traffic on the road at any time. LED lights have also replaced conventional lighting on all 108 zebra crossings reducing energy use by another 77,000 Kwh. Similar LED technology is now being considered for residential streets.
