Traffic signal LEDs net Spokane a tidy refund

By John Vlahovich
Spokane Public Radio

Switching traffic signals from light bulbs to red LEDs is netting the City of Spokane an Avista refund of more than $200,000 on its electricity bill.

That’s more than the city spends every year on electricity to power its traffic signals.

Spokane’s street department will turn the refund into green LEDs replacing the light bulbs in the green portions of its traffic signals. That’s expected to save even more electricity.

Avista calculated the refund on electricity saved from replacing light bulbs with the red LEDs. The city changed out the reds first because on average they’re on for longer time periods than are greens.

Meanwhile, Spokane will receive $81,000 from the Washington transportation department to pay for changing timing on downtown traffic signals. This revision is to handle an expected increase in traffic from the state’s I-90 viaduct project.

Starting this spring for the next two years, traffic lanes of the elevated portion of the freeway between Division and Maple-Ash are to be completely rebuilt. Downtown access ramps will be closed during construction. That means more traffic traveling city streets.

Was-Dot will hold an information open house on the project next month.