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Detroit Starts Installing New LED Street Lights

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - The city's Public Lighting Authority on Wednesday began installing LED street lights in an east side Detroit neighborhood.

The first of the lights were put in place Wednesday afternoon at Greiner and Hamburg streets. The LED lights are 150 watts -- more than twice as bright as the standard 70 watt high pressure sodium lights.

Odis Jones, executive director of the Public Lighting Authority, told WWJ the new lights are also copper thief-proof.

"A lot of the lights have a coil at the bottom of the light post. The new lights that we install will not have that coil. So, to the copper thieves who go out looking to steal that, we'll just let them know up front that there won't be anything there," he said.

Mayor Mike Duggan and Jones are expected to outline changes to Detroit's overall plan to illuminate the city. Fewer than half of Detroit's 88,000 streetlights are believed to work.

In September, crews armed with high-tech GPS units began a block-by-block review of streetlights in two demonstration areas. The east side project area has boundaries of 8 Mile Road, Kelly Road, Hoover Street and Houston Whittier Street. The west side project area has boundaries of McNichols Road, Southfield Road, Fenkell Street and Telegraph Road.

New lights are expected to be installed in the two demonstration areas by the end of May. Officials say all Detroit neighborhoods should have updated lights by the end of 2015.

TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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