 |
| Pictured are ABB chief Brian Hartgrove (left) with Corporate Director Richard Higgs (right) and County Cabinet Member John Wakefield (centre). |
25,000th lighting column replaced in Staffordshire
Top brass from Staffordshire have hauled up the county's 25,000th brand new lighting column.
It's the first milestone in what is a mammoth £25 million investment to revamp Staffordshire's stock of 105,000 street lights and illuminated traffic signs. The 25,000th lighting column was hauled into place in Stafford.
The Staffordshire Highways lighting revitalisation programme got underway five years ago in partnership with global engineering company ABB's highway lighting team.
Over the last five years hundreds of streets across Staffordshire have seen their old lighting columns replaced with modern state-of-the-art lights which minimise energy consumption, reduce light pollution and improve road safety.
The programme is recognized at a national level as a beacon of success, lighting the way for other councils to follow in delivering value for money for the tax payer and effective and reliable lighting services for local communities.
The Staffordshire lighting revitalisation programme is set to run for 25 years, but the majority of columns will be replaced at the front end of the schedule.
Cabinet Member for Economic Prosperity and Sustainable Communities County Councillor John Wakefield said the contract had been a massive success.
"The replacement and revitalisation programme has been rolled out with real efficiency by the team. It has been so unobtrusive that people have hardly noticed. Now is the time to celebrate our success."
He added: "The project is delivering real value for money and massive improvements in safety for communities' right across Staffordshire. It's not just about replacing the lighting stock, but maintaining it too. ABB have ensured that over 98% of the lighting stock is working at any one time. If it breaks they get out there fast and fix it fast.
"No-one notices street lights when they work, but when they break down everyone notices. That's why this quiet Staffordshire success story is a real beacon service, showing the way for other UK councils," he said.
Page Last Modified:
20/06/2008 09:11:34
Back to top