BC Hydro replacing high-pressure sodium lights with LED lights

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – BC Hydro crews and contractors are starting to replace the existing high-pressure sodium street lights with new LED street lights over the summer.

The City of Fort St. John says they worked with BC Hydro to confirm wattages and colour temperatures to complement the existing infrastructure.

These updates come thanks to BC Hydro’s street light replacement project, which they are enacting over the next two to three years.

According to their website, they’re replacing the existing lights with energy-efficient LEDs to comply with the federal requirement that all light ballasts containing polychlorinated biphenyls be removed by the end of 2025.

BC Hydro also adds that these street lights will improve public safety in the community by increasing visibility at night, reducing light pollution and that LEDs last longer and require less maintenance.

The city would like to remind the public that they are responsible for signs, signal lights and some street lights within the city’s boundaries.

B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation maintains traffic lights on the Alaska Highway, and the street lights on wooden poles are the responsibility of BC Hydro.