City, county leaders work together to replace 4,500 street lights in Florence

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - As the days get shorter, Florence is looking brighter than ever.

City and county leaders decided to flip the switch and get rid of the city’s old dim lights and replace them with something much more cost-effective.

Duke Energy is currently replacing all 4,500 street lights with LED bulbs, while the city and county split the $60,000 cost to replace them.

City councilman Bryan Braddock believes the cost of the bulbs is well worth the price.

“In just a matter of years the initial cost will be paid back in savings,” he said. “So from then on you’ll just see savings which benefits the local citizens, and taxes, and things of that sort.”

Braddock said area leaders saw the old dim lights as a major safety concern.

He believes the bright new LED lights will make Florence safer for drivers and people walking along the county’s busiest roads.

“For the homeless person walking the streets at two or three in the morning just to be up and moving, or for the woman jogging at five in the morning, for it to be well lit and safe is going to have a huge impact on individual safety,” Braddock said.

City roads aren’t the only roads getting a glow up. Lights are also being replaced on several popular county roads.

“The collaborative effort was to make sure the gateways into the city (Highway) 52, (Highway) 76, I-20 are well lit and that’s a partnership between the city and county to make sure that’s continuous throughout that,” Braddock said.

All of the lights are expected to be replaced by the end of the year.

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