Philadelphia’s streetlight upgrade began as a citywide effort to replace older high-pressure sodium lamps with LEDs and connect the lights to a remotely managed system. The project’s stated aims were to improve nighttime visibility, speed up outage detection and repairs, and reduce energy use and municipal emissions. It covers roadway “cobrahead” fixtures, alleyway lights, and decorative lighting on residential and commercial corridors.13
The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) led procurement and selected Ameresco to manage the project in October 2021; trial installations and community feedback began in November 2022.11 Construction started in August 2023. The City’s Department of Streets, PEA, and Office of Sustainability completed the two-year project in October 2025, replacing and connecting 130,000 streetlights.23
The lighting management system gives the City remote outage monitoring and the ability to adjust brightness. The City says the network can also support energy conservation during grid emergencies and provide a communications foundation for future applications.37 The project was financed through a $91.2 million bond, with PEA providing financing and project management.4
Workforce and local-business participation were part of the project’s scope. More than 200 young adults took part in alleyway-clearing work through the Streets Department’s Future Track program, while a local manufacturer assembled and tested 40,000 fixtures.7 The City reported in 2025 that updated lighting was associated with a 21 percent reduction in gun violence in areas studied; that finding concerns those areas and should not be read as a citywide effect.12