The “Light Up Corpus Christi” initiative, aimed at updating old yellow-tinted street lights to modern white LED lights, is progressing well to enhance community safety.
Initiated in May 2022, Corpus Christi collaborated with AEP Texas to transition from high-pressure sodium street lights to LEDs of similar wattage.
During the city council meeting on August 3, city officials discussed advancing the city-wide “Light Up CC” program. Tammy Huffman, Electric Utilities Analyst for Corpus Christi, shared insights on the program’s lasting benefits to the community.
Tammy Huffman emphasized, “The program not only boosts public safety and community security but also results in significant savings for taxpayers.”
She highlighted an annual savings of over $600,000 for taxpayers due to this program.
Since its inception, the project has been segmented into three stages, covering nine city zones and successfully replacing 15,000 lights. In June 2023, the program entered its final phase, dubbed the “cleanup phase,” where Corpus Christi and AEP pinpointed any overlooked street lights across the city.
Huffman remarked, “In Zone 4 alone, we’ve spotted over 300 overlooked lights, and our team is actively collaborating with AEP to finalize the surveys and account for all missed lights.”
During the meeting, council members advocated for funding a lighting analysis. This study, projected to cost about $1 million, will pinpoint lighting inadequacies throughout the city, suggesting where supplemental lights should be installed. Additional funds may be necessary for the installation of more sunlight.
City Manager Peter Zanoni mentioned, “Take, for instance, Flour Bluff Drive, which was revamped recently. It has just one light across its length, leaving it almost completely dark. The upcoming study will discern such gaps citywide, and we’ll need extra resources to tackle the most critical and hazardous zones.”
City authorities expressed gratitude to AEP for their commitment and timely completion of the Light Up CC initiative. After completing the lighting study in 2024, AEP will continue collaborating with the city to erect light poles and hang supplementary light fixtures.