The streets of New Bedford will soon be a little brighter.

Friday afternoon, Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that all of the city's streetlights and traffic signals will be replaced with LED bulbs in the coming weeks.

Greg Desrosiers/TSM - Siemens crew member installing new LED "cobrahead" streetlight fixture.
Greg Desrosiers/TSM - Siemens crew member installing new LED "cobrahead" streetlight fixture.
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The modernization is being implemented by Siemens Industry. Northeast Zone Vice President Tom Foley says these lights are much brighter than current yellow streetlights.

The project will cost approximately $4.2 million. NSTAR has provided the city with a $1.2 million rebate. New Bedford will pick up the remaining $3 million dollars over a period of approximately nine years.

While the city will see savings from the start, Chief Financial Officer for the City of New Bedford Ari Sky says the new bulbs will save the city over a half million dollars annually once fully paid off.

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