Bangkok to become brighter, greener, cheaper after street lights upgrade

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration plans to improve the city’s streetlights. The Department of Public Works reported it will replace 25,000 of the capital’s 400,000 high-pressure sodium (HPS) light bulbs with light-emitting diodes (LED) to make Bangkok brighter, greener, and cheaper.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told the media on Tuesday, January 3 about the plan to change the city’s street light bulbs and repair ones that have been broken for years.

The Department of Public Works updated the development of the project on its official Facebook page last Saturday, January 14. The department posted pictures of workers changing light bulbs and making the roads brighter after the change.

The department explained that the project has been divided into two phases: 25,000 street lights to be fixed before March and 40,000 more upgrades before April.

The first phase is to focus on 13 roads in the city, including Silom, Ploenchit, Yaowarat, Chickhai 4, Soi Mahadthai, Ekkamai, Rama 4 (from Hua Lamphong to Lumphini and from Soi Auttakawee to Sukhumvit), Sutthisan, Ratchaprarop, Tate Saban Songkhro, Sena Nikhom, and Ratchadamri road.

The city will replace 25,000 old high-pressure sodium (HPS) light bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs to improve visibility and safety for pedestrians and drivers at night.

LED bulbs not only save energy and require less maintenance, but they also emit less carbon dioxide, a leading contributor to global warming.