Mayor Michelle Wu Announces Record Year for Street Lighting Upgrades Citywide

City crews nearly triple last year's upgrade total at one-third the cost of outside contractors, helping to improve street visibility and public safety across neighborhoods

Mayor Michelle Wu today joined residents, City officials and Public Works staff to celebrate the completion of 7,202 street lighting upgrades across Boston so far this year-nearly triple the 2,483 upgrades completed in all of 2025 and the highest annual total recorded since 2016.

The City's Street Lighting Division completed the upgrades at approximately one-third the cost of outside contractors, accelerating improvements to major transportation corridors, business districts, and residential streets across the City.

"Quality of life in our neighborhoods depends on the quality of lighting on our streets. Street by street, Boston is upgrading more light fixtures throughout every neighborhood on a faster replacement schedule and with lower costs," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "Through our State of Good Repair Program and the dedicated work of our Street Lighting team, we will continue to work with residents to make Boston a beautifully illuminated city, with vibrant spaces that invite residents and visitors to gather and enjoy our outdoor spaces together, day and night."

Boston's street lighting network includes approximately 68,000 electric streetlights and 2,800 gas lights. In recent years, the City has accelerated its replacement schedule from 15 years to 10 years, helping to ensure more reliable lighting and better visibility for people walking, biking, driving, and traveling throughout Boston. The upgrades also support the City's transition to smart LED lighting technology, which allow individual lights to be adjusted for brightness and timing while also minimizing light pollution. Street lighting upgrades have been completed in every Boston neighborhood.

"I'm incredibly proud of our team's hard work and dedication to the residents of Boston," said Mike Donaghy, Superintendent of the Street Lighting Division. "Their commitment to maintaining and upgrading the city's street lighting infrastructure has been instrumental in achieving this milestone and delivering improvements to neighborhoods across the city."

Beyond infrastructure upgrades, the Street Lighting Division delivers essential city services year-round, responding to residents' concerns and addressing urgent maintenance needs. The Division responds to more than 8,000 service requests annually submitted through Boston 311, resolving a range of street lighting issues reported by residents. Each winter, Street Lighting staff string and light more than 50 holiday trees throughout Boston, contributing to the city's seasonal celebrations. The Division also provides 24/7 emergency response to reports of knocked-down street lighting poles, prioritizing public safety and ensuring urgent hazards are addressed promptly.

Reliable street lighting plays an essential role in public safety, helping create safer, more accessible streets for everyone. These critical street lighting upgrades support the City's ongoing work to keep residents and families safe and prevent violence across Boston neighborhoods. With targeted lighting upgrades in key corridors and locations, the City has worked closely with residents to improve visibility, which also helps prevent nighttime crashes and incidents of violence.

"Continued strategic investments in our built environment, specifically street lighting, are good for our neighborhoods, keep our residents safe and help prevent violence," said Isaac Yablo, Director of the Boston Public Health Commission Office of Violence Prevention and Senior Advisor for Community Safety. "I'm thankful to the Street Lighting Division and the entire Streets Cabinet for their critical work in advancing these upgrades across our city.

The Street Lighting Division is also investing in Boston's future workforce through its ongoing partnership with the Madison Park Technical High School Electrical Program. This partnership creates career pathways for students and recent graduates interested in the electrical trade, providing hands-on experience and exposure to municipal operations. To date, nine graduates of the Madison Park Electrical Program have gone on to become full-time employees with the Street Lighting Division, demonstrating the partnership's role in connecting classroom learning to meaningful career opportunities. By helping students build on their technical training and pursue employment with the City of Boston, the program strengthens the pipeline of local talent needed to maintain and modernize the city's street lighting network.

"Our partnership with the City of Boston's Street Lighting Division has been a great success, creating valuable opportunities for our students to apply their technical training and build careers in the electrical trade," said Livingston Williams of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. "Seeing nine of our graduates go on to become full-time employees with the City is a testament to the value of this partnership and the opportunities it creates for our students. We're proud to work with the City to help prepare the next generation of skilled electrical professionals."

• Published by: Mayor's Office