Colonie

A stretch of Central Avenue where pedestrians are often injured will get brighter, more energy-efficient lighting as part of a research project.

The energy-saving LED lighting will be installed between Wolf Road and Reber Street in Colonie, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the state Department of Transportation announced.

"By providing additional lighting, pedestrians will be more visible and safety will increase," said Joseph Tario, senior project manager for NYSERDA.

For years, Route 5 from Albany, through Colonie to Schenectady, where it becomes State Street, has been the Capital Region's deadliest road for pedestrians. Five people were killed last year, and two have died so far this year. The state Department of Transportation has taken some steps to improve pedestrian signals and to install a high border between Northway Mall and Colonie Center to prevent people from crossing midstreet.

Once completed, the light level is expected to increase by about 35 to 40 percent. The new lights could enable the village and town of Colonie to decrease energy use by approximately 30,000 kilowatt hours annually, reducing energy costs by some $4,500 a year.

"We're really looking at the latest generation of LEDs," said John Bullough, director of transportation and safety lighting programs at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The center is leading the project.

"The current lighting system was designed in the 1980s," he said, and there have been significant advancements since then.

The new lighting will be installed this fall at a cost of $300,000.

The goal is to learn more about how to improve street lighting without subjecting neighboring properties to additional glare.

"Having lighting on the sidewalks would be beneficial, but we don't want to be putting lighting into people's windows," Bullough said.

The public will be surveyed after installation with the results to be shared with other municipalities. A technical report will document and map the impact of the switch, information that can be shared with local and state agencies and utilities.

"We are trying to put a little more science into it," Tario said.

The Lighting Research Center will collaborate with National Grid, DOT, the engineering firm Creighton Manning, the town and village of Colonie, the Capital District Transportation Committee and the University Transportation Research Center to complete the Central Avenue project, which is being managed by NYSERDA and DOT.

tobrien@timesunion.com • 518-454-5092 • @timobrientu