Let There Be (Working) Lights: Toms River Hires Firm To Address Street Light Issues

TOMS RIVER, NJ — If you've ever driven been frustrated by a street light that is dark more often than it's lit up, a fix is in the works.

The Toms River Township Council has hired a company to do an audit of the town's street lights, mapping out where they are along with which ones need to be repaired. The township's plan includes upgrading the lights to LED fixtures adjusting where the lights are placed, to bring light to more areas.

In the process, it should save the township money over the current set-up, officials said.

Tanko Street Lighting was awarded a contract for $125,523 for the first phase of the project.

Township engineer Robert Chankalian said the company will create a GIS (geographic information systems) map that shows every street light in the township and indicates whether it is working or not.

Toms River has 7,000 to 9,000 street lights across the township, and the township pays $1 million a year to Jersey Central Power and Light, based on the number of street lights and how much electricity they are expected to consume. The charge is the same regardless of whether the lights are working, Chankalian said.

Chankalian did not have an estimate of how many street lights in Toms River are not working, but said typically these audits reveal about 15 percent are not.

Once the mapping is complete, Tanko will help the township get credit for the lights that are not working, Chankalian said.

The next step will be to look at where the lights are placed, and which streets need light or more light.

Chankalian said the LED lights are brighter and can cover a wider area, while at the same time the light stays focused on the road instead of causing a glare in someone's home. LED lights also consume less energy, he said.

"We believe ultimately there will be fewer lights, fewer fixtures, and less energy used," he said, which will create ongoing savings for the township over its current street light expense.

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