More than 1,000 freeway lights on west- and south-metro highways will be replaced this year and next using federal economic stimulus money.

About 770 new poles and lights will be installed on Hwy. 169 between Interstate 494 in Edina and Eden Prairie and Interstate 694 in Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove. To pay for the work, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is using $4.23 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Another 405 new poles and lights will go in along Hwy. 100 through Edina and on Interstate 35W from Hwy. 13 in Burnsville to 106th Street in Bloomington. The department will use another $2.2 million federal stimulus grant for that installation.

Typically, MnDOT budgets about $1 million a year for light replacements in the entire metro area, so the windfall of federal funds means lights that would have taken several years to replace will be replaced in two years, and with less disruption to traffic, said John Pederson, MnDOT lighting operations supervisor.

The new lights will "improve the nighttime visibility, which increases the safety and comfort for vehicle traffic," he said.

The lights on Hwy. 169 are more than 30 years old. They were installed by Hennepin County in 1973 when the road was County Road 18. Some lights on that stretch are missing, and have been for some time.

Crews are working in segments along Hwy. 169, with installation going on between I-494 and Hwy. 62 in Edina. To minimize dark nights, the plan is to install new lights and have them ready to turn on when the old lights are turned off, project engineer Bob Bobleter said. The entire string of 770 lights should be installed by next June 19, he said.

On Hwy. 100, MnDOT is moving all lights on the median of the road to the shoulders to make maintenance of them safer and less disruptive to traffic, Pederson said. That work, as well as the new lighting along I-35W between Burnsville and Bloomington, should be finished this year, he said. On both roads, the lights are more than 20 years old.

The new lights will be easier to maintain and have a life span of 25 years, Pederson said. MnDOT is not installing LED bulbs because the Federal Highway Department has not approved LED lighting for federal highways, Pederson said.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711