Street Lighting

      The lighting operation was transferred to the Traffic Division from the Department of Public Utilities in the late 1980s.

         The Traffic Division is responsible for about 60,000 street lights in the city of St. Louis and also owns 18,000 alley lights and 3,000 easement lights.

         There are several types of lights: high pressure sodium, (which emit an amber/white light), metal halide, and some mercury vapor.

         High pressure sodium lights of 1,000 watts, 400 watts, 250 watts, 150 watts, and 70 watts have all been in use in different parts of the city since 1988, replacing mercury vapor. The voltage depends on the purpose. In 1995, the Traffic Division started changing bulbs from 70 watts to 150 watts to improve visibility, with excellent results.

         The Traffic Division is proactive in trying to remedy problems with the private sector, and is willing to provide labor for privately financed projects that improve and beautify city streets. For example, the division worked with Union Station to install privately funded historical lighting.

Here are some examples of decorative luminaires presently offered.

        The City of St. Louis has a rich history, and street luminaires are part of this heritage.  The following images of the St. Louis Luminaires Golden Era  bring to “light” this relatively undocumented area of our past.  They may be of interest to historians, collectors, scholars, and the public in general.