Cape featured in national magazine because of traffic signals

The city of Cape Girardeau was featured in the July 2003 issue of American City & County magazine. The article, titled "LED Lights Save Energy In City's Traffic Signals," was prompted by an article that appeared in the Southeast Missourian newspaper.

The article details the city's changeover to light-emitting diode light bulbs in 12 of the city's 13 intersections with traffic signals. The renovation, which replaced the traffic signal heads with updated and more efficient LED bulbs, took several months to complete.

The new LED bulbs, installed by city public works crews, require less maintenance than incandescent bulbs. They have a five-year warranty and are designed to last 20 years, as compared to the one-year lifespan of incandescent bulbs.

The city obtained an $83,000 low-interest loan from the Missouri Department of Natural Resource's loan program for energy-saving projects. The remaining $9,000 of the $92,000 renovation cost was paid for by the city's General Capital Improvement Fund.

"We expect the new bulbs to save the city approximately $13,000 annually in electric bills," said interim city manager Doug Leslie. "Once the loan is repaid, the city will begin to realize the savings."