The City is busy replacing outdated lampposts in Kensington with new streetlights that are safer, more efficient and more reliable.

The poles of the existing antique streetlights are painted with lead-based paint, and the antique lights depend on an old circuitry system that is unreliable and has led to frequent outages. Because the current lights are on a series circuit, if one cable is impacted, all the lights go out. 

With the new lights the City is installing, each will be individually connected, so when one goes out, it will no longer impact any other nearby lights, which means a brighter, safer neighborhood for everyone.  

The 57 new streetlights being installed in Kensington were designed to mimic the decorative, empire-lantern, tear-drop style of the historic lampposts they are replacing, which will help retain the historic characteristics of the neighborhood.

These new lights use the latest power efficiency technology, which means these streetlights will keep the community bright for decades to come. 

The City has installed 43 of the 57 new streetlamps so far. 

A community member recently posted on the social media site Nextdoor to praise the City for our careful attention to ensuring these new lights are replicas of the ones they are replacing.  

"I have to say, they look like exact replicas of our old lamps!” the post reads. “I am so pleased, excited and thrilled. Our neighborhood will finally be well lit for our evening walks. Beats a number of them looking old decrepit, with chipped paint, and practically a safety hazard."  

As the work continues in Kensington, the neighborhood will see workers repairing the sidewalk and doing other pavement restoration work, plus coordinating with SDG&E to ensure these lights keep Kensington bright well into the future.  

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